The Sicilian Ristorante: Authentic Italian?

 

“No dish in history has as many variations, colors, motifs, tastes, textures and subtleties as a dish of pasta.”
― Marc Vetri, Mastering Pasta: The Art and Practice of Handmade Pasta, Gnocchi, and Risotto 


Anyone who knows me well knows that I would do pretty much anything for an exquisitely crafted chicken fettucine alfredo with extra cream and parmesan. The richness of the cream sauce with the subtle hint of nutmeg, the slight nuttiness of the parmesan and the moist nuggets of chicken buried within the al dente folds of well seasoned pasta is not an experience to be missed. But that is only one dish out of a hundred variations and concoctions. 

There is nothing quite as romantic as Italian food- Paris might have dibs on the language of love, but Italians express their love through pasta. For this very reason, it has been my intention to visit the Sicilian Ristorante for almost three months now. Almost everyday I pass by Shirvan Plaza staring wistfully at the frosted doors emblazoned with their logo, wondering about the treasures hidden within and when might I have an opportunity to sample these long awaited jewels of culinary rapture.


Pushing past the tastefully frosted doors and entering into a softly lit waiting room with two love seats occupied by a couple holding hands and giggling is surely a good omen. I was pleasantly greeted by the hostess and my spouse and I were seated at a table in the main dining area. Taking in the decor was also quite an inspiring experience. The backdrop consisted of a replica of what I can only assume is an actual Sicilian village with their cute window boxes and painted shutters. It is not conventionally what one would expect, but a most welcome change nonetheless. In the main area there are also window boxes with shutters attached to continue the main theme throughout the rest of the dining area.

We were shown a wine and spirit menu that was quite a decent length. First of all I could not believe that my name was on the menu... I swear I was feeling myself with my name there 'LIAN' Being so taken aback like YES!!! This is a sign that all my pasta fantasies were about to come through! Unfortunately when I turned the menu, I realised that it was part of the main print spelling out the name of the restaurant- 'SICILIAN" Well. After that bubble burst it just went downhill from there.

After our server left us with the wine menu she took legit almost fifteen minutes to return to take our drink order. In the main room on a quiet Sunday evening with maybe eight tables I think that was excessive, especially since all the other table had already been served and we were the only newcomers. But I digress. Perusing through the wine menu was not fun. Do I take a red or white? Sweet or Dry? What year? What brand? It would have been helpful to have some guidance especially since I am not a professional wine taster nor did I have the guidance of an entree to influence my choice.

After finally settling on a 'safe option' in the form of a glass of the 'house red' our server said "Feel free to serve yourselves" Buffet style? Really? Well an interesting concept to be sure for the future of Tobago's Italian restaurants. But try everything at least once right? This is the menu for the night as follows: 

• Spaghetti in Pink Sauce     
• Mushroom Risotto
• Steamed Veggies
• Chicken Cacciatore
• Pork Ribs
• Grilled Shrimp Skewers
• Fresh Salad
• Meat Pizza
• Veggie Pizza

I kid you not. Four of these options don't even classify as Italian food. I don't even think pizza should be on this restaurant menu because it is not a family oriented atmosphere and I don't know anybody who want to go out for a night on the town and eat pizza... But maybe that's just me. Let me dissect this menu for you in detail so I could show you why this is most definitely NOT an authentic 'Sicilian Restaurant' .

Spaghetti in Pink Sauce: Is this meant to be bolognese? I can't review this because I didnt come to a fancy restaurant to eat Spaghetti in sauce- which I can already make at home. And not from a jar. I mean the whole roasting the tomatoes and pureeing them with basil and oregano and leaving it to simmer for 45 minutes. But to be fair I heard it was good. (From a less discerning palette than mine)

Mushroom Risotto: Huh. Well. Where do I start? I have eaten a chicken risotto before, plus I attempted to play "Giada at home". This risotto was DRY. Not creamy in the least. Not moist. Not anything that remotely resembles a traditional risotto. The mushrooms were okay but then it had sun dried tomatoes in it. Maybe they forgot to re-hydrate them in olive oil or something. It's intense tangyness would have been tempered if it had been re-hydrated. Maybe I'm just too picky but that risotto: FAIL

Chicken Cacciatore: If it didn't have a menu card I might have thought I was eating baked chicken. Cooked in real tomatoes instead of bbq sauce. Although its one redeeming quality was that it was moist. It would totally pass as a good baked chicken to go with a nice square of macaroni pie. Chicken Cacciatore: FAIL

