La cena, and rounding out the evening

In typical fashion, Francesco and Claudia arrived on the Vespa, and Simona, his sister, picked me up in her car and we all went to dinner.

They were intent on having me try "cozze," or mussels, which are very fresh and a regional specialty.  It was really nice eating outside in the garden, and the mussels were excellent; much smaller than we are accustomed to at home but also a lot sweeter.

It didn't show up that well in this photo, but the orange moon was quite stunning as we dined al fresco at 11:00 pm.

After dinner, a nice sorbetto with limoncello, and obligatory espresso, it was back to La Playa for a drink, as they were hosting a full moon party (irrespective of the actual waning moon as shown above).  We stayed for a drink, and at about 1:00 am, headed back to the city center.

Francesco and I didn't miss the chance to have a few shots of passion fruit vodka and photo opportunity with the Playboy bunnies.

And, deciding it was time to call it an evening, we headed home at about 3:30 am.  Just another summer day in Mazara :).

Un buon giorno

Ciao ragazzi!  Come state?  

All is well here in Mazara.  Day two was great, starting at about noon with a typical Sicilian breakfast of pan brioche and a lemon granita.  They have tons of lemon here that are really fresh, and you find lemon used frequently in the cuisine.

After breakfast, we headed over to "La Playa," which is the chiringuito, or "lido" that Francesco and his friends go to during the summer.  For about 500 euro, you can rent two umbrellas and beach chairs for the summer.  People choose lidos based on location and the type of people who go there.

Francesco told me that he and his male friends like La Playa because there are lots of young women, so they keep going there every summer, though his girlfriend and all of the other girls want to switch to a lido with a bit older crowd.  And so it is :).

Anyway, at about 6:00 pm, we headed out for a late "lunch," which is probably one of the more interesting meals so far.  Not necessarily the best, but interesting.  We had panelle, which is simply cecchi, or garbanzo meal, fried in squares and eaten between bread as a sandwich.  Not my favorite, but typical and something to try.

Claudia opted for a gelato sandwich (no joke) for her lunch/snack, and of course, Francesco and I had to split one as well.  Ours was with chocolate, fior de latte (cream), caffe and panna (whipped cream).  It did not disappoint :).

On the way back, we stopped at a confectionery store to increase the pastry order for the Feragosto party, which seems to be getting quite big.  There were some cool looking fish and mussels, all made of marzipan!

After that, I came home and had a big nap for a few hours.  Francesco came to pick me up and we headed out for dinner and drinks.  Anyway, on our way out just now so I will have to continue this later.  Ciao for now and buongiorno!

Primo Giorno - Day 1

After spending a few hours at the beach yesterday, we headed to another beach to watch the sunset "il tramonto" (a new word for me).  This next place was a chiringuito (beach bar), which hosted a pretty big party with a DJ and people dancing.

By that time, it was 9:30 pm, and probably a good time to head to bed after only two hours of sleep in the preceding 36 hours.  But, when in Mazara....

And so, we headed home for a quick shower.  I am staying in a 1 BR flat in the city center, owned by Francesco's family, and he is staying at his parents' house, about five minutes away by Vespa :).

Francesco came and picked me up at about 11:30 pm and we headed out.  We grabbed some dinner at a local spot that was really popular.  Last night's meal was "arancine."  Arancia in Italian means orange, and arancine are little oranges.  Well, not really, but they look like them.  In reality, they are fried bread, stuffed with different things.

Based on the shape of the arancine, you can tell what is inside.  I had two of them, one stuffed with saffron risotto, fontina and prosciutto, and the other with a tomato ragout.

They are really quite good.  Oh, and I should mention (in case the Paleo police are reading), I am eating a ton of non palo stuff this week.  I want to try everything, and think I am doing a pretty good job so far.  :)

After eating the arancine on Niccola's roof deck, we cruised around the town.  It was amazing how many people, including families with little kids, older people, younger people and really everyone, were out at 1:00 am on a Sunday night, showing no signs of heading home either.  

