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Come to discover our new world of wines!

10/15/2022

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LET GET BACK TO NORMAL!

9/30/2022

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LET'S  MAKE OUR CAR(E)FREE STREES - PERMANENT!

9/9/2021

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Please sign the petition!

8/24/2021

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Please vote to keep streets open to pedestrians!

3/29/2021

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Gardini Mondays

10/1/2020

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Get 15% off your entire order when you buy award-winning Gardini chocolates on Mondays!
Offer is only for the month of October 2020. Minimum chocolate order is $5, for a maximum of $30 at checkout. Code: UPLIFT
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ORDER AHEAD

3/21/2020

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You can now order before your arrival. Simple choose your beverage, print receipt, and pick up inside cafe. https://www.cafevenetia.com/store/c6/Order_Ahead.html#/
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MAGLIO CIOCCOLATO FROM SOUTH OF ITALY

3/19/2019

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And this year we've added Maglio Cioccolato to our family. Come taste the deliciousness that the south of Italy has on offer. ​
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Free Public Performances at Palo Alto Cal Train Station! Thursday, November 9, 2017 - 5:30pm  7:00pm

10/30/2017

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Join us for a fun, informal piano performance by the members of Bay Area Amateur Pianists at the Palo Alto Cal Train Station. While you're here, grab a bite and drink at Cafe Venetia, relax on the bench, and let us take you on a musical journey before you head off to your destination. ​
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Avviso importante!

7/1/2017

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Our second floor is now open at 419 University Ave, but please reserve a table: http://www.cafevenetia.com/reservations.html.

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Happy Holidays! Buone Feste!

12/18/2015

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La tradizione continua

10/9/2015

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You are invited to interview

6/8/2015

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Welcoming the award-winning chocolates by Gardini

4/23/2015

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This spring there is more chocolate at Cafe Venetia to savor. From Gardini - L'Aritigiano - http://www.gardinicioccolato.it.

Choose from salted to olive-oil-linfused to single-origin crus.

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Join us!  Aperitivo all'Italiana. Every Friday, 5 - 7 pm!

4/2/2015

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Gianduioni - Come and get 'em!

2/14/2015

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La nocciola Piemonte IGP di collina (40%), il cacao di origine fondente senza lecitina, assolutamente privo di lattosio e aromi aggiunti, rendono questo prodotto inimitabile.
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Arabica. Robusta. What's the big deal?

12/25/2014

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Photo by Adrian Lander for The Espresso Quest Ed. Laura Everage and Emily Oak, 2008

Two main species of coffee tree are grown throughout the world: Coffea arabica (or simply Arabica) and Coffea canephora (whose most well-known variety is Robusta). Many people claim Arabica beans are far superior to Robusta beans, and some refuse to drink anything but Arabica, but is it really that simple? Let's have a closer look.

Arabica Arabica trees grow best at high altitudes (around 1000-2000 meters) and in mild temperatures. The trees are delicate and quite susceptible to attacks by pests and disease. Because the trees are harder to cultivate, Arabica beans tend to be more expensive. Arabica coffee is usually described as smoother and sometimes slightly acidic, and it is also lower in caffeine.

Robusta As the name implies, Robusta trees are robust and much more resistant to disease than Arabica trees. They also grow best at warmer temperatures and lower altitudes (0-700 meters). Because the trees are easier to grow, are more disease-resistant, and because they produce a higher yield of coffee beans; Robusta beans tend to be less expensive than Arabica beans. Their taste is generally described as being full-bodied, often bitter or too strong. And they have a higher caffeine content.

Arabica or Robusta. Which is better? Because of its bitterness, 100% Robusta coffee is rarely used, except in instant coffees. Italian coffee culture in particular uses blends of Arabica and some Robusta, with Robusta usually accounting for between 10% to 50% of the blend.  When roasted well, Robusta beans can provide body and strength that are missing from pure Arabica coffees. They also help give espresso a nice crema.

Unfortunately for Robusta beans, they are often produced cheaply, resulting in low-quality beans. Further, they are often under-roasted which lowers the quality even more, but saves money as less of the bean is lost in roasting. Because of these practices, Robusta coffee has received a bad reputation.

When high-quality beans are roaster and blended well, Robusta coffee contributes to a fabulous espresso experience!
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Slow Food: A global, grassroots movement towards sustainability in agriculture

11/27/2014

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There is always something to be said for preserving tradition. Cultural customs often give us identity, linking us to our roots and breathing life into our heritage. Food, especially, provides this connection that spans the generations. Families pass down secret recipes to children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Baristas at Cafe Venetia continue to use the same precise preparation methods performed by Venetian baristas in order to create their espressos, cappuccinos and cremini.