Pork Ribs: Perhaps I'm being too critical but in my opinion, BBQ Pork Ribs have no place in an Italian Restaurant. Maybe if it complemented the menu selection. But  it didn't. I didn't come all this way to eat barbeque. Pork Ribs: FAIL

Grilled Shrimp Skewers: It is the height of blasphemy to overcook shrimp. The height. Words cannot express the intense disappoint of biting in the a delectable looking morsel of seafood- only to find out that it is rubbery. Sacrilege! Grilled Shrimp Skewers: FAIL

Fresh Salad: I didn't have any. I preferred to eat the steamed veggies (Which weren't half bad) because when I see fresh salad in an Italian restaurant I expect to see maybe a fresh caprese salad or even an antipasto if you wanted to be really off the chart. Seriously? Bring out the mozarella and tomatoes. Where's the basil? The balsamic vinegar? Non-Italian Fresh Salad: FAIL

Dessert: This cannot even be classified as a dessertt menu because they only had one option: Strawberry cheesecake. Where's the gelato? The tiramisu? At least it was a baked cheesecake. It was decent enough I suppose, but a fitting end to that disaster of a meal.

Sacre Bleu!!! Is it too much to ask for? The holy grail of Italian food is the trinity of Lasagna, Bolognese and Alfredo. Did I come on a bad night? Is my bad mojo coming back to haunt me? Is the universe punishing me by withholding pasta? Just kidding. But seriously, I judge all Italian restaurants on how well the make these three things, which are considered to be the foundation of Italian cuisine. If you cant make these, what can you really cook?

Suffice it to say, I was disappointed. I would have preferred a set menu with consistent options, even if they wanted to have the buffet style service with its varied menu. I would have preferred a server who could have recommended a good wine (Upon further consultation I learned that a Pinot Noir would have been an acceptable choice of wine for this menu selection). I would have liked my dining experience to mirror the illusion that the decor provided. But- così è la vita...



But on a lighter note, here's an easy recipe for a diy healthy and delicious caprese salad!

Ingredients

• 3 vine-ripe tomatoes, 1/4-inch thick slices 
•  1 pound fresh mozzarella, 1/4-inch thick slices
• 20 to 30 leaves (about 1 bunch) fresh basil
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
• Coarse salt and pepper

Directions

• Layer alternating slices of tomatoes and mozzarella, adding a basil leaf between each, on a large, shallow platter. 
• Drizzle the salad with extra-virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray

Watch how to make this recipe at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/caprese-salad-recipe.html?oc=linkback

A Glass of Wine A Day....

“Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been brought to the greatest perfection, and it offers a greater range for enjoyment and appreciation than, possibly, any other purely sensory thing.” ― Ernest Hemingway

 The influence of wine in ancient Greece is significant, not only to the Greek wine industry but to the development of almost all European wine regions and to the history of wine itself. The importance of viticulture in ancient Greek society is evident in a quote from the Greek historian Thucydides: 

"The peoples of the Mediterranean began to emerge from barbarian when they learned to cultivate the olive and the vine"

Apart from its significance as a trade commodity, wine has historically been served in important religious, social and medical purposes in Greek society. The "feast of the wine" was a festival in Mycenaean Greece celebrating the "month of the new wine. The medicinal use of wine was frequently studied by the Greeks, including Hippocrates, who did extensive research on the topic. He used wine as a cure for fevers, to ease convalescence and as an antiseptic. 

In this post I will be sharing some of the health benefits of wine. Nearly all research into the positive medical benefits of wine consumption make a distinction between moderate consumption, heavy and binge drinking. What constitutes a moderate, healthy level of consumption will vary by individual according to age, gender, genetics, weight and body stature. Women, in general, tend to absorb alcohol quicker than men due to their lower body water content, so their moderate levels of consumption tend to be lower than a male of equal age. Some experts define "moderate consumption" less than one 5-US-fluid-ounce (150 ml- also classified as 1-2 units) glass of wine per day for women and two glasses per day for men.

Moderate wine consumption can help towards the following benefits:

• 
  
• Promotes Longevity
• Reduces Heart-Attack Risk
• Lowers Risk of Heart Disease
• Reduces Risk of Type 2 Diabetes  
• Lowers Risk of Stroke
• Cuts Risk of Cataracts
• Cuts Risk of Colon Cancer
• Slows Brain Decline

On the other hand too much wine consumption can result in the following:

• Alcoholism
• Sleep Deficiency
• Heart Disease
• Obesity
• Fertility
• Pancreatitis

How many units are you really drinking?

