Hotel Londra Palace in Venice, Italy and a recipe for Grilled Scallops and Octopus, Potato Salad and Spinach Sauce

Restaurant Do Leoni is one of just a small number of fine dining restaurants in Venice.  Described as “Classic Venetian fare, but with more elaborate preparation,” this restaurant receives many accolades and our dinner was no exception.  Chef Loris Indri, the hotel’s executive chef, sources the best ingredients and combines them with modern techniques and creativity.

Dinner guests enjoying the beautiful evening

We enjoyed watching the sunset as we dined that evening

As we dined outdoors on a magnificent summer’s evening with the sun setting over the canal, we were served beautifully executed dishes like Pan Seared Escalope of Mediterranean Red Tuna with Crunchy Sardinian Grain and Summer Vegetables as a first course.  A pasta course, Homemade Tagliolini with Lobster and Cherry Tomatoes arrived with perfectly cooked al dente pasta, a buttery sauce with fresh tomatoes and a succulent piece of lobster claw meat.  Baked Turbot with Perfumed Coriander and Lemon Verbena Vegetables, served with potato quenelle scented with chives was a lovely light dish with nice complimentary flavors and textures.

Deciding on what to order was a difficult decision, so we shared several dishes

Homemade Tagliolini with Lobster and Cherry Tomatoes

Pan Seared Escalope of Mediterranean Red Tuna with Crunchy Sardinian Grain and Summer Vegetables

In true European-style, several dishes were elegantly prepared tableside.   One of the most impressive was Atlantic Sea Bass in Salt Crust Flavored with Summer Herbs served with boiled new potatoes and aubergines caviar.  Arriving completely encrusted in salt, our waiter removed the crust and filleted the fish at the table.  The white wine we chose to accompany our dinner was from the Friuli-Venezia Guilia region that we had visited at the beginning of our trip.

Atlantic Sea Bass in Salt Crust Flavored with Summer Herbs

I have always enjoyed tableside preparations at restaurants

Highly recommended as their signature dessert, we ordered the Vanilla Soufflé.  Prepared in a classic French manner with a hint of Grand Marnier and served with chocolate and vanilla sauces, this was a most memorable way to end our dinner.

Our Vanilla Soufflé with chocolate and vanilla sauces