Yet while many recipes should stay the same, our current agricultural system calls for changes in where we obtain our ingredients from. Enter the Slow Food movement, which is based upon preserving tradition while supporting local agriculture and promoting sustainability. According to the movement's website, Slow Food was founded to counteract "the disappearance of local food traditions and people's dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world." 
Visit the website to learn more about the future of eating - everyone should know where their food comes from.
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The world's #1 award-winning extra virgin olive oil has arrived to Cafe Venetia

8/15/2014

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Long-gone Revolutionaries - Whatever happened to cafés?

7/4/2014

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In an article in the Wall Street Journal, Michael Idov claims that coffeehouses have lost their revolutionary spirit in favor of politeness and silent blogging. Where hotheaded idealists once met to discuss political schemes and enter intellectual duals, customers now sit alone with their drinks and type on computers. Is this a bad thing? Moreover, have the revolutionaries really left?

Of course the revolutionaries of old have. Cafés are inarguably quieter than they once were, and one is hardly likely to eavesdrop on any assassination plots when walking into a coffee shop. Yet in Silicon Valley, at least (home to Cafe Venetia), one is sure to pass by rebels of a different kind. Here, entrepreneurs and technology gurus sit in cafés at their individual computers and engineer start-ups with never-before-seen products that have the potential to revolutionize not only the digital sphere but also how we live and communicate with one another. Café atmospheres have indeed shifted, but only with the times. Who's to say who the real revolutionaries are?

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Case Study | Toasting the Venetian Spritz

5/10/2014

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Frances Janisch As summer fades, savor a Venetian Spritz.

Coffee isn't the only thing Venetians do with simplicity and perfection. Check out this article by The New York Times Style Magazine's Toby Cecchini on one of Venice's elegant cocktails: 




T’s spirits columnist, Toby Cecchini, debuts Case Study, his new bimonthly posting on all things alcoholic.
The Italian concept of a cocktail has always been a much more elemental affair than ours, but it’s a perfect mirror of the country’s way with things: simple but dashing. Witness the Venetian Spritz, a little-known drink here that has long been the call when Venetians take their ombra, the late-afternoon aperitivo break, and has become a national craze there over the past few years. In the Veneto it is simply called a “spreetz” and can be made any of several ways, but the best and most common is simply a glass of prosecco with two or three ice cubes and a dash of sparkling water, topped with Aperol, a twist of lemon or slice of orange and — importantly and strangely — one green olive. The drink can be made with white wine and sparkling water, and Campari or Cynar turn up as options for the bitter, but the spritz a l’Aperol is the benchmark, and handily trumps the others. Aperol is a peculiarly fluorescent orange liqueur in the family of Italian bitters, or amari, and has only recently become available here. It is sweeter and smoother than Campari, lower in alcohol than most wines (11 percent), and it contains rhubarb, bitter orange and gentian among other secret ingredients. The history of this drink is murky and disputed, possibly involving Austro-Hungarian occupiers in the 18th century. Is it they who put the olive in there? No one seems to know for certain. What is clear is that this drink has become my summer obsession. Sweet, bitter, citrusy and sparkling — even slightly salty — but with minimal punch, it is a graceful segue for an empty stomach to begin an evening, and a thing of perfection on a sultry afternoon. Now that those are dwindling, avail yourself of a bottle of Aperol and join the passegiatta. 



THE VENETIAN SPRITZ 


  •  4 ounces prosecco
  • Sparkling water
  • 1.5 to 2 ounces Aperol
  • Orange
  • Lemon
  • 1 green olive. 



 In a rocks glass over three or four ice cubes, pour the prosecco, a dash of sparkling water and the Aperol, being sure to follow that order lest the Aperol sink to the bottom without mixing. Garnish with a slice of orange, a twist of lemon (or both) and an olive.

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What to look for in a good Espresso

2/14/2014

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Now that you know how to order an espresso correctly, how can you tell whether your espresso is actually any good?

Espresso, like wine, is complicated, and, like wine, this shows through in its complexity of flavors and aromas. Every aspect of the coffee production process, from bean selection, growth, processing, and roasting to the grinding, and actual coffee-making impacts the final product. Small changes anywhere along this line can result in a coffee that is too bitter, too acidic, too weak, and so on. Making that perfect cup of espresso is both an art and a science, as we'll see in future posts.

But for now, what should you look for in your espresso?

