The Daily Diary of a Wandering Restaurateur
A Down Day in Sicily
Today dawned overcast and a bit chilly -- the sort of day that makes you just want to curl up with a good book and do nothing at all ... so that's just what we did. Well, we also did laundry so we're re-loaded with clean clothes for the rest of the trip (that's how I can fit everything I need for three weeks into one suitcase ... and we had a tasty lunch of the arancini I bought yesterday ... and we also read a lot.
Is that wasting a day of vacation? Perhaps so if you feel the reason for going away is to see and do as much as possible. But if, like us, you look at time away as more of a chance to slow down to the speed of life, re-connect and regain your balance, the day wasn't wasted at all. We can always see what we missed on another trip ... if we feel like it.
An arancini isn't much to look at, but a delight to eat. Essentially it is risotto formed around a filling of one sort or another, rolled in bread crumbs and fried. The cell phone will give you an idea of size.
It looks like the big trip of the day was to walk into the old town for dinner tonight ... but it was Saturday night before Christmas and the place was jumping! The streets were filled with people (not that you could tell from the photos we got), the piazza by the Duomo was filled and there was generally a feeling of shared spirit in the air. There was even an impromptu concert around the lighted "tree" in the center.
At 6:30 it was still early for dinner in Sicily (most restaurants don't even open until 8pm) but we were hungry and determined. At the end of a little side street by the Duomo we found Al Vicoletto, a small restaurant/pizzeria that looked open ... or at could be talked into opening early for us. At this time of year, I suspect they decided to take the business while they could ... and we got our second pizzas of the trip -- a four-cheese one for me, and one with eggplant for Margene.
The pizzas were simple, honest and tasty, just what we have come to expect of Sicilian food. Granted, we didn't order anything that would be a steep test of the kitchen's skill, but we got what we came for. The food was good, the experience was personal and that's enough to make us want to return.
On the way back to the apartment, we passed an old oil warehouse, part of Museo Mandralisca, a museum founded by te Baron of Mandralisca. It holds a wide range of precious works of art and may be a worthwhile stop tomorrow if the weather doesn't beckon us to travel farther afield. The narrow streets at night gave everything a time warp quality. Even the old laundry looked better at night!
So all in all, it was a simple day of simple pleasures. What's not to like about that?
© 2013 Restaurant Doctor
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