Al Ritrovo

While on our honeymoon and staying in Vicenza, my wife and I had a hard time finding anything open on a Monday, with most stores and all big tourist sites closed. Restaurants were a bit better, and with some online research we found a couple spots that were (hopefully) open, and if not they were in an area where we’d be able to find *something* open within a short walk.
Al Ritrovo was our first choice, and was very close to a stop for the #1 bus, right next to the Duomo, with a nice patio and modern looking interior (it opened in 2013), although we chose the patio on a beautiful evening. They must have been rocking 90s on 9 on Sirius, because Gangster’s Paradise was playing when we arrived, followed by the Spice Girls’ «Stop», and then «Da Funk» by Daft Punk, which I was very much down with.
The kitchen wasn’t going to be open for another 20m, so we took a look at their drink list and I picked a bottle of their valpolicella riposa. Wine came out with a glass of salted peanuts to hold us over. The valpolicella was very enjoyable, with slight tannin hit on the front, but with a smooth finish, and warm down the throat thanks to the 15.5% punch of this Venetian wine.
I went with the fresh pasta and duck to start, and a signature Vicentini/​Venetian dish — salted cod and polenta, or baccala.
The pasta and duck were fantastic; the pasta was fresh, just slightly eggy and perfectly cooked. The duck was chopped and also cooked to just the right doneness, being moist enough to not need the sauce to save it. Speaking of which, the cream sauce was used with a light hand, with just enough to evenly coat everything but not eclipsing the pasta or duck.
The cod and polenta was a bit disappointing presentation-​wise, and was fine on execution, but didn’t have the wow factor of the duck. The salt cod was in a creamy sauce but still maintained some of its distinct dried fish texture. The polenta had a slightly different flavour compared to most I’ve had, but I couldn’t quite place it, and it wasn’t bad. Could have just been the kind of polenta or a better quality than is available back home, and I just wasn’t used to it.
Service was attentive and professional.
Wherever you’re staying in Vicenza, you definitely want to swing by Al Ritrovo for some very well done traditional dishes at this modern restaurant.

Had dinner here on our last night in Vicenza with my parents. We ordered what turned out to be way too much food, but it was all so good that we finished it all! I had some absolutely divine lamb chops, with a Caesar salad (the salads are massive here). Definitely worth a try if you happen to visit this charming little town.