Italy
Ristorante Sirena di Sansica in Bonagia – Meal of the Year
Its that time of the year again. Off to another unpaid, unsponsored eating expedition. I leave you with one of the gems from 2016. For more on Sicily, click on the Sicily link, or go here… https://eatingwithziggy.com/category/italy/sicily/
To understand the notion I’ve been “preaching” here that Sicily is mainland Italy 30 years ago (I went from 20 to 30 after being corrected by actual Italians living in NYC) one must simply go to Tonnara di Bonagia on the western tip of the island where once tuna hunted and butchered in ways that are only talked about these days. And to fully appreciate a meal at the sensational Sirena di Sansica, a 20 minute drive from Trapani, one must arrive earlier, right before sunset. The rugged coastline leading to the rock of San Vito Lo Capo is mesmerizing. Even with a wedding party patiently waiting their turn, you hesitate to give up the spot. Compared to much of mainland, the area is underdeveloped and you selfishly wish that it stays like this forever. Ancient boats lining up next to the Tonnara, overlooking the colorful port around the Albergo Tonnara Di Bonagia Resort. A magical…
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Categories: Italy, Sicily
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15 Best Things We Ate in Sicily
16 days in Sicily in July means you are still writing about it in November. Couple that with a trip to Montreal and you essentially got The Summer of Ziggy! It’s the kind of trip I dont believe I can mimic anytime soon, but you the reader can! These 15 items alone should give you plenty of ideas if you researching but I strongly recommend checking out the rest of the Sicily Page. I can easily spend another 3 months writing about this, but wife now wants me to concentrate on Croatia. She’s just a tiny bit spoiled eager. So, pull up our trip theme song one last time, and lets get lost together…
Octopus Carpaccio at L’Arco Dei Cappuccini (Taormina)
Yet another sharp reminder kids. Leave the center, and wonderful things start coming your way. I’m talking unicorns, and puppies, and Octopuses. In this case you need to leave the gates entirely, but not venture too far. Now I’ve had Octopus Carpaccio before, but never quite like this one. They press octopus into this huge cube, smoke it and slice it into thin, silky smooth, Mortadella like slices. Phenomenal starter in our fave in Taormina
Gelsi Neri Granita at La Dolceria (Giardini Naxos)
Davide our trusted host at Agon, and our Etna guide hooked us up with this bakery when I told him about my quest for a good Gelsi Neri Granita (red mulberry ). This turned out to be the best of the trip which included the famed Cafe Sicilia in Noto. This is also the place Davide gets his outstanding breakfast pastries, like the pistachio cream and ricotta croissants. To understand the kind of passion, one needs to meet the baker. After taking some Italian courses! Oh and did I mention the Granita comes with a delicious brioche? Looks like I didnt!
Mussels at Taberna Sveva (Siracusa)
Come for the Polpo Alla Luciana and Busiate Maniace, stay for the mussels. The Siracusan mussels turned out to be the unsung heroes during our stay in magical Ortigia. Fully open, vary in size, but not in taste, and served with a delicate light tomatoee salsa. They tasted fresh, and had this wonderful salty tanginess that carried a lot of flavor. If you see mussels on menus in Siracusa, attack! Just like they did hundreds of years prior in nearby Maniace castle. Though I dont believe they were fighting over Mussels. Maybe Couscous!
Smoked Mozzarella at Borderi (Siracusa)
Visit the end of the market, and you’ll see why Borderi is not exactly a hidden gem. Trip Advisor savvy Tourists and locals flock here in numbers, and for good reason. But we didnt need to work hard. A simple glance and hand gestures I can not describe here by our market tour guide and local celebrity Lele Torrisi and voila! A cheese and salumi plate of dreams, with the smoked mozzarella winning the all around ooohs and ahhhs war.
Chicken at Macallè (Siracusa)
Picking the chicken from the best meal in Ortigia, and in the context of this blog post, feels as wrong as Santa partying in a Bar Mitsvah. We’ve had some much more qualified sounding dishes at Macallè like the squid and the amazing sweet red shrimp from Mazara. But the chicken is the one dish we ordered a second round, and I cant say the same about any other dish in Sicily. Juicy, tender dark meat pure awesomeness. Perhaps the reason to include it is because its, well, chicken! Something requiring skill and hard work to taste so good.
