Salirosso

Salirosso is a simple restaurant in Trapani, Sicily featuring high end Sicilian seafood fare in an unpretentious atmosphere.  Tucked away in the back alleyways, we found our way to this small restaurant for dinner.

Confused by the entrance, luckily one server spoke English and greeted us warmly while opening the door.  With a big smile they were happy to seat us, even though we did not have a reservation.  Not knowing much about the local wine varieties, we chose blindly - a 2014 Santa Tresa Rina Lanca Grillo-Viognier.  It was an organic white blend that was dry with medicinal notes.  It was not my favorite wine, but was palpable with our meal. With the help of Google Translate, we were able to decipher the other menu items.

To start, we were treated to a traditional local starter of a delicious spread of tomatoes, garlic, basil, and fish.  It came with bread sticks for dipping, but I also tore pieces of the fresh Italian loaf to soak up the goods.

Keith was a bit hungrier than I was, so he ordered a primi of Spaghetti with Clams.  This was probably the second or third time he had ordered this dish during our trip, since he liked it so much.  This rendition was one of the more generous offerings with an added fishy cream sauce to add even more seafood depth.

For his secondi, Keith chose the Swordfish Steak with Eggplant and Shrimp.  It was covered in a creamy tomato sauce and fresh basil.  Again, the portion was quite large providing a very filling meal.

I chose the Orecchiette with Zucchini and Shrimp in an almond and sea urchin sauce.  The description alone sounded intriguing. Sure enough, the combination of the almonds and sea urchin created a sweet paste that coated the ear-shaped pasta.  I had never tasted anything like this before and found myself in almost a hypnotic trance as I took bite after bite.  The bowl was never ending though, and I called 'Uncle!" soon after Keith finished his dish.

Needless to say, I was too stuffed to order dessert or anything else.  Our first meal in Sicily was unexpected and unique.  The prices were very reasonable, especially for the large portions.  Unfortunately, there was a family with a young and cranky toddler behind us, who was crying so loudly that the parents took turns taking the child outside.  It made for an uncomfortable start, but we ignored it and chose not to let it spoil our experience.

Total Rating: 3.98
Food: 4, Price: 4.5, Service: 3.5, Ambience: 3, Accessibility: 4.5