Palermo, May 15—
WE DINED LAST NIGHT the second time in the same restaurant; tonight we returned to the one we found our first night here, only four nights ago — it seems much longer. In the meantime I've finally done some research on Palermo in the Lonely Planet guide to Sicily, and what do you know, our hostess's husband's restaurant, just downstairs from our apartment, is listed there. Tonight we ate at 9:30. Perhaps there were earlier diners; no trace was to be seen of them. Two diners showed up a little after we were seated, but one of them was the chef's wife, our hostess in this little apartment. Lonely Planet is mistaken about one thing, by the way: Al Garage has five tables, not four; in a pinch perhaps sixteen diners could be accommodated — but the kitchen has only two small burners, no oven, no walk-in.
It doesn't need a walk-in, of course; the principal fare is fish, and the fish can be bought fresh as paint in the street-market around the corner. Tonight we had pesce spada, swordfish, very young swordfish, fried in a pan, beautifully done, strewn with herbs, served with a lemon. What more do you need? Mixed salad, of course. It was fresh and copious. What more do you want?
Trebbiano, Silva (Abruzzo), 2007
No comments:
Post a Comment