Calamari Siciliano at Ristorante Al Boccone (Marzamemi)
At this sleepy village on the coast, 20 minutes from opposite of sleepy Noto, touristy looking Al Boccone on the water, surprisingly produced a very pleasant meal. The standout here was two behemoth squids stuffed with bread crumbs, pine nuts and other goodies that included more squid. They arrive in a stew like fashion with tomato and onions. A revelation with a view!
Focaccia Tomasini Rolls at Modicarte (Modica)
An outrageously delicious little creation created by one of Sicily’s up and coming young talents. Me! A local traditional snack of Focaccia filled with ricotta, onions, and fresh sausage. The family helped, and of course the talented Maurizio of Modicarte and his mom had a hand in it. But there’s no mistaken who’s masterful touch was key in this cooking class at our accommodations just outside of beautiful Modica
Fresh Ricotta at Iabichino (Ragusa)
This was a special treat as part of our day with Alessandro of Uncovered Sicily. We visited an organic winery, a legendary olive oil maker, and a 4th generation farm. While we were well fed throughout the day, it was the potent, raw fresh ricotta made for us at Iabichino that felt the most special. And while we visited such farms before, there was just something about spending some time with the family, watching them make ricotta the same way they’ve done for over 100 years
Arancini at Azienda Agricola Mandranova (Palma di Montechiaro)
We knew we were heading to an award winning Olive Oil producer. But we didnt know they have no more room on the award wall, and that our local Eataly has an entire section devoted to them. We were treated to a special lunch and a tour at this beautiful estate and the highlight for me there was the best Arancini of an Arancini filled trip. Owner Silvia said they overcooked them this time by a good 30 seconds and I asked if on my next visit they could make this mistake again. As a falafel lover, this had that nice crunch, with a succulent porky ragu interior. Very nicely done!
Mixed Grilled Seafood at Salmoriglio (Porto Empedocle)
Hard to pick a favorite dish from one of the best meals of the trip. It was essentially a spectacular seafood extravaganza that included every sea creature known to man, Sicilian man. But the last seafood dish probably brought the most joy. Perfectly grilled sweet Gambero Rosso, scampi, fresher than fresh Calamari, outrageously good baby octopus, and just about the best swordfish steak I ever had. A welcoming gem between Scala dei Turchi and Valley of the Temples.
Vongole at Tischi Toschi (Taormina)
One of the most anticipated meals of the trip wasnt particularly memorable, but they did dish out one killer Vongole. Beautiful, tiny clams from a lake near Messina where Tischi Toschi got their fame before moving to the mega touristy Taormina. Out of a Vongole filled trip, this was the standout.
Pistachio Cream at Ciuci’s Manor (Aragona)
You start to fully appreciate this gift from Ginevra and mama way before you open the jar back home. Sicily is known for its famous pistachios. And when you enter a food store at say Trapani or Palermo and sample their pistachio cream, you realize you are not in donkey land anymore. Ciuci’s Manor is one of the best sources on the island for pistachios, and every guest receives a jar of the cream after enjoying it every morning. Oh and did I mention this is an Agriturismo (farm), and the most special, dreamlike accommodations we’ve experienced anywhere? Matzah season couldnt come soon enough!
Busiate “Expo” at Sirena di Sansica (Tonnara di Bonagia)
If there’s one thing to learn from this post is this: Stay a few nights at Ciuci’s Manor. If there’s another thing to learn is have a meal at Sirena di Sansica, about 20 minute drive from Trapani. Come early and walk around the port for the mesmerizing views that include the rock of San Vito. And hopefully you’ll also experience the world’s loudest Zumba class. The meal featured more incredible couscous, fresh fish, and the fattest juiciest Gambero Rossos of the trip. But this well balanced, only in Sicily, Busiate with eggplant, pistachio, swordfish, and breadcrumbs stole the show. It’s called Expo because they made this dish for the Milan Expo competition.
