CombatCritic's TravelValue™: Sicily

Showing posts with label Sicily. Show all posts

Friday, December 20, 2019

Surprise (Phoenix), AZ: This Mom & Pop Italian Restaurant Has Unlimited Potential

Little Sicily
18795 N. Reems Road
Surprise, AZ 85374
Phone: (623) 537-5900
Website: None
Prices: $$$$

I love good, mom and pop, family-style Italian restaurants with red checkered tablecloths, Chianti bottle candle holders dripping with wax, and reasonably priced food, not the foo-foo, overpriced places springing up all over with tiny portions that have no resemblance to authentic Italian dishes. Little Sicily belongs in the former category.

A tiny place packed with snowbirds, I walked in to find all of the tables full and a line of people winding through the dining room waiting to order at the cash register. Once I figured out the process, I too got in line after setting my things on an empty table, ensuring that I would have a place to sit after ordering.

The young lady at the counter was very friendly and helpful and the gaggle of people in the kitchen right behind her appeared to be the owners, who happen to be Sicilian, like my wife, and their extended family. Curious about a veal dinner that costs a little over $10, I ordered the Veal Parmigiana ($11.05), which came with soup or salad and bread sticks, and a fountain drink. I had hoped for a glass of wine because I saw several people drinking from wine glasses and an array of bottles across the room. I was told, however, that this is a BYOB establishment and that there is no corkage fee. Good to know for next time!

The nice young lady with reindeer antlers on her head found me thanks to the number on my table that was given at the counter after ordering, bringing me first my salad and bread sticks, then the veal parm dinner. The salad was small, but fresh, coming with sliced red onion and tomato, and a small cup of blue cheese dressing that was more than I could use. The two bread sticks were rather tiny, but obviously homemade and delicious. I wanted more.

The veal was of the pre-formed, processed type purchased from large wholesale food distributors, but that was clearly stated on the menu, so I was OK with it. After all, I was not expecting much from an $11 veal parm dinner. The veal patty was perched atop a bed of spaghetti marinara and covered with more of the sauce and mozzarella cheese, then baked in the oven until melted and gooey. The veal patty was nothing to write home about, but the flavors were good and it filled the empty spot in my tummy. I would not order it again, but it did the job.

Little Sicily's forte seems to be their pizzas, which most of the patrons had ordered. The pizzas looked quite tasty and apparently come in a regular, thin, Chicago-style crust, pan, or stuffed the Chicago way. I liked the experience and the service more than the food, but will return to try their pizza or one of their sandwiches, of which the Chicago Italian roast beef would be my first choice. If you have not had an Italian roast beef sandwich on a crusty roll with melted mozzarella, sweet and hot peppers, and au jus, you have not lived.

They need a bigger place, table service for those who want to eat-in, better quality (real) veal, for which I would be happy to pay extra, a website, and a better place to put the soda machine other than crammed in right next to the cash register where people are standing in line. Otherwise, I was quite happy with my experience.

CombatCriticitic Gives Little Sicily 7 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Seven Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Shits & Grins"

Thursday, December 21, 2017

Trapani, (Sicily) Italy: Head "Toward The Lights" For A "Michelin Guide" Trapanese Meal

Ai Lumi
Corso Vittorio Emanuele, 71
91100 Trapani, (Sicily) Italy
Phone number: +39 (092) 354-0922
Website: AiLumi.it
Prices: €€€€

If in Trapani or surrounds and in need of a quality, local meal, fish lover or not, Ai Lumi is A DEFINITE MUST!

Sorry, no "Michelin Star" at Ai Lumi, which translates "to the lights", as the only other review on Yelp claimed, but they have been in the "Michelin Guide" for several years, an indicator of being special in any case. The four of us, my wife, her Sicilian cousins Salvatore and Fabio, and I, ate very well ... three courses, including two bottles of wine and an after dinner drink, at just €37.50 a head ... HOOAH!

Ai Lumi is actually a 3-Star B&B in an 18th Century palazzo (palace) on the main drag in Trapani's historical center (centro storico) just steps from the Duomo (cathedral) di San Lorenzo, which dates back to 1102 (with updates done in 1280, 1602, and 1740), and the Mediterranean Sea.

First the fresh, warm, local bread with sesame seeds came on an old wooden cutting board, then the first bottle of local Nero d' Avola (Gazzera - €17) and our antipasti (appetizers). Salvatore had the Calamaretti Fritti (tiny octopus, deep fried - €9), my wife and Fabio had the Tagliere di Salumi e Formaggi (sliced salami, cured meats and cheeses - €8), and I the Insalata Caprese (fresh mozzarella, sliced tomatoes and basil - €8). The calamaretti looked good, the salami and cheese platters were enormous and delightful, and my Caprese divine. Off to a great start!

Now it was time for our main courses. Being a fisherman, Salvatore went with the Frittura di Pescatore (Fried Seafood - €12), three small local battered and fried fish, several rings of calamari, and a couple gamberetti (very large shrimp that look like mini-lobsters).

My wife's choice was the Gnocchi in Crema di Pistacchio (all of our main courses were €12), a generous portion of perfectly cooked potato dumplings coated, not soaking, in a mild, creamy, savory crushed pistachio and pana (heavy cream) sauce.