First of all, you almost certainly won't be able to appreciate a good espresso if you haven't built up a 'coffee tolarence' -- the ability to enjoy coffee without adding any sugar or milk. Building up this tolerance may take a few days or weeks of suffering through bitter-tasting coffee, but it's well worth your while. Once you're used to drinking espresso plain, it can be very difficult to go back!

Once you've built up your tolerance and can fully appreciate the range of flavors and aromas in an espresso, here are some guidelines on what to look for (and what to watch out for):

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It's time for Aperitivo!

7/4/2013

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Photo from www.aperolspritzuk.co.uk

What do Italians drink for their aperitivi? Wine is always a popular option in Italy, and one of the most common aperitivo wines is prosecco, a light sparkling wine from the Veneto region of Italy. It's so good that once you've tried it you may find it difficult to go back to Champagne!

If you get tired of drinking your prosecco plain, you may want to try one of the many variations. Perhaps the most famous of these is the Bellini, a Venetian invention of prosecco mixed with white peach purée. It is followed by the Rossini and the Tiziano, obtained by mixing prosecco with strawberry purée  or grape juice, respectively. And of course there is the Mimosa which mixes prosecco with fresh-squeezed orange juice.

Another extremely popular prosecco variation from the Veneto region is the Spritz: prosecco mixed with Aperol, a bright orange herby liqueur, and garnished with an orange slice.

Finally, there's the Negroni that combines gin, red vermouth (usually Martini Rosso), and Campari. This is not a drink for the faint of heart (or liver), but when served over ice and drunken slowly, it can be quite delicious.

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L'Aperitivo Italiano

12/25/2012

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Photo by Paolo Castiglioni for Café Venetia

Head to an Italian bar around 6 or 7 pm, and you're likely to encounter a bar piled high with delicious snacks while a gaggle of Italians surround it talking animatedly (how else do Italians talk?), sipping glasses of prosecco and nibbling away. This crowd is enjoying a classic Italian tradition, the before-dinner drink known as l'aperitivo.

L'aperitivo italiano, though in essence simply a pre-dinner drink, is actually much more than that. First of all, every aperitivo must include a little something to snack on, and the fancier aperitivi may offer much more. In Milan, where the aperitivo is extremely popular, many bars serve full buffets that can include pizza, salads, pasta dishes, and even dessert. All this comes free with the purchase of a single drink, which makes the aperitivo a particularly attractive option for budget-conscious young milanesi.

In other regions, the aperitivo is somewhat less extravagant, but it always includes at least a few stuzzichini - snacks - to go with the drinks. Popular stuzzichini include olives, pizzette (mini-pizzas), cured meats and cheeses, and even potato chips. In some places, particularly on weekends, Italians may indulge in an aperitivo before lunch, in addition to the aperitivo before dinner!

In addition to food and drink, the third vital element in the aperitivo italiano is conversation, of which there is usually plenty! The drink itself is almost an excuse, a beverage to be nursed slowly while the drinker engages in pleasant smalltalk with the bartender or perhaps a heated discussion with friends or a bit of chitchat with a potential love interest. The aperitivo is a time to relax and forget about the worries and stresses of the day, to enjoy the evening stretching out ahead, and yes, also to enjoy a bit of good food and wine!
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The Heart of the Matter

2/14/2012

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Chances are you're familiar with the sight of a roasted coffee bean. But have you ever seen a coffee cherry?

These colorful fruits grow on coffee trees, and the precious coffee beans sit right at their center, beneath several layers of skin and pulp. In order to extract the beans for roasting, coffee growers must strip away these layers, which consist of the following:


  • A silver skin or husk lying directly over the coffee bean
  • Parchment lying over the silver skin
  • Mucilage - a sweet, sticky substance
  • Pith
  • Outer skin


When the coffee cherry is under-ripe the outer skin will be green, and as the cherry ripens, the skin will turn yellow, pink, or red. As the cherry ripens further, the skin turns purple, and finally, in an over-ripe cherry, the skin will be black and wrinkled, like a prune.

Ripe and even over-ripe cherries are desirable for a good coffee because they contain the most natural sugars, which are required for a full and balanced flavor. A ripe red coffee cherry might contain around 16% natural sugars, while an over-ripe purple cherry could contain as much as 22% sugar.

So, the next time you find yourself enjoying a nice cup of coffee, remember to be thankful not just for the famous coffee bean, but also for its mother, the colorful coffee cherry!

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Ripe, over-ripe and under-ripe coffee cherries Photo by Adrian Lander for The Espresso QuestEd. Laura Everage and Emily Oak, 2008
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