Seafood Couscous at Trattoria del Corso (Trapani)
Trapani the city, isnt particularly well represented in this blog post, but this leg was our favorite for food. Trapani is like the Bologna of Sicily, with its plethora of high quality restaurants and unique regional specialties, like fish couscous. And at del Corso the couscous is quite the solid item. It comes with its own delicious fish broth that ties everything together so nicely. Its a bustling, mostly female, Slow Food Trattoria. Very popular with locals, so make those ressies.
Pasta Con le Sarde at La Cambusa (Palermo)
Two weeks after I declared it one of the best pastas of the trip in July, I find it in the latest issue of Travel and Leisure. Same Dish at the same place. Coincidence? Yes! But finally T&L is on to something (I dont usually pay much attention to their food picks). Pasta Con le Sarde of course is the classic Palermo homage to its Arab roots, consisting of raisins, fennel, breadcrumbs, pine nuts, and sardines. A killer combination that resulted in this sweet richness we’ve never had before in pasta. La Cambusa is the place to have it, but just try not to drink and exchange eye contact with the area clown.
Bonus #1: Pizza at Ciccio Passami l’Olio (Palermo)
We didnt come to Sicily for pizza, but it is a thing here that is almost as cultural as in Rome and Milan. It’s thick alright, but in a more bready kind of way, unlike NYC Sicilian. One of the most famous places to experience it is in Pizzeria Calvino in Trapani, but that means potentially “wasting” a meal in Sicily’s most culinary province. Another place we enjoyed was at Le Magnolie in Gianforma where no one spoke English and we were the only tourists in that part of Ragusa country. But our favorite was more of a Neapolitan fair at Ciccio in Palermo where the crust reminded us how we loath for that light, airy delicate crunch
Bonus #2: Gambero Rosso from Sirena di Sansica. Already mentioned this place, but worth mentioning the sweetest and fattest Gambero Rossos of the trip. Top Picture
Ciao for now. Stay Hungry My Friends!
Our Ragusa Day with Alessandro (Uncovered Sicily)
Yes, still not done yet. I have one last day to tell you about before I dwell into our favorite bites in Sicily. While the entire day with Alessandro was a memorable one, our last stop at the winery was a particular highlight. Alessandro is the proprietor of Uncovered Sicily, essentially in the business of selling cultural experiences of all kinds. From archaeological walks with an archaeologist, Museum walks with curators, to Arancini cooking classes with Arancinialogists! Alessandro lives in Ragusa, and not only extremely knowledgeable, but quite passionate about the area and its terrain. We spent the day with him, visiting three places the area is known for most (cheese, olive oil, wine) and even had some time to explore the old town of Ragusa Ibla with him
Iabichino – Our first stop was an eye opener. An old 4th generation dairy farm in a beautiful area. Three generations on premises, along with 80 cows and one very lucky bull. You can see the smirk! Although we’ve been to such farms in Italy before, it was particularly interesting to learn about this farmer’s routine, way of life, and whats in store for the kids living in the farm. Hearing about milking the 80 cows twice a day alone made me look for the nearest bench. Its a hard life that makes you appreciate what you eat. We sampled earthy fresh ricotta they made especially for us, and other traditional Ragusano cheese. This is something you cant do on your own, unless you speak Italian and know the family and area well
Cheese Master hard at work
Cutrera – One of the two olive oil legends we visited in Sicily. The other one is Mandranova which we visited on our own a few days later. You realize the status of the two when you visit Eataly NYC (both of them). While there are all kinds of great oils from all over Italy, the two have their own dedicated sections. We learned about the techniques and hard work that sets them apart, and had some fun with the proprietors. We learned how to sample award winning EVOO properly (apparently just tasting it is all wrong), followed by a simple lunch of.. you guessed it… olives and olive based spreads and salads. Olives is one of the only foods I’m not particularly fond of, but I was fond of this.
