Sicily in Your Mouth

The title of today's post is a literal translation of a new Brendan top 10 restaurant in Rome. Maybe even top 5. I went to "Sicilia in Bocca" twice now, and both times I walked out a fatter, but much happier, man. The restaurant has 3 locations, one in Prati, one in Flaminia, and a smaller sister restaurant in Trastevere. Apparently, they're doing quite well. Rightfully so, because their food and service are fantastic.

As I've mentioned before, most restaurants in Rome go by the mantra "You're only coming here once so I might as well rip you off". Sicilia in Bocca was quite the opposite. They start you with a smile and a mimosa-like aperitif as soon as you sit down. I was with my dad and girlfriend, Federica, so we were speaking English and the waiter was nice enough to come over and greet us in perfect US-accented English (he was from Palermo, and he worked in NY as a waiter for 2 years). In most restaurants in Rome, you're usually being rushed to order as you open the menu, and here we were chatting with the waiter. I like that. We started off with the "Gran varietà di affumicati", the "Great Variety of Smoked Raw Fish". It included smoked salmon, swordfish, and tuna over a bed of rocket. I was able to taste the freshness. The next starter was the "Alicette Marinate", marinated sardines in oil, garlic and hot pepper. Since dad was in town, and treating, I thought that we might as well go all out and pair every course, my favorite hobby, as you all know. The starters were washed down, nicely, with a bottle of Donnafugata Chiaranda, a voluptuous Sicilian DOC blend of Chardonnay and Ansonica. It went beautifully with both dishes.

With a good half bottle of Chiaranda left, we received our primi (first courses). My dad and I ordered the Pasta con le Sarde, an interesting Palermitan pasta, which seemed home-made and without egg, topped with again, sardines, pinoli nuts, fennel, and bread crumbs. Federica had the classic Sicilian Maccheroni alla Norma, pasta with ricotta, tomato sauce, and sauteed eggplant. The portions were perfect, not too big, not too skimpy. I think that the dish that my dad and I ordered was superior, but Federica insisted that hers was better, probably just to contradict me. To be fair, they were both excellent.

With the Chiaranda drained and 2 big secondi (main courses) on the way, I asked to have a look at the wine list again. We were all excruciatingly full and just beginning to come to terms with the fact that a hearty dish of calamaretti ripieni alla griglia, stuffed grilled calamari, AND grigliata mista di pesce, mixed grilled fish, we're on the way. Knowing that we were about to be bombarded by an explosion of flavor, I knew I needed a tough wine to counter attack. We opted for the Cusumano Jalé, a chardonnay-based bomb of white wine that weighs in at a whopping 15%! I hate complimenting myself, but I really paired that one good. The calamaretti were extremely tasty, and therefore they required a good balance. The Jalé sucked the flavor right out of them and made sure it hung around my palate for an extra few seconds. Oh, lord, and the grilled fish. The Jalé is a bit sweet, so it smacked the bitterness of the grill taste around just enough to have it be declared the perfect, perfect pair. What the hell did I just say there? I don't know.

It was then time for my favorite part of the meal, the dolce. Dad opted for the Cannolo (the Cannoli in US speak) and I went for the ricotta and pear cake topped with steaming hot fudge. Nothing more needs to be said, right? Federica opted to remain horrified at the fact that dad and I were still eating. We washed this down with a sweet zibibbo wine.




Overall rating: 9.8 out of 10 (c'mon nobody gets a perfect score!)
Cost per person: €70.00 with 2 bottles of wine, but you can probably get this down to €45-50 if you are less extravagant
Will I be going back?: Definitely
Contact / Arrival Details: La Sicilia in Bocca, via Emilio Faà di Bruno, 26 (Prati, near Piazza Mazzini), tel 06 3738400, you can walk to it in 15 mins from the Ottaviano metro stop. See their website www.siciliainboccaweb.com for information on their other locations.