La Bottega, Modica Bassa - A Fond Farewell

No review this weekend but rather a sad goodbye after hearing that one of my favourite places has closed for good.

I tried to make one of my (quite regular) visits to La Bottega in Modica Bassa about a month ago but found it to be closed. It is not unusual that at this time of year, some places close for a holiday but the third week of the continued closed shutters I did start to comment on what a long

holiday they were having and after a month it became something of a joke to think how long they would be on their break for. Due to La Bottega's constant popularity, it never crossed my mind that perhaps they had gone out of business but just a few days ago, I was told that they had indeed put the shutters down for good.

La Bottega was a little place that sold the most delightful sandwiches and salads, they served arguably the world's best chips and their local red wine in winter was always a welcome warming delight, while in summer I would often sit outside with a chilled, pleasant glass of white. the food was simple but always a delight.

All of this, along with the lovely staff and the reasonable prices, made La Bottega an extremely regular hang-out, especially for me and fellow ex-pats living in Modica. Many of us would finish work in the evening and so when we arrived back in Modica Bassa rarely would we want to go home to cook, so this would be the place where we would sit down to eat and to unwind after a hard day teaching, or working as an au pair and so on. It was a home from home, we could use the WIFI, sit long into the evening outdoors in the warmer months or enjoy the warmth from the open kitchen in the wintertime. It was always somewhere that felt welcome, somewhere we felt comfortable.

So I write this fond farewell not just from me but also from the two Lauras, from Aminah, Katy, Nadine, Lucy, Natasha, Mike and many others who benefitted from this lovely little place.

La Bottega - you shall be sadly missed!

Trattoria Basilico - Modica Bassa - Review

Trattoria basilico opened just over a year ago and quickly became a favourite place to eat for my fellow ex-pat friends and I. It's very close to my house so it is our usual place to dine at the times when I don't feel like cooking, in recent times, Totó and I have visited at least once in every fortnight. The restaurant offers a small menu of fresh produce, which changes daily and all dishes are prepared in the open kitchen. the restaurant is owned by simply the loveliest couple and is decorated in a unique, bijoux, mediterranean style... an amalgam of vivid colours, quirky artifacts and, last but definitely not least, a tribute to traditional Sicilian puppet theatre. In addition to this, you are always treated to a wonderful soundtrack of jazz or blues, a perfect accompaniment to a relaxing dining experience.

Today's November Sunday in southern Sicily was not unlike a good spring day in my native UK... temperatures in the low to mid twenties and when the sun was shining, it felt like more, it may be November 20th but it was pleasurable to sit outside in the sunshine, minus jackets, so after a leisurely morning, Totó and I decided to dine al fresco at one of our usual haunts.

Our starter was a shared plate of moscardini, little octopuses in a tomato and garlic sauce. It was the first time that I had tried this dish and I was really thrilled with the acidic sauce and thoroughly enjoyed the tiny whole octopuses.

This was served with warm, fresh bread, some toasted and some served warm from the oven. It was a lovely little opener and one plate was quite satisfactory for the two of us.

For our main courses, we both opted for Tagliolini Bottarga - pasta with tuna roe. I am a big bottarga fan and whenever I see it on a menu, it is usually my favoured choice. Today's bottarga was beautiful and served with a lemon and parsley sauce which tasted so wonderfully refreshing. We both made all the mmmmm-ing and hmmmm-ing noises possible on the first taste.

It was really a delightful dish and one that did not last very long at all!

Today's choice of vino was Hauner - Salina Bianco. This 60% Inzolia and 40% Catarratto mix from vineyards in Salina and Vulcano is a prefect accompaniment to fish dishes. It is crisply acidic with a sharp, tangy citrus aftertaste and hints of juniper and herbs (perhaps sage, I am still training my palate). A really enjoyable drink, which was recommended by our host as a good accompaniment, the gentleman of the casa has always been spot on with his wine suggestions, this guy knows his stuff!

No desserts for either of us today as Totó and his mother have filled my house with sweet treats so none were required... however, previous visits have included delicious rustic chocolate cakes and fantastic pistachio mousse. Always accompany with the Passito di Noto dessert wine!

Another lovely lunch, served by two of the loveliest people in Modica. A favourite place and somewhere you must visit if and when you come to Modica!