Use this guide to see how many units of alcohol are in a small 150 ml glass of wine. Be aware that when you order a glass of wine in a bar or restaurant you will often be served a measure larger than 125ml.

• 9% alcohol by volume = 1 unit
• 10% abv = 1.25 units
• 11% abv = 1.375 units  
• 12% abv = 1.5 units
• 13% abv = 1.625 units
• 14% abv = 1.75 units

World Food Day 2015: Tobago Edition

“Accept what life offers you and try to drink from every cup. All wines should be tasted; some should only be sipped, but with others, drink the whole bottle.”  Paulo Coelho, Brida

Welcome to another installment of my bi-weekly blog! Join me for a look at Tobago's World Food Day 2015 from a different angle.

Tobago has joined the rest of the world to celebrate World Food Day (WFD) earlier this week. This year it was held on the 21st and 22nd October at the Dwight Yorke Stadium Parade Square. Tobago usually has an annual exhibition and food fair to mark the day, with displays of locally grown and reared agriculture produce and animals. The public is invited to the event to visit booths and become better acquainted with the operations of the agriculture division, its achievements and focus. 

Traditionally, World Food Day is an arena where local farmers and aspiring and established entrepreneurs have an opportunity to sell their products, produce and services. usually on these two days there is a mad rush of persons buying various plants, flowers and livestock. It is a good medium to showcase unusual plants and flowers as well as expose exotic produce that are not commonly seen. For example I had the opportunity to taste the lychee fruit and learn about padou which is not really known in Tobago. 

The public can visit these booths, support their villages in their respective district booths, partake in the delicious food on sale or purchase other unusual food products. Similarly to Blue Food Festival, World food has entrepreneurs using products like dasheen, cassava, sweet potato and other produce and fruits to create 'gourmet' products to tempt buyers. I have seen everything from cakes, pastries, jams, sweet treats, wines, liqueurs, rums and punches being produced and packaged locally. 

Another positive attribute of this event is the fact that prices are usually quite reduced. Perhaps its because of the community values behind this event which drops the price- whatever it is, patrons know the value of making time to come both days of this event  Another Another positive aspect of this event is that the goods being sold are usually quite reasonably priced as compared to other times during the year. Maybe its the competition, maybe its the event, perhaps its because of the underlying community values behind the event- but whatever it is, patrons know the value of coming to one day, most times both days of this two day market.

Every year for World Food, I find myself buying less flowers and more wine. More wine you say? Yes, its not for me- I buy them as Christmas presents for my family in Trinidad. Let me tell you they are much appreciated!!! Although my grandmother makes homemade five finger wine, she always asks for other unusual flavours to stock up on.

This week I will be focusing on the delicious homemade wines that were offered this year. Firstly let me say that making wine is a skill, it is not for everyone to 'try their hand' at nor should we make light of those who have this incredibly talented skill.  From recipes scribbled on a copybook page or passed on by word of mouth, to possibly closely guarded secret ingredients or techniques, making homemade wines using our local fruits, plants, barks and flowers is a treasured pastime. The time and effort put into making one bottle of wine, much less for a hundred bottles is quite eye opening.

Ginger, ginseng, five finger, saffron, cane, mango, pineapple, dasheen, guava, sorrel, cerise- I have only just started listing the amount of options and range of flavours that I saw from just some of the booths this year. How do you just choose one? Well to help you along one booth was giving out samples of their pineapple wine.... There are no words to describe how sweet and light and refreshing this wine is. It's clear golden colour looks exactly like rich honey. It's not wine to get obnoxiously drunk on- It's perfect though for a cooling refresher after lunch. The perfect wine for a nice Sunday lunch, a good river lime or even a harvest. 

So to help you along I have included a delicious and easy version of five finger wine that you can try at home. I certainly will 'try my hand' and hope for the best! Maybe if it comes out good I will be able to experiment further and stop paying $60.00 for a bottle of local wine. Trust me it starts to get expensive when you're buying twenty plus bottles at a time!

 

Five Finger Wine Recipe

25 five finger (star fruit, carambola) 

1 1/2 pk yeast (16.5 g)

12 lbs sugar

2 1/4 gal of water (i.e. 2 gallons and 4 cups)

1/2 lb raisins

• Wash and slice the five finger
• Add the five finger to some water in a bucket.
• Add the yeast and 6 lbs sugar and stir
• Cover the container and leave in a cool dry place for 21 days