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

Mezzaparola, Donnalucata - Review

On Sunday evening, my lovely boyfriend, a local Modican man, took us out of Modica to Donnalucata for some moonlit seaside strolling and a romantic dinner for two. His location choices have never once left me disappointed.

There are two parts of Mezzaparola, a lovely little cocktail bar and just a few feet away, the restaurant.

Initially, we decided to go to the bar for an aperitivo. The bar is a lovely little spot with a great outside seating area, as well as a modern but comfortable interior bar, it's really pleasing on the eye. We sat outside and the first thing I noticed was the bossa nova jazz playing in the background, it was the perfect soundtrack for a relaxing seaside evening drink, it finished off the perfect ambiance of our gorgeous surroundings.

I moved to Sicily three years ago and since then, I have tried in vain to find a place were I can get a decent version of my favourite cocktail, the mighty Bloody Mary. Most places simply do not serve them, despite our lovely crops of tomatoes here in Sicily, drinking their juices is seemingly something of a taboo. And when I have managed to find somewhere willing to serve one, well, that desired kick is just not as forceful as it ought to be. So, when I saw Bloody Mary on the cocktail menu on Sunday, it was with slight trepidation that I ordered my long-lost favourite tipple (imagine my surprise when my boyfriend ordered one too!). It arrived garnished with cherry tomatoes and basil and the first sip told me all I needed to know, that familiar firey thrill on the tongue. Oh such pleasure! Finally! Finally! A Bloody Mary on the island I now call home. I think we can all sleep a little easier now I know where to go to get my fix.

We ordered some fishy snacks which arrived promptly and were beautifully presented. Being fully satisfied by our experience, we decided we would go for a little stroll by the sea and then hit Mezzaparola Part II - The Restaurant.

The restaurant too has a lovely outside seating space, it was a lovely evening with a warm breeze so we sat in the little garden along with a handful of other diners.

The menu was filled with enticing fish prime (first courses, usually pasta) and seconde (second courses). I was immediately drawn to the Spaghetti alla Bottarga (tuna roe) and after much deliberation, my dining partner went for the same. The dish was stunning, delicate flavours with fantastic fresh pasta. Honestly, one of the best pasta dishes I have eaten and that's a lot of pasta after three years in Sicily. We ordered a second course of tuna with onions and a tomato sauce to share, by this time, I was already feeling quite full but I was so pleased we did order it, the tuna was so tender and the onion and tomato sauce a joy to the palate. If we can describe food as beautiful, this certainly was.

We drank a bottle of Murgo from the Etna region of Sicily which accompanied the meal perfectly. Crisp and with flavours sharp enough to exist next to the lovely fish dishes. A strong choice for anyone looking for a wine to serve with fish.

The service was professional but friendly and I could see our fellow diners enjoying the experience as much as we did. Prices were reasonable given the enormously high standard of everything we tasted.

I can't wait for our next visit. It's an evening to remember for a long time to come, wonderful food, awesome drinks, great music and the company of the man I love... perfect!

Mezzaparola
Via Martiri D'Ungheria 2, 97018 Donnalucata

Caffetteria i Portici Review

I've been visiting Portici on average two or three times a week since I moved to Modica Bassa. It's in a really central location and is the ideal place to meet friends in the afternoon or in the evening before heading off somewhere else. I was first attracted to it because I wanted to sit underneath the stunning Modican arches and watch people passing by. It's become a favourite place, not only because of the arches and central location but because of the quality of produce and because of the friendliness of the family who own and run the business.

During the daytime, I've enjoyed excellent standards of coffee, delicious ice creams, addictive milkshakes (frappe) - seriously, some days I can't stop thinking about how much I crave one, and feasted on wonderful breakfasts of granite - a traditional crushed ice drink with various flavours, my personal favourite being gelsi (mulberry) and brioche. But the best reason to go is for aperitivo, which can be taken at pretty much any time of the day.