Trattoria Basilico
Corso Mazzini, Modica

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Trattoria-Basilico/194486314058346?fref=ts

Domus - Modica Bassa - Review

Today's lunch has been a firm favourite of mine for a while but was the first time Totó has visited Domus in Modica Bassa. I have been many times with friends and family and have yet to have anything less than fantastic experiences in the dining room. Domus opened some months ago, I was pleased to hear that the former chef of a restaurant I had once regularly frequented (but had gone downhill since his departure) had opened a place of his own. The Venezuelan family who own and run the restaurant have never failed to be anything other than extremely accommodating and hospitable and the food has always been of the highest quality. We are very fortunate in Modica, in that we have a plethora of fine places to eat but Domus offers something quite different to the other places in town.

Situated close to San Pietro on Modica's main street, Corso Umberto, Domus is a rather small but subtly elegant restaurant decorated in brilliant white and has a small outside eating space for the summer months.

The restaurant always serves warm, fresh home baked bread in various flavours, today we were treated to foccacia baked with rosmary, bread with porcini mushrooms, mini dough balls and bread with cumin and dried fruit. We ordered an appetiser of calamari served with puréed potatoes, it wasn't the first time I had had this dish and, as it has always been previously, it was delicately flavoured and just enough to whet the appetite.

For our main course, we both opted for grilled sword fish, served with prawns and (more) calamari with a side order of potatoes baked with paprika. It is precisely this type of main course which makes Domus different to the other places to eat in town,

it is less wholesome, traditional Sicilian food and more of an exoticly spiced, experimental dining experience. The huge slab of sword fish was cooked to perfection and the large prawns and calamari offered something tantalisingly tasty in between mouthfuls of the main part of the meal. Served with a tomato salsa and a creamy dip, the spicy paprika potatoes were just the perfect accompaniment to this lovely main course.

We usually opt for Sicilian wines but today we decided to go for a Chilean Sauvignon Blanc on the recommendation of our host. Los Vascos is a sharp tasting white that was able to cut through the spices and various fishy tastes perfectly. A great choice to go with our meal and a wine we will both endeavour to drink again in the future.

No dessert at the restaurant today, as I was a good little Sicilian girl this morning and popped out to a pasticceria for us to have something sweet once we returned home. That said, I have had dessert a number of times at the restaurant before and can highly recommend the chocolate fondant or the raspberry and prosecco jelly. My fellow ex-pat and former colleague Lucy and I have regularly talked each other into having a dessert here and marvelled at how cheap the bill would be in light of the quality of food we had experienced... if this restaurant were in our native England, neither of us would be able to afford to eat there, we are talking serious quality for a very low cost.

Very highly recommended for anyone visiting Modica, I will probably see you there!

Domus Restaurant and Grill
Corso Umberto I, 156, Modica RG

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Domus-modica-food/470829306382743

Dirupo Rosso - Ragusa/Giarratana - Review

After a late, relaxing morning, my personal guide to Sicily decided to take me to a restaurant that he had visited many years ago for a wholesome, Sunday lunch in the countryside. On this island, the problem with visiting places that you just vaguely remember or have been given directions for, is that the country roads here are largely lacking in significant landmarks and road signage in Sicily is something of a mystery to locals as much as anyone who visits here... with this in mind it took us almost two hours of u-turns and advanced level reversing before we finally arrived at our destination, with the help of two lots of people by the roadside along the way (the journey back to Modica took approximately 15 minutes, as by then Totó (my boyfriend, who I have decided I do not want to repeatedly refer to as 'my boyfriend' every time he appears in a post)* had remembered the way he had been before).

Once we finally arrived, I realised that the journey had been worth our while. We were by a lovely lake, surrounded by hills that glistening in the November sunshine and the old country farmhouse that greeted us looked so warm and inviting. Inside, we were seated in one of the three dining rooms that overlook the lake, beautifully decorated and with tables dressed pristinely with white table clothes and elegant glassware. The only thing not in keeping with the understated elegance of the room and the tranquility of the outdoors scene was the awful pop music being played throughout - restaurants not choosing appropriate background music is a huge annoyance to me, the whole atmosphere is affected.

We ordered a mixed antipasto to begin with. Which was delicious, it included the most wonderful fresh ricotta, that had been slightly baked in the oven, sliced sausage (I'm not a meat-eater myself but Totó enjoyed what I couldn't), Sicilian focaccia (wrapped pasta with tomatoes), a spinach and pancetta dish, olives, peppers and some lovely bread made on the premises. We enjoyed the baked ricotta so much that we asked for some extra before our main course.