Fabio ordered the Risotto ai Funghi, a large pile of arborio rice which had been slowly stirred, mixing it with the fresh porcini mushrooms, white wine, chicken or vegetable stock, herbs and spices. I did not taste it and Fabio said that it was good, but said that "we could do as well if not better". Italians in general and Sicilians in particular take their meals very seriously and are proud, good cooks, so I was not surprised by his comment. He savored every bite and cleaned his plate, so it was obviously good.

I went local with the Caserecce al Pesto Trapanese, a handmade double-strand pasta about two inches long, rolled and twisted into an S-shape (not Busiate, another traditional Trapanese pasta that looks like an old-style spiral telephone cord), then tossed in a local pesto sauce made with crushed, fresh tomato, basil, almonds, garlic and EVO, then mixed with slices of grilled, sauteed eggplant and topped with toasted breadcrumbs and grated pecorino cheese. It was absolutely delicious as served, not needing any added grated cheese, salt or pepper like many restaurants you may go to.

Then it was time for dessert. The Tiramisu al Limone (€5 - lemon tiramisu) sounded delightful, so my wife and I, being stuffed to the gills after a great meal and a week with Sicilian relatives ("mangia, mangia"), shared a generous slice. It was creamy, sweet, light and a perfect ending to a wonderful meal. Our cousins had the Cassata Siciliana (€5), a type of pie-looking cake (pie does not exist in Italy, the closest thing being "crostata") made with sponge cake, sweet ricotta cheese, and fruit.

As I said, the bill came to just €150 (before tip) for four people with three courses each (antipasto, primo and dessert), digestivi (amaro and limoncello), caffe, water, and two bottles of Nero d' Avola for an extremely reasonable total of €37.50 each. You will find few, if any, Michelin Guide restaurants where you will pay this little for such an excellent comparable meal, making Ai Lumi a definite TravelValue if visiting Trapani or Northwestern Sicily.

Amaro - €3.50

Complimentary Fig Biscotti Accompanied The Amaro And Limoncello

Interior

Ancient "Secret" Door From The Inside

CombatCritic Gives Ai Lumi 9 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Nine Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "U.S. Marine Response To A Verbal Greeting Or As An Expression Of Enthusiasm"

Read Chris S.'s review of AI Lumi on Yelp

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Menu (December 14, 2017)

Title: Trapani, (Sicily) Italy: Head "Toward The Lights" For A "Michelin Guide" Trapanese Meal

Key Words: Ai Lumi, ai, lumi, Corso Vittorio Emanuele, 71, 91100 Trapani, Sicily, Italy, Italian, Michelin Guide, Michelin, guide, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp

Monday, December 18, 2017

Catania, Sicily (Italy): The Search For Saint Agatha's Breasts ("Minnuzzi Ri Sant'Àjita" in Sicilian)

I Dolci di Nonna Vincenza
Piazza San Placido 7
95131 Catania
Italy
Phone: +39 095 7151844
Website: dolcinonnavincenza.it
Prices: €€€€

If you are looking for "Saint Agatha's tits" (sorry, I am not making this up and am quoting directly - they are called "minnuzzi ri Sant'Àjita" in Sicilian dialect), you must visit the "best pasticceria" (pastry shop) in Catania, I Dolci di Nonna Vincenza.

"Saint Agatha" By Francisco de Zurbarán - Web Gallery of Art: Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1112906. Obtained on 12/18/2017.

In a nondescript building in a piazza just off of Via Vittorio Emanuele (they actually have four locations in Catania), my Sicilian wife was looking for Minnuzzi di Sant'Agata (aka St. Agatha's tits - it's a long story), a Catanese specialty, to take to her relatives in Erice (near Trapani).

Church in the Piazza with Orange Tree (December)

I mean no disrespect as I am only telling you the story of Saint Agatha's breasts as told by Sicilians. The short version being that Saint Agatha's breasts were torn from her body during her martyrdom and she is now the patron saint of breast cancer patients as well as Mount Etna. The Catania Duomo (cathedral) is also named after this 3rd Century saint. How the tradition of cakes in the shape of breasts and fondly called "St Agatha's Tits" (translated from Sicilian dialect) came to be is unknown by me or any of the locals I talked to.

The ricotta filled pastries bearing her name actually look like a lovely white breast, red nipple and all. You can apparently only get these extremely sweet pasties, I mean pastries, during the Christmas season and around her name day (February 5th). The filling is sweet ricotta and covered by an extremely sweet sugar-based shell, topped with a red confection in the shape of a nipple. If you eat them the right way, like a pizza, with more filling than sugary shell, they are actually quite tasty. After all, I never tasted a tit I did not like (sorry Saint Agatha, I could not help myself).

Anyway, back to I Dolci di Nonna Vincenza ...

The shop, which was recommended and known by every local we talked to, sits on the side of a piazza and looks quite small, even smaller as you first walk in. But if you walk up the stairs to your left, you enter the first large room filled with cookies and candies. Go around the corner to the next big room filled with cakes and St. Agatha's breasts, both large and small.

At €2.50 ($3) a pop, St. Agatha's breasts are not a cheap treat. It is, reportedly, the "best" pasticceria in Catania, but the prices I saw were rather high and not a "great value" in my eyes.

"Olivette", in commemoration of St. Agatha eating olives while fleeing from Roman soldiers

CombatCritic Gives I Dolco Di Nonna Vincenza 7 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Breasts, I Mean Bombs, Are Better!