One of the best things about Italian life is it's wonderful café culture and with that comes the practice of taking aperitivo. This is usually taken in the early evening before a later dinner (but not exclusively) and consists of taking a glass of wine, a spritz or a cocktail, with which the bar will serve snacks. The quality of snacks produced at aperitivo o'clock varies, in some places, you will just be brought crisps and nuts, maybe a few olives but in other places you can expect a variety of treats. At Portici, you can expect crisps and nuts, along with bruschetta and other little treats to be washed down with your drink of choice. In Modica, Portici is certainly one of the better places to enjoy this joyous Italian tradition.

I usually take a prosecco or one of the local wines, all of the selections I have been served at Portici have been well received. Or if you are visiting, why not try an Aperol Spritz or a Campari and Soda, both very traditional Italian aperitivo choices and still fashionable.

The cafe is run by a couple and their two sons and, while the service can be a little on the slow side (we are still in Sicily, after all!), the family have always been extremely welcoming and friendly. I've been going for a few years and over time have developed a good rapport with them and when I have had family and friends visit from the UK, they have been so welcoming, thoughtful and enthusiastic about meeting my guests - my parents in particular were very taken with the place when they visited for the first time in June. While English is quite obviously difficult for them, they have really made an effort when I have had non-Italian speaking company with me.

The café also serves sandwiches and pasta dishes, I personally have not tried these but from what I have heard from other people, I'd suggest if you want a small snack the place is fine but for something more substantial, there are probably better places to eat.

Prices are very reasonable, for example, a glass of wine complete with the snacks served will cost €3.50 and is €3.50 well spent!

It's a real pleasure to have this place as one of my locals, I'm sure you will enjoy it as much as I (frequently) do.

Caffetteria I Portici
Piazza Principe di Napoli 1, Modica

Review - L'Orizzonte Pizzeria Ristorante

This was my second visit to L'Orizzonte since its opening a year ago. We are spoilt for choice with pizzerias in Modica, so sometimes you forget about places and there is a tendency to find a favourite and stick to it.

Yesterday evening, we were a group of eight people, a mix of locals and people, like me, who have now made Modica their home. We were greeted and seated within minutes, which was excellent given that we are still in August and there are many tourists around. We opted to sit outside given the pleasing evening temperature and had plenty of table space for our party. The inside of the restaurant is nicely decorated in a modern style, although perhaps the lighting is a little harsh (as with many restaurants in the area!).

The restaurant offers both pizza and an a la carte menu. For this particular evening, we were all about the pizzas and the menu gave us a plethora of choice. We could choose from the usual choices such as the classic Margherita, traditional Sicilian favourite Norma, Capricciosa and so on, plus a number of L'Orizzonte specials inspired and named after local places.

I opted for the Sampieri pizza, named after the nearby seaside resort. The topping for this was salt cod (baccala), potatoes, onions with mozzarella and the restaurant's tomato sauce. The thin pizza base was excellently cooked in the traditional stone oven and was a true Italian triumph. The toppings were wonderfully combined with just the right amount of each ingredient, every mouthful was a delicious reminder of how lucky I am to live in Sicily with so much fantastic food on offer. Both my Italian and British friends within the group made noises of tasting pleasure throughout, along with the standard Sicilian hand gesture of twisting the index finger into their cheeks to remark that they were very much enjoying their dinner. The group had a mix of the pizza choices on offer and there was not a single complaint or grumble.


While some of our party opted for bottled beers, a few of us shared a litre of local Inzolia wine and while it wasn't the most fantastic local I've ever tasted it went pleasingly with the fishy pizza and was all appreciated and heartily washed down by both Brits and Sicilians alike.


The restaurant was pretty quiet, which I suppose meant we had more personal and attentive service than usual but by Sicilian standards, everything came pretty quickly and the waiting staff were helpful and pleasant.


We paid just €12 per person including the beers and wines. This is a pretty average price for pizza in Modica but the standard was above average... definitely worth every centesimo.


A definite recommendation to people visiting the area who are looking for an excellent pizza away from the crowds.


8/10


Pizzeria Ristorante L'Orizzonte
Via Vittorio Veneto, 141 Modica Ragusa
+39 0932 196 1511
http://www.pizzeriaorizzonte.it/