Meet Michela and Marco, owners, and Gino, master chef of Ciambra, a two-month old seafood restaurant in the oldest part of Monreale.
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Coming to Sicily, we had expected that finding fresh seafood would be easy. But not so true for Monreale, which is on a hill overlooking Palermo and not adjacent to the sea. And then as luck would have it, we learned of a recently opened restaurant and met its owners. We had two nights left and ate at Ciambra both nights. Besides, for seafood lovers, their sign says it all.
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The decor of the restaurant is lovely with great attention to detail including the flowers, table settings, artwork, etc.
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But it’s the food that brings one back to Ciambra, and for good reason. Len said this might be some of the best seafood we have ever eaten. I agree.
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After we were seated, we were presented with fresh sardines, mixed with scallions and red peppercorns, on grilled toast. At home, I won’t touch a sardine, but I happily ate these.
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We asked Marco to select a bottle of wine for us from their large selection.
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For our appetizer, we ordered the seafood caponata consisting of fresh swordfish, eggplant, celery, tomatoes, onions and olives. Wonderfully seasoned.
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Then for Primo, we had linguine con vongole, one of the best we have ever eaten!
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For secondo, we chose sea bass on a bed of pureed potatoes and a vegetable torte. Delectable.
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Too full for dessert, we made a reservation for the following evening, when we repeated the linguine con vongole and then chose grilled swordfish and red gamberetti for dinner. Perfect.
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Although they were not on the menu, we asked for roasted potatoes. If only my Dad could have tasted these! Amazing, and I have a feeling Chef Gino made them up just for us.
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Since it was our last night, we also shared a tiramisu for dessert. Luscious.
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What an unexpected find in a small town overlooking Palermo, but we are so very happy we did.
Our compliments to Chef Gino, and our very best wishes to Michela and Marco for a hundred years of success in both your restaurant and your soon to be married life together!
I nostri complimenti allo Chef Gino, ed i nostri migliori auguri a Michela e Marco per un centinaio di anni di successo sia il vostro ristorante e la vostra vita presto per sposarsi insieme!
And finally, given that we ate the linguine con vongole twice, I think I’ll leave you with another picture…if only I could share the taste and aroma! Heavenly.
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Ciao,
Judy and Len