Feudo di Santa Tresa winery – I couldnt do the first one by myself, and I needed a designated driver for the third. This appointment alone makes this excursion worthwhile. We were joined by Laura and the winery’s CEO for a property tour and tasting, and boy what tasting it was. Its a beautiful estate in the middle of a rugged area. In the cellars, you practically smell the product and history. We tasted around 7 wines, some of which were quite unique to us. I particularly liked the Rina Ianca white (Grillo + Viognier combo), while Mrs Z was smitten by the Frappato, a red served slightly chilled and can be used for fish. All served with a beautiful lunch spread. But by the end of it all, it was just us having a fun filled lunch with new friends, and a designated driver. Thanks Alessandro!
http://www.uncoveredsicily.com/
Categories: Italy, Sicily
Tags: Cutrera Sicily, Feudo di Santa Tresa, food, Iabichino Sicily, Italy, Sicily, Travel, Uncovered Sicily
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Ristorante Sirena di Sansica in Bonagia – Meal of the Year
To understand the notion I’ve been “preaching” here that Sicily is mainland Italy 30 years ago (I went from 20 to 30 after being corrected by actual Italians living in NYC) one must simply go to Tonnara di Bonagia on the western tip of the island where once tuna hunted and butchered in ways that are only talked about these days. And to fully appreciate a meal at the sensational Sirena di Sansica, a 20 minute drive from Trapani, one must arrive earlier, right before sunset. The rugged coastline leading to the rock of San Vito Lo Capo is mesmerizing. Even with a wedding party patiently waiting their turn, you hesitate to give up the spot. Compared to much of mainland, the area is underdeveloped and you selfishly wish that it stays like this forever. Ancient boats lining up next to the Tonnara, overlooking the colorful port around the Albergo Tonnara Di Bonagia Resort. A magical moment to say the least. All to the magical sounds of… Reggaeton!!!
One of the most bizarre things we’ve ever seen on vacation. The worlds smallest, oddest and loudest, three participant Zumba class was right by the port. I mean, I like to listen to music loud, but this was LOUD. I guess such things are normal here. We danced, the wedding party danced, the seagulls danced, everybody danced. The volume isnt deafening due to the open space, but its at the point where your booty, shoulders and other parts start to move involuntary, while you wonder what the hell is going on here. How does one nap in this sleepy looking corner of the world
Even after recent renovations to modernize the place, Sirena di Sansica is old school. Outside it looks like an old movie theater or a disco, while inside its like a dim sum palace meets old Brooklyn trattoria. “Modernizing” in Sicily is like going from the 60’s to 80’s. The restaurant is facing the water, and the sunsets here speak more volume than the Zumba. Ok maybe not. But its really the type of place you immediately feel at home. Especially when the kids start making fun of their mom’s facial expressions after she had a little too much Grillo. Sursur from Donnafugata, the smoothest, most balanced Grillo of a Grillo filled trip.
But it’s all about the food and the fresh seafood due to the special relationship they have with the local fisherman including their own boats. You first get introduced to the lovely catch of the day and you sort of build your order based on that (along with other menu classics). This was a little more expensive ($140) than other meals but considering what we chose and ate, possibly the steal of the trip. Fantastically fresh mussels which my oldest guessed properly from Messina. She was probably thinking about clams but I gave her the credit anyway. Busiate with lobster was outstanding, but another Busiate, “Expo” stole the show… eggplant, pistachio, swordfish, breadcrumbs, and more. Rich but oh so nicely balanced and delicious. It’s called “Expo” because they made it for the Milan Expo as part of a food competition. Perhaps the best pasta of the trip.
Couscous with broth without the fish or any seafood was actually better than the other couscous we’ve had in Sicily with the fish. You can buy and add fresh fish but we saved that for the secondi. I picked 6 lovely Gambero Rossos from the ‘Bunny Ranch’ like lineup and these were the fattest and sweetest red shrimp of the entire trip. After realizing I prefer them slightly cooked than raw, we asked them to be grilled. Raw they can be a little limp. And a red scorpion fish they call cipolla (onion) made traditionally soup like, sautéed with a nice tomato based broth, specatucarly tasty dish (plate shown is one of the halfs). One of those meals.