Here is a pic of Claudia and her three year old niece Aurora, going strong at 1:15 am.

We walked around a bit more, listened to a traditional Sicilian band, and finally by about 2:30 am, I was back home and fat asleep.  What a great first day of vacation it was!

Arrivato in Sicilia!

Well, I made it to Sicily and am having a great time so far.  Francesco and Claudia picked me up at the airport in Palermo, and we drove an hour to get back to Mazara, which is the small town where they live.

We had a great lunch at Francesco's parents house, starting with a homemade pasta with pesce spada (swordfish), mixed with eggplant and fresh mint.  I didn't break out my camera until the second course of gamberretti (little shrimp), shown below, which were delicious.

The course to follow were calamari, but unlike the fried ones we are accustomed to, these were baked and stuffed with a breadcrumb filling and fresh herbs.  Really tasty, with some sautéed zucchini and all washed down with some prosecco.

After lunch, we headed to the beach, which is an everyday thing here for these guys.  Francesco is shown below.

Okay, I will finish this post later.  Right now, we are shopping for Feragosto, a big August pool party Francesco and his friends are planning to host in two days.

Ciao for now!!

Madrid!

Well, really just Barajas.  And actually I should not say "just" Barajas, because oh my how things have changed here since I last lived in Spain way back in 1996!

Barajas then was a smoke-filled dungeon of a place that seemed more like a seedy bowling alley than an airport, compared to the now gleaming ultra-modern facility with a high-end shuttle system between terminals, cool cafes and modern architecture.

And while this Lavazza espresso may be all that I am enjoying from this country right now (in addition to the stunning view of La Mancha from my window), I will be back at the tail end of my trip for one night in the old stomping grounds before returning to San Francisco.

For now, I will contemplate how a country with rampant unemployment and on the brink of financial ruin can have such a dazzling airport.  Yes, Terminal 2 at our own SFO is impressive.  But, come on, with our staggering 2% growth rate, why can't we get something like this?  Priorities, I suppose.

Well, another hour or so here, then a two hour flight to Palermo, where I will be met by my amici and hopefully my luggage!

Until then, adios amigos, y nos vemos en Italia!

Just the Tip(s)?

Yeah, so I got my $0.85 espresso at Cafe Versailles, and can I just say how nice and hospitable the ladies are that work in the Miami Airport??

I mean, maybe speaking Spanish helps a bit, or maybe they are angling for tips, but, smiling, calling me "mi amor," and "mi vida," has got me thinking...maybe I'm in the wrong city, like maybe it's time to grease up, get out my banana hammock and start brushing up on my Kadima skills...and I'm not talking about the Israeli political party here.  In the words of Lebron, I'm talking about, you know, bringing my talents to South Beach.

Well, food for thought.  For now, cheers to the Miami International staff.  It has been a great three hours...

Old Habits Die Hard

La Carreta in Miami International would certainly fall under that title.  If you look back about five years ago, I was just traversing through Miami on my way to Santiago for a wedding.  You will see a photo of their signature dish, Ropa Vieja, not unlike the one below.

This time, when faced with the option of saffron rice and rice with black beans, I hedged and went 50/50 the saffron ones are mostly buried).

All of that aside, the other old habit would be travel.  And it seems like a little while, two years ago or so, since I have been outside of the US.

And so, in an hour, my flight will leave from Miami to Palermo, Italy via Madrid.  I will be spending a week with the old pals from Bologna, including Francesco, Claudia, Nicola, Angela and others.  We will be eating and drinking our way through their home town of Mazara del Vallo, in the very south west portion of the island.

Expect lots of pictures of food and ridiculousness over the next week, and I can't wait to have you join me on this adventure.

For now, I will grab an espresso before boarding and maybe watch the last few holes of the PGA.  Ciao!!