Due to several complaints from readers and a disasterous visit of our own, we are no longer recommending Vino Vino in San Marco. The food, service and prices are not what they use to be.

Under new management. It is now owned by the same family that owns La Patatina and Al Pantalon. The food is still good, but the overall feeling is more of an osteria than a fine restaurant.

Having been sold, "Il Sole sulla Vecia Cavana" no longer is part of the "Il Sole" family, and so it has dropped "Il Sole" from its name and is once again it is simply "Alla Vecia Cavana."

The restaurant is now completely nonsmoking, and what was once a dark bar is now simply a second dining room, much better lit and happily smoke free. Diners receive glasses of chilled Prosecco as well as along with a small dish of olive pate, which accompanies the bread basket finds interesting,

A house amuse bouche is also offered. On a recent night it was a gratineed oyster on the half shell resting on a bed of baby greens.

For prosciutto lovers, the Artigianale prosciutto from Oswald is a must have because it is truly spectacular. In winter it was served with incredibly juice and sweet cherry tomatoes which make a brilliant partner to the ham. The parmesan cheese basket in which it was served is more of a cup than a woven basket and it was disappointingly dry and a little greasy.

The house white wine, a Chardonnay, is an outstanding one, but the bread basket is no where near as interesting as it used to be - maybe in part because we were there on a holiday when the bakers may have been off.

La Vecia Cavana offers both meat and fish dishes. The menu is decidedly less elegant than it used to be, but the branzino with its potato coating was delicious; the potatoes were crunchy and crusty on top and tender underneath, The fish is tender and fresh, but there was definitely a small amount of Branzino in proportion to the crust of potatoes. Among the other listings there are many tempting items, but several favorites from the Il Sole days have vanished.

Among the dolce the poached pear with gelato is a good choice; it is made to order and the ice cream which is encased in the pear melts endearingly into its flesh, which does make it difficult to share.

The prices as well as the level of cooking have come down since our last visit. Despite basically very good food, and much prompter service, La Vecia Cavana has not completely jelled. It may be caught between what it was and what it will be. Time will tell, but it is still definitely worth a try.

Despite having gone through several incarnations, da Silvio has been run by the Raccanello family for thirty years. At the moment, da Silvio has opted for a comparatively stripped down decor. The surprisingly comfortable chairs are all metal and molded plastic, and the tables have plastic wood tops on metal frames. The menu offers traditional excellently prepared trattoria food, and a long list of pizzas.

The antipasto and primi piatti listings hold few surprises, but do not disappoint. Among the pastas, classic spaghetti con ragu comes in a nice size portion for a primo piatto. The pasta is cooked perfectly, which is hardly a surprise in Italy, and the sauce has a slight bite but is not too spicy for a basic ragu, and it has a classic proportion of sauce to meat. It is a simple dish made extremely well and it is very satisfying. Several other pasta dishes, gnocchi and soups are included with the primo piatti.

All the trattoria standards can be found here but they are done with flair and finesse. The bracciole di vitello is a satisfying choice especially when accompanied by a contorno of grilled vegetables or patate fritte. The pizzas come with a huge variety of toppings or "come te vuole" as you wish.

A tira misu made with chocolate biscotti is among the featured desserts. If you choose a sweet wine, you can pretty much count on a refill. The tab is most reasonable, and the meal, while not haute cuisine, hits the mark.

There is a large and lovely garden, offering both sunshine and shade available in spring and summer, and with the new no smoking rules, da Silvio has become a good place for a delightful low key dinner.

Under new ownership - some organizational kinks need to be worked out in so far as moving diners from door to tables but once you are seated things move along nicely. The menu is much the same and the house wine is extremely good.

Under new ownership. Very hands on owner - when things get really rushed he puts on an apron and joins the kitchen crew. The quirky signs are gone from the walls; the menu has been reduced and freshened and the food is a good or better than before.

While still offering a fascinating menu and wonderful food, Le Bistrot de Venise has moved from expensive to extremely expensive. Dinner for 2 with 2 glasses of Prosecco, 2 primi, 2 secondi, 2 glasses of wine and 2 glasses of dessert wine came out to 157 Euro, about 35 Euro more than our last dinner there in May 2003.

Now under new management. The pizza is still excellent, but the staff is not as pleasant as before. They are now open Thursday - Tuesday (closed Wednesday.)

No longer serves lunch on Sunday.

As Ruth reported last year, this osteria has new management. There is a younger staff but the food is still excellent. The old owner of Vivaldi is now operating do Spade near the fish market (on Calle do Spade.) This is another spot worth checking out, not only for the big plates of seafood or cured hams, but also to watch the owner who is a real kick.

No longer has a little window bar, and they no longer have sandwiches. They are a sit-down restaurant only.

Now closed Monday, and open Tuesday - Sunday from 9:00 A.M. to 11:00 P.M. Some of the features of this bar are no longer available (such as the revolving wine and cheese from different regions) but it is still a great bar.

No longer allows customers to sip wine at the bar during dining hours. We are bummed!

Has posted new hours (whether they really keep them remains to be seen.) The new hours are Tuesday - Saturday from 10-3 and 5-11, Sunday from 10-3.

Also has new hours. They are closed Tuesday and Wednesday, open Thursday - Monday at 7:00 for dinner, Saturday and Sunday they serve lunch as well.

In Campo Santa Margherita is now called Madigan's Pub. It is still a great place to hang out, maybe even better than before.