Wedding in Verona, need help in finding restaurant

[QTCC]

My fiance and I are planning a wedding in Verona, Italy next June. We would like to get some help and suggestions in finding that perfect restaurant that has the atmosphere fit for a wedding banquet and serves superb traditional Italian dishes (not international cuisine). There will be roughly 20 guests altogether. Thanks!!!!

[vidanto]

Do you mean exactly Verona town or, otherwise, also its beautiful and charming surrounding area ?
Is, more or less, 25 the number ? Do you need also a suggestion about where to sleep ?
Let me know, I can easily help you.

[The Chowhound Team]

Chowhound has a very narrow mission--where to find deliciousness. General travel planning questions, like where to stay or what else to do while visiting a town, are off topic for our boards. Please keep your replies focused on helping the poster find great chow, as off topic replies will be removed.

Thank you.

[QTCC]

Yes. more or less 20 people. The restaurant would be in Verona town or Lake Garda (but I prefer Verona). Most important is, the food!! My fiance loves food and we want to leave an unforgettable memory to our guests about the meal....thanks.

[vidanto]

So, no problem. In my opinion hte best solution is DESCO, close to Piazza delle Erbe.
The location of Desco is great as it is a palace of the XV century and the two dining rooms are both very elegant and you should reserve one for you.
Your guests will enjoy also to visit their ancient cellar.
The very clever chef, also patron, is Elia Rizzo.
It is the best place in Verona for you, believe me.
Look at its website: www.ildesco.com .

[QTCC]

Thanks vidanto. I've heard of Desco too but the pictures on the website doesn't quite reflect the elegance of the dinning rooms....I've seen another mouse-size picture somewhere of their "palace" style dinning room, wasn't sure if that was it until now.

Do you have any suggestion for the wedding lunch?? I suppose we'll head to the romeo and juliet church after (haha...that's what everyone calls it). Really appreciate your help. A big thank you!!

[vidanto]

You should agree the menu with Elia and he will be glad and proud to listen to your need and, in the meantime, send you his true suggestions.
Anyway, as antipasti, why not the FANTASIA DI PESCI CRUDI
Then, as first course, do not miss his unique RISOTTO ALLA RAPA ROSSA CON CALAMARETTI CRUDI AL LIME
Then for the second courses, maybe two, I suggest to wait until the date is sure and see which are his proposals.
About dolci, oh my God, he cna prepare a unique gateau marriage !!!
About wines I will help you when menu is at least a draft.

[QTCC]

wow. thanks for the suggestions. do you live in italy??

[vidanto]

Oh yes, I live in Italy because I am Italian; my girlfriend was born is USA.
We live in Romagna and because of my job I often go to Verona and I know this town and its surrounding area very well.

[jen kalb]

If you are looking for a lunch place too have you tried a search on the Italy Board? there have been a lot of posts on Verona, a great town.

[Joe H]

http://www.ristorantelafontanina.com/ The Michelin starred La Fontanina is arguably the best restaurant in Verona-with all due respect to the two star Il Desco which we first visited more than ten years ago. It is also the most romantic restaurant on earth. Look closely at the photos in the link which were artificially lit to show the room: all of the light is candlelight in this eccentric temple to wine. Il Desco is an entirely different kind of experience, more formal for lack of a better word. La Fontanina is where Romeo would have taken Juliet for their wedding dinner: it is an extraordinary, very personal restaurant with great character. For a small wedding dinner I can think of no better restaurant, no finer memory on earth. Perhaps the only place that might challenge it is La Fornace di Barbiblu which is a 2,000 year old Roman era furnace that has been converted into a restaurant 90 km northwest of Genoa. Still, the Verona restaurant is my first choice.

When you look at the photographs in the link, especially the ones in the "gallery" please focus on those INSIDE the restaurant, especially the last one. Remember, almost all of the light is from candlelight. The interior photos were "lit" just for the shoot. Sit inside.

My wife and I will have our next anniversary dinner there.

[QTCC]

Thanks Joe for your suggestion, I've checked out La Fontanina too (from the Italy Board)...ya, the place looks good, it's already on my "AA" list.

[lawmanx]

La Fontanina does have a good reputation. It may be a bit too dark for a wedding - perhaps they have outdoor seating or a banquet room. It's very American of me, I know, but the toilets are holes in the floor. It's a real consideration if you have elderly guests. When you're in a a nice outfit and have had a few glasses of wine, it doesn't feel very elegant! We ate there in 2001, and haven't felt compelled to return - partially because the dollar is so weak. Perhaps they have upgraded the bathrooms since then, though!

Gambero Rosso rated Il Desco in the top 10 in 2007, but not in their 2008 list. The Villa del Quar is still in the top 10. We haven't eaten at either restaurant, but my friends stayed at the Villa de Quar and said the meal is "the full works." All the Veronese rave over Il Desco, but I sometimes think they are too cheap to actually eat there.

A beautiful spot at the lake, with good food (not typically Veneto, though) is the Punta San Vigilio. http://www.locanda-sanvigilio.it/

You also may want to investigate using an agriturismo. By law, they have to grow or raise the food they serve (also the wine). It's simple and plentiful and you'll eat real food from the region.

In general, the Veronese food is very winter-oriented. A typical primo: a duck, rabbit or donkey ragu' with bigoli pasta; gnocchi with sfilacci di cavallo (shredded horse meat) and baby arugula; risotto with amarone wine or radicchio. A secondo is usually grilled meat: steak with amarone, or grilled lamb.

I hope this helps! Maybe I've made it worse.

[lawmanx]

I just thought of a great restaurant, on Piazza San Zeno. "Al Calmiere".

It is upscale, but moderately priced. We ate a there with about 30 people in June. Everything was excellent, but the antipasto, polenta e luccio (a fish from Lake Garda), really stood out.

The only downside is that half of the piazza is a parking lot. San Zeno itself is my favorite church in Verona (maybe my favorite in Italy).