Best of Sicily - Trattorie

Following my culinary trip to Sicily, I would like to summarise some of my good experiences. I decided to divide my top preferences into two categories: the "trattorie", and the "fine dining" restaurants, since  I really cannot compare across these two categories. The distinction is based on price, with the trattorie falling below 40-50 EUR per person, and the fine dining restaurants positioned well above that price point.

A couple of big disclaimers:
  1 - I am sure that there are many more wonderful eating venues in Sicily - my summary is based purely on my own experiences and selection, which was largely based on Gambero Rosso - one of the most accredited Italian food guides.
  2 - Although I have rated these restaurants in numerical order, this is only based on slight preferences or academic differences, but I must stress that anything on this list is of the highest quality, and worth visiting multiple times. Don't be discouraged from visiting #6 or #7 for instance - they are just as good in their own rights!

#1 - Ristorante Crocifisso
It's perhaps unfair to position this restaurant under the trattorie category, given that this is very technical cuisine, with a high degree of skills involved, as well as excellent presentation and concept behind each dish. Yet, given the very reasonable price - equal to what you would spend in many trattorie, it deserves the 1st place in this category.

Located in the heart of Noto - a place also famous for Caffé Sicilia, also worth a visit, the exterior has a really clean, classic look which protracts into the dining room.

I am putting this restaurant at the top of my list since every dish was a hit. Their philosophy of the owner and Chef Marco Baglieri is to represent the territory through his menu, using local, fresh products, prepared according to traditional Sicilian flavour profiles, with more advanced techniques as compared to the classic approach.

The pictures below should give you an overview of what the food looks like. In particular, I would like to recommend the Casarecce alla Palermitana, which were extremely well balanced, juicy and rich in fresh sarde, and the Cannolo Siciliano, which had a delicate crispy texture and was the best we had in our whole trip to Sicily.

In summary, this is highly recommended, even if you have to detour from your plan in order to get to Noto.
http://www.ristorantecrocifisso.it

” Turbante ” di spatola ( pesce bandiera ), ripieno di mollica di pane ai profumi di Sicilia,
servito su una crema di finocchio e zafferano

Insalata di polpo tiepida con patate.olive e menta

Tunnina a “cipudadda” con salsa di cipolle,basilico,pomodoro e capperi - euro 13,00

Casarecce alla”palermitana” sarde,pinoli,uvetta,pomodoro,finocchietto e mollica tostata - euro 12,00

Filetto di tonno rosso in crosta di pistacchi e sesamo, su una caponata di verdure ( “la ghiotta” )
in agrodolce, olio extravergine e un filo di aceto balsamico ridotto - euro 16,00

Il cannolo Siciliano

#2 - La Locanda del Colonnello
This second "Locanda" is technically not inferior to my previous review, and it comes second only because we were not as blown away by every single dish as we were at Il Crocifisso. It is however another must visit!
Located in Modica, this cozy locanda serves a refined version of food from the territory, using locally sourced ingredients and technically solid preparation.
Chef Accursio owned a star at his previous restaurant - La Gazza Ladra, which is a few steps away from the Locanda. He then decided to move on with his team and embark into a new venture. His new challenge is to offer true flavours from traditional Sicilian cuisine starting from selected raw ingredients, at a very reasonable price.
My view is that he has fully succeeded in this mission - reason why this is a must visit if you are in the Ragusa area (an unmissable stop for any foodie visiting Sicily!). Just bear in mind that within a year or so, Accursio and his team will be moving to a new restaurant, in the lower part of the town. So do your research before visiting the restaurant to avoid disappointment!

Entrance

In particular, I would like to highlight the following outstanding dishes: Cibo da Strada was  presented for what it is - Street Food - in a paper bag, with every mouthful roughly wrapped into its paper, just like they would no on the street. Beautiful, simple, tasty. The Arancino in particular was the best I have tasted in the whole of Sicily! Second best was the Ravioletti ripieni di pesce - a delicate, well balanced combination of flavours and textures.
Below a selection of the dishes we had at the restaurant, to wet your appetite!

http://www.lalocandadelcolonnello.com/

Octopus in broad beans pureé and wild fennel

Cibo da Strada

Ravioletti ripieni di pesce su passatina di ceci, basilico e limone

Gnocchi di patate con polpa di ricci, ricotta e profumo di limone

Filetto di ricciola alla pizzaiola con capperi e origano fresco

Trancio di pesce alla palermitana con insalatina croccante di ortaggi

Gelato al cioccolato con ricotta montata, cialda di cannolo e pistacchio

#3 - I Rizzari
This true trattoria wins without a doubt for its setting and selection of simple but well executed dishes that fully represent the surroundings. The fresh seafood utilised in their preparations is without a doubt the freshest you can find as you would hope when eating right next to the sea. Yet, this can't be said for most Italian restaurants, despite their proximity to the sea. Most likely, the authenticity of this little gem is due to the fact that Brucoli, the little village where it's located, is not exactly a tourist destination. You will most certainly have to detour to reach this restaurant, however I would be prepared to do that every single time I will be visiting Sicily, and happily so.

A very rustic entrance :)

Must tries are the spaghetti with sea urchin (ricci di mare) or clams (vongole) - these are extremely simple dishes, done in the most basic way, and yet the likelyhood of finding a restaurant that serves them in all their splendor is probably less than 10%. So they deserve a praise for these!
I would also recommend very highly the grilled scampi. They are sweet, crunchy, packed with grilled flavour all around the shell. I ate everything - no single shell or head was left on the plate.
If you would like to enjoy what real seafood should taste like - just go to "I Rizzari" and experience the Mediterranean at its best!