Categories: Italy, Sicily
Tags: food, Ristorante Sirena di Sansica, Ristorante Sirena di Sansica Bonagia, Sicily, Travel
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Scala dei Turchi and Valley of the Temples
Reason #42 why you need two weeks in Sicily. The stupendous whiter than white Turkish steps, and the magnificent Valley of the Temples are 20 minutes apart near the ancient (but not so any more) city of Agrigento. Do it in style, with fresh seafood lunch at Salmoriglio in Porto Empedocle, right between the two attractions. Probably one of the most memorable single days I’ve had in any trip. Staying in the surreal Ciuci’s Manor surly helped. The way to see the temples, especially on a hot summer day, is to park at the bottom of the valley, take a taxi to the top (3 euros), and walk down. At Scala dei Turchi you park in the parking lot off the road, and go down to the beach. Takes about 20 minutes to reach the steps. Bring plenty of water to both
Categories: Italy, Sicily
Tags: Scala dei Turchi, Sicily, Sicily Temples, Sicily top Attractions, Travel, Valley of the Temples
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This is Modicarte
“These are caper bushes. Lizards poop the caper seeds inside the stones, and a year later we have capers” exclaimed Maurizio while we toured his property in the cooler hills just outside Modica. The previous day he showed us his pepper garden where he grows some nasty stuff including Jalapeño, Ghost, Carolina Ripper, and Habaneros. The garden overlooks the beautiful country side, sitting in front of Maurzio’s sister pottery studio, where seasonal students stay for a week to learn the craft. Add olive trees, tomatoes and a whole lot more to his backyard arsenal. For a New Yorker like me, the entire scene and three day stay is surreal.
An hour prior I was smashing those lizard dropping capers and mixing it with parsley, garlic and bread crumbs. Then we dipped thin slices of pork loin into that and rolled them around Ragusa cheese sticks, cigar style. That was our meat course. Under Maurizio and his adorable mom’s (who laughed at all my jokes even though she didnt understand a word) supervision we cooked all sorts of traditional area specialties. We baked bread. We made eggplant ravioli (who knew it was a thing) served with fresh tomato sauce. We baked Focaccia Tomasini rolls, a local traditional snack filled with ricotta, onions, and fresh sausage. Everything obviously delicious when YOU make it, especially those amazing Tomasini rolls pictured here twice. Most of the stuff I havent even heard of before that day. There’s not a whole lot in common between NYC Sicilian and Sicilian Sicilian turns out.
By the end of the night I was counting my blessings that we don’t need to drive anywhere, and I can just roll myself with some help from the lizards to bad. When Maurizio ran out of wine and homemade alcohol, he started emptying his dad’s which was a few houses down. Maurizio will discuss anything and everything with you with great interest. He used to cook at Ciccio Sultano’s famed Doumo (Arguably Sicily’s best), but preferred to waiter at another Sicily legend, Cafe Sicilia. He loved interacting with people and it certainly shows. His love for food and his unconditional love for Crocs is very evident. When we exchanged gifts, we gave him a bottle of wine, and he gave us a gift that made me teary eyed all the way to Aragona, 5 jalapeno peppers.
The setting overlooking Modica and its Duomo made leaving that terrace very difficult each morning. Each breakfast featured a new item that Maurizio or mama cooked. Usually some nutty pastry, bread or cookie of sorts. That same Duomo was watching us the entire time while we cooked in the sprawling open kitchen. Only the next day while finally sober, going to the mesmerizing Modica for the first time, I realize that that is a different church, not the famous cathedral. Either way, the whole stay at Modicarte with the ex-chef and mama felt very genuine, filled with moments we will never forget. Next time I bring crocs.
