The day after Feragosto is one that is best spent recovering. Franceco picked me up on the Vespa, and we headed to Lido la Playa, the lido we had frequented the previous year, but this time just for lunch.
So many good things on the menu, including pasta with squid ink and various other seafood pasta dishes. Francesco opted for the Tarantina, fresh busiata pasta with mussels and "mollica" breadcrumbs.
I think he was a bit disappointed when I went for the pasta a la norma, just a plain pasta with tomato sauce, eggplant and pecorino. Yes, just a plain pasta, but the fresh made busiata noodles, homemade tomato sauce and other fresh ingredients made it delicious.
After lunch, it was back to Lido Maracaná for some beach time, and even a game of beach volleyball. Clearly, we didn't bring our "A" game, as we ended up getting beaten handily by a group of teenage girls.
The day started late, and before we knew it, the sun was setting, a beautiful sight to behold from the beach in Mazara.
For dinner, Fran had heard from a friend that this spot on the beach, Buxutu (actually a Greek name), had excellent pasta with sea urchin.
The dinner crew that evening included me, Fran and Claudia, Simona (Fran's sister) and Giorgio. We were off to a good start with the antipasto plate which contained various types of marinated seafood; tuna, stuffed calamari, anchovies and...."razza" (skate). We don't eat a lot of skate in the US, but I have to say, it was pretty good. Light and delicate, absorbing the vinegar in which it was marinated.
All were waiting in anticipation of the pasta with sea urchin, as ricci were scarce this season, and it was a treat to be able to find a place that served them.
I actually thought that the pasta was quite good - al dente, and tasty with little bits of sea urchin and parsley. My dining companions however were not so pleased. Evidently, compared to other locales, Buxutu was quite frugal with the ricci, and the price to value ratio was way out of whack. Admittedly, the portions weren't huge, but I had been doing my fair share of eating all week, so, no complaints.
Dinner finished up with a nice caffe. Here are a few glamor shots of the ristretto (short pull) - black with a nice crema, good viscosity, notes of berry yet not overly tannic. A winner!
Yeah, I posted three pics of an espresso shot. Sue me ;).
Following dinner, we headed to the city center to have a drink and see if anyone was around. For once, by 2:00 am or so, one the main squares was completely empty! Feragosto 1, Mazareses 0. And so, we were home by a reasonable hour, me in anticipation of my last day in Mazara.
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