 I Rizzari - TripAdvisor

Local bread - compact and tasty

Grilled Octopus

Tuna tartare

Spaghetti ai ricci di mare (sea urchin spaghetti)

Scampi alla griglia

Spaghetti alle vongole

Gelo di limone

The bill with price breakdown

Finally, a shot of the beautiful dining terrace

#5 - Osteria il gallo e l'innamorata
I read various reviews pointing to this osteria as the best Marsala can offer when it comes to simple, rustic food. They have been awarded both by "Osterie d'Italia - Slow food", "Gambero Rosso" and had high ratings on Trip Advisor, so I decided to pay them a visit. Located in the historical centre of Marsala, famous city for its controversial port wine, the entrance to the osteria doesn't particularly stand out, however once you walk in, the atmosphere is made special by the combination of bright colours on the walls, the old wooden beams, and the massive stone arch that separates the osteria into two sections.

Entrance to Il gallo e l'innamorata

The menu truly represents Sicily in its culinary traditions and simplicity, with a particular attention for local produce. Mazara prawns are a must-try - you will not have such beautifully tasting prawns anywhere else, especially for us, used to the tasteless prawns from Singapore (sadly). My other favourite was the pasta with prawns and pistachios - such a classic Sicilian combination, extremely well executed in this little osteria.
Prices are very reasonable given the authenticity of the products - this is a rarity nowadays, therefore this place is a true culinary find.

http://www.osteriailgalloelinnamorata.com/

Restaurant interior

The menu

Local bread

Bruschette con pomodori e salame di tonno

Arancinette con pesce affumicato

Pasta fresca con gamberi, pistacchi e pomodorino

Gamberoni No5 di Mazara

Grilled swordfish

Cannolo Siciliano

#6 - Officina del gusto bye bye blues
This is actually a proper restaurant, not a trattoria at all, however given its price range and authenticity of the food in such a premium location, I placed it in the trattoria category. There is actually a Michelin starred restaurant in Palermo named Bye bye blues - and this is its sister restaurant, without all the fine dining frills, serving straight Sicilian food of supreme quality.
We were amazed by the beautiful setting - with tables well spaced within the courtyard of this historical building just a shot away from the quattro canti - the centre of historical Palermo. It almost felt idyllic, being away from the traffic and buzz, while enjoying the architecture of this beautiful building.
The service was extremely attentive, with particular emphasis on knowledge of the products. They werevery open to customise dishes to the customer preference - while maintaining the real flavours and authenticity.
For instance, I could "build my own tartare" combining the 2 highlights of the day: fresh tuna and amberjack.

The grand entrance

The selection of local wines deserves mentioning, and we had the best Frappato of the whole trip. The portions were amazingly large for such quality - for instance the tartare was really the size of a main rather than an appetiser - something I would really not complain about, and thankfully we ordered only one main, otherwise we would not have been able to finish the whole meal.

My recommendation is to go for fish specials, which change daily based on the best available in the local market. The pasta alla palermitana is another must if you like this slightly exotic flavour profile (alici, pistachios, wild fennel, breadcrumbs, onions, saffron, raisins).
This restaurant is a strong recommendation for anyone hitting the streets of Palermo, looking for a peaceful spot in the middle of the city while enjoying some of the best wines that Sicily can offer, paired with very well executed local cuisine. Such a combination is a rare one in any Italian city of this size.

http://www.officinabyebyeblues.com/index_eng.htm

Tuna and amberjack tartare

Rigatoni alla palermitana

Grilled Ricciola

Pistachio cake with white chocolate glaze and pistachio sauce

#7 - Majore
Last but not least - a culinary monument to a tradition that has been going on for 6 generations since 1896. Majore's pride is that they celebrate pork - and they have been doing that for 2 centuries. Chiaramonte Gulfi is unlikely to be in your itinerary, unless you planned for this visit.
The entrance hall to this restaurant is really impactful - so traditional and yet so neat. A large steel stove shines like a well kept jewel, despite the fact that it's actively used. And a beautiful wooden display almost gives the feeling of an Italian butchery, or perhaps a delicatessen, except there are only a few slices of salami on display.

Majore - an emblem of tradition

We were welcomed by a very kind and smiling host, who served us throughout the dinner making us feel at home. In fact the dining room, with just 5-6 tables in total, does feel like someone's dining room.
The menu is very brief - one starter, 3 pastas and about 4-5 mains is all there is to it - all religiously based on pork. Just follow the flow - and let the host serve you the starters - an assorted platter with a pork terrine and homemade salami - all religiously without any preservatives and nitrites - the only kind of salami I will eat, and unfortunately now a rarity even in Italy.
We were then served with pride some carote novelle di ispica IGP cut in julienne strips, together with some local olive oil. These carrots (see link) are specially grown in a specific nearby location (Ispica) hence the "IGP" seal. They are indeed tastier, crunchier and sweeter than normal carrots, and they go particularly well in-between meat dishes.

All the food we had tasted really old school - very simply prepared, based on the underlying product, with little sophistication or refinement. I would particularly recommend the ravioli in pork sauce, as well as the risotto with pork.
The bill was old school adding up to less than 30 EUR for all these dishes (see pictures) including 2 servings of carrots, a bottle of sparkling water, and a bottle of Nero d'Avola from the area. I must say we left pretty happy, satisfied and grateful at the same time that there are still people supporting the existence of such genuine businesses.

http://www.majore.net/

Entrance - the stove

Entrance - display area

Appetiser of homemade salami and pork terrine

Ispica carrots IGP

Stuffed pork rib

Risotto and ravioli with pork

Homemade pork sausage