Neither of us can really manage the full antipasto, primi, secondi and dessert courses, so we usually opt for antipasto and either a first or second course. Today we both ordered pasta, I had been told that this area was prolific in wild mushrooms and so I thought while in the area I ought to try some. I ordered tagliatelle with local mushrooms, aubergine and tomato sauce, Totó ordered the same dish but with pancetta. The fresh pasta was delightful and the mushroom recommendation lived up to all expectations, a thoroughly pleasing Sicilian pasta.

After a short break, I didn't need much convincing to share a dessert. I had no idea what bigne was, so Totó felt it only right that he order this. What arrived were two delicate balls of choux pastry, one filled with sweet ricotta, the other with sweet cream. They were gorgeous, scrumptious, adorable and gone in two minutes. It was suggested we order another round of them and I feel I practised an enormous amount of self-control and strong will by refusing.

Our wine choice was Mandrarossa (2012), a Sicilian Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine has a beautiful colour, lighter than many of the regions red wines. While there is a distinct fruitiness about it, the wine is dry and has a pleasing pungent taste. With desert we had not one, but two glasses of one of my favourites, Passito di Noto. A combination of fruit and honey flavours, this is a perfect accompaniment to any Sicilian dessert.

Our waiter was courteous and attentive and the extra ricotta we had asked for with our starter was offered by the house. All was reasonably priced (as with most places in our area), absolutely no complaints regarding food, service or cost.

We spent a little time enjoying the views of the lake before returning (at a faster pace) home to Modica. I loved our lunchtime visit and would really like to return again, perhaps when friends or family visit from abroad.

Diruppo Rosso
Located on the road for Correndola 194 for 7km from Ragusa heading towards Gerratana

http://www.ristorantediruporosso.it/index.html

*I am aware that this is brackets within brackets, even as an English language teacher, I am not sure if this is officially allowed.

Sud - Marina di Modica - Review

First off, apologies for the long gap between blogs. October was a particularly busy and personally difficult month, which meant not so much wining and dining and life preventing blogging, social networking and the like. Things have calmed down a little and I hope this means reviews with more frequency this month and onwards.

Yesterday was All Saint's Day, a public holiday here in Italy, so my lovely boyfriend and I decided to make the most of the sunshine and head over to the seaside in Marina di Modica for a stroll, a sit by the sea, to enjoy some food and, mostly, to relax and enjoy some quietness and a slower pace than our days have allowed in recent weeks.

This summer we have spent a few lunchtimes at the beach bar, Sud, plus the occasional evening visit when we have enjoyed a pizza and a cocktail. So it was the obvious choice of where we would have lunch during our visit to Marina yesterday. The regular lady, who has served us well throughout the summer, promptly told us that yesterday was the final day of opening for 2014, the bar now being closed until spring 2015... we felt pretty fortunate to have stopped by one last time after our many visits there over the course of what has been an unforgettable summer together.

On past visits, we have enjoyed great pasta dishes and lovely salads but for both of us the firm favourite has been the mixed fried fish, so naturally this was the dish we both ordered yesterday.

The is usually made up of whole prawns, calamari, small whole cod and an assortment of other locally caught mediterranean fish (some of which I have no idea of the English translation for, having never seen or tasted them outside of Sicily). It is an ample platter for one and has never failed to be anything but deliciously wonderful. All the dishes are reasonably priced, this particular dish is just €10.

We washed our last lunch at Sud of 2014 down with some of the local white wine, served in half litres or litres. Around these parts, drinking the local wine is always pleasing and the cost is rather lower than buying by the bottle.

We have always been served by the same lady, who is so friendly and welcoming and has recognised us and chatted to us as friends throughout, what must have been, an extremely busy working period. I have heard her speak in English to tourists very adequately too, also the menus have an English translation for tourists.

The bar is open in the evenings as well, serving pizza and drinks. While during the daytime in the summer months, it also acts as a lido, hiring out sunbeds and parasols on the beach in front.

It has been an amazing summer. And I'm glad that Sud got to play a part... we will certainly be back as soon as spring arrives!

Sud
Marina di Modica

www.facebook.com/sud.modica