They eat later in the day here, similary to Spainsh times. So I was "early" eating dinner at 9 PM. Antonello referred me to a seafood restaurant called Lillicu (lilly - coo) that was in downtown. Of course I walked in and gestured "sola" and they sat me down in the middle of the restaruant. I have to admit this is where I feel a bit lonesome. Meals here are suppose to be shared over lengthy laughter and conversation and this restaurant was full of groups doing such. So of course being sat by myself in plain view was a bit intimidating. But a meal must be had!
The waiter, who spoke fairly good English came to get my drink order and got "vino blanco della cassa" and sparkling water. Side note, I love that Europe is so down with the sparkling water. When you order water, it is either "gas or no gas". I always get gas... okay, laugh it up. Even in the shops to get water to go, they have a "frizzante" option.
So, the restaurant offered an "aperitivo misto", which is basically a buffet of food options. The food was still plated and served to you by the waiter, but it was laid out in front of the restaurant for everyone to see. As much as wish I could be a local and stomach the marinated octopus, fish fritters and what looked like gray matter of some sort that people were scarfing down, I had to order off the menu to what I knew, even though it was a bit more expensive. Now, when I say I love seafood, I mean the boring kind- shrimp, lobster, scallops and some fish. Hard shelled anything and the tentacles of calamari makes me quezy. But, I had to suck it up. I am pretty sure that everything came from the ocean that was less than a half a mile away. So here is the food journey I decided to take:
- Antipasti (Starter) - Miranated Mussels
- Primi Piatti (First Course) - Spaghetti agli scampi
- Secondi Piatti Pesce (Main Course of fish) - Calamri fritti
- Dolci - Sebadas
This came with fresh bread of course. The mussels were pretty tasty, served freshly steamed in a garlicky broth. I was still skiddish with the textured of them, but satisfied and pretty darn proud of myself to reaching out.
Next was the pasta course. This was not your Red Lobster scampi. It had chopped up mini lobsters. And not just the meat, it was skeleton an all in a red sauce. I had my first bite and was blown over...I had to take another one just to be sure....and I was. It tasted almost exactly like my Maw Maws shrimp spaghetti. Any friend of mine can tell you that my grandmothers shrimp spaghetti is one of my alltime favorite dishes; mostly because of the sauce. She has no official recipe, just a little of this and a little of that, and it makes a dish that every grandchild request when they visit. This one was almost there...so close. I cleaned my bowl, when meant taking the bread and sopping up every last bit of the sauce.
Next was the calamari. I still cannot manage to eat the tentacles, but I was very happy with the "O" parts :), which was lightly battered and drizzled with lemon juice.
Even though I did not ask for it, the waiter brought out a complimentary Sebada, which is a typical Sardinian dessert. Very similar to a sopapilla on the outside, covered in honey, but inside with a soft gooey dessert cheese. Unfortunately, I was so full I only could have a few bites.
Of course my sola-ness attracted attention of the group of older gentlemen at a neighboring table and they ordered me a small shot of Mirta. Which is a Sardinian liquer that is served as a aperitif. It is dark dark burgandy in color and served cold. Takes a little like liquorice, but it very easy going down!
Stuffed and satisfied, I asked for "il conto". But before I left, I got to witness what I assume was the owner of the restaurant, break out his guitar and sing the italian version of the Frank Sinatra classic "My Way". Do not worry, I got it on video!
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