Canaletto

Canaletto is a Venetian-style restaurant in The Venetian's Grand Canal Shoppes area, a reproduction of the classic Piazza San Marco in Venice. Invented by the same group that developed the San Francisco-based chain of trattorias and bakeries called Il Fornaio, the Canaletto restaurant offers a Northern Italian menu in an elegant setting. The kitchen is open, as is the current fashion, with a large pizza oven. The dining areas below are spacious and comfortable. Up on the mezzanine are rooms for private dining They overlook the shops of Grand Canal. Dining on the patio permits you to see the shows produced in the square itself. For appetizers, the menu offers tastes like the squares of polenta with a variety of different toppings like shrimp, salmon, cheese, mushrooms and sausage. The generous calzones and pizzas come straight from the picturesque oven. Have one of the five risottos, each with its own taste accompaniment like shrimp or mushroom. Main meals include a seafood platter of oysters, crab, lobster and clams. Also on the menu, of course, are lamb (in thyme and garlic sauce), veal scaloppini and roast chicken. Pasta fans will also not be disappointed by the wide selection of options, all fresh and creative. The spaghettini with half a Maine lobster is a perennial favorite. Classic Italian deserts finish off the dinner - spumoni and other ice creams, berries, zabaglione, or tiramisu.