The Daily Diary of a Wandering Restaurateur
Making It Up in Cefalu
Today was our last real chance to see Palermo but we just couldn't muster the energy to do it. Not that it isn't a historical city with many sights to see, but we are so enjoying the laid back antiquity of Cefalu that getting speeded up in a big city held no appeal. We fly to Barcelona tomorrow, so we'll have our fill of city life soon enough. Palermo will still be here when we get back to Sicily ... and we always travel with the idea that we will be back. Sooner or later we'll be wrong about that, of course, but it helps maintain our sanity in the face of limited time and unlimited possibilities.
It seems we are good for about three hours a day of activity before we say basta (enough) and head back to the apartment. So far today, that got us through lunch. Will we have the energy (or the appetite) for more food tonight? I'm curious to see.
We seem to be eating one big meal a day and filling in with a light snack. Last night we went out for a pizza so today we wandered the town until we were attracted to a spot for lunch. The lottery winner was La Botte, down a side street near the Piazza Duomo. I can't pinpoint why this place caught my attention -- we knew nothing about the place -- but the graphics on its directional sign off the main street were attractive, the outside lights were on, it had a clean look from the outside, the menu was clearly posted and the staff was smiling. I also thought that being a bit off the main tourist track might have made it seem a bit more serious ... or a better value ... or just more real. Whatever the combination of factors, it got our business.
This time we both went for the Pasta alla Norma -- Margene because she loves the combination and me because I'd only had tastes of hers in the past. The presentation at La Botte was more imaginative but Margene still swears the version she had at Tiramisu in Taormina was the best because they piled on a lot more of the salty ricotta and the eggplant was all the way through the dish. I guess you never forget your first time! Whether or not La Botte is in the running for the alla Norma gold medal, their entry in the race was a tasty one. Pasta is really an art form in Italy. I appreciate that.
We were rather surprised to hear a few words of American English at another table in the restaurant. I think it was the first other Americans we've run into on this trip, one of the side benefits of traveling in the off season. Roger and Paul live in San Francisco and travel even more frequently than we do. We learned this when they stopped by our table to chat for a few minutes on their way out of the restaurant. They hadn't encountered any Americans either!
We ran into them again having coffee on the Piazza Duomo, said hello and joined them for coffee. They've rented an apartment in Palermo for a couple of weeks and just took the one-hour train ride to Cefalu for the day. We talked about travel, San Francisco, Seattle and life in general until they had to leave to catch their train back to Palermo. I never got a good photo of them on the Piazza, sent an email asking for one and they sent me a "selfie" from the train station. Gotta love life in the electronic age!
Paul and Roger are a pleasant pair and great company. Who knows? Our paths may yet cross again here, there or somewhere. For us, travel is always more about the people we meet than the sights we see.
Here's a little more local color. Everywhere we turn in this medieval maze seems like another postcard shot.
One of the store windows had dozens of these angel figurines sitting on cotton clouds. Had the shop been open we would surely have added a few to our collection. I think they were Christmas tree ornaments, though, and lately we seem to be effectively using travel as a way to avoid having to put up the tree! Maybe next year ...
Oh, and so not to leave you in suspense, we decided to stay home and start to get the re-packing organized. Tomorrow night we give up pizza and pasta for six days of tapas. Ole!
© 2013 Restaurant Doctor
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