Categories: Sicily
Tags: food, Modica, Modicarte, Modicarte Sicily, Sicily, Sicily Cooking Class, Travel
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This is Ortygia
The island of Ortygia or Ortigia in Siracusa or Syracuse has a lot going for it, including even an orange lady (for the Syracuse Orange fans). A fine, pure, baroque duomo in one of the most picturesque piazzas in Italy. Old traditions like the still functioning puppet theater. One of the only places in the world where you can still find papyrus plant (to make special paper and sandals. picture below). Europe’s oldest Mikvah which we inexcusably missed (wait till my rabbi finds out about this). A plethora of caves and beautiful scenery surrounding the island, allowing for fun boat trips where the guides only speak three English words.. “Small Port, Large Port”. The cool limestone cave known as the Ear of Dionysius (name given by Caravaggio) that feels like a religious experience when you approach it due to the guides chanting inside the cave. One of the liveliest and best markets I’ve seen (see my walk with a local chef in case you missed it). And truly fantastic dining like Sveva and Macalle offering sensational local mussels, and more.
L’Arco Dei Cappuccini – Hidden Gem in Taormina
As is the case with just about any super touristy city, our best meal in Taormina was outside of the tourist path. Not only did it best the much more famous, highly anticipated dinner at Tischi Toschi (which wasnt even known by our hosts), but special Brownie Points are given for flat out curing me out of my misery. Ok, lets rewind this one to one of the biggest mistakes of the trip with this very important tip…
If you head to Taormina and wish to climb to Santuario Madonna della Rocca, which will seem fairly short according to Google, make sure its a) Not over 90 degrees, and b) The church is open! The only thing this tiring shadeless climb accomplished was slightly increase the radius of my bald spot. And no one warned me that the views from the top were not a whole lot more dramatic than the views from the quarter way up. An hour later, before munching on the excellent Da Cristina Arancini, the heat started to get to me. I even remember hallucinating, seeing a bar named Ziggy in the area, though my family still claims it was a real place. Do I cancel lunch plans? Never! The show must go on.
Taormina, for much of its recent history was a popular playground for the English aristocrats. Today, its still a major British hub, some of which make it their yearly summer destination. At L’Arco we had a nice chat with a British gentleman who vacations in Taormina every year for the past 17 years. He told us that L’Arco Dei Cappuccini, is one of his favorite seafood restaurants in Europe. That statement started to show more merit after he told us about his travels, and after the first few bites of that Octopus Carpaccio.
Its most likely the finest Octopus Carpaccio I ever had. They press octopus into this huge cube (the waiter brought one from the kitchen to show us), smoke it and slice it into this thin silky smooth mortadella like slices and drizzle with olive oil. Simply phenomenal! Fresh langoustine, crumbed with deliciousness and baked was sweet and succulent. More awesomeness from the Primis. Fresh tagliatelle with zucchini flowers and grouper tasted so light and heavenly. And more tagliatelle with tuna that tasted almost like sausage. An extremely enjoyable light lunch
And yes, felt much better after that. Maybe I needed a break, who knows, but this meal saved an otherwise lackluster afternoon. Until we got to Ortigia at least.
Categories: Sicily
Tags: Best food in Taormina, food, L'Arco Dei Cappuccini, L'Arco Dei Cappuccini Taormina, restaurants, Sicily, Taormina, Travel
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This is Segesta (And Erice)
The picture of my daughters and I laboring up an Erice alley is exactly what it looks like. We are not checking for dog poop. This was the tail end of a brutally hot day that involved hiking to the majestic Segesta temple. I thought I could handle the Sicilian July heat everybody warned me about, but this was hot. To give you an indication, when it was time to take a food break in Erice, we had no other choice but go to a tourist trap. We were seated on a touristy terrace with other tourists, given overpriced tourist menus (Caprese salad!), and then gave them our money and soul.
But this was still a good day. Segesta blew us away with its beauty and setting. Once a Greek powerhouse, one of many in Sicily, whose pride and overconfidence left it badly defeated. Now whats left is a roofless temple, and a Greek theater with that classic Greek theater style setting. The best I’ve seen.
Meanwhile Erice, perched on a mountain, not a hill, was surprisingly quiet for such a major tourist attraction. Its home to the famous Pasticceria Maria Grammatico, Sicily’s sweets jewel founded by a nun who grew up in an orphanage in Erice. Nuns are responsible for much of the desserts found all over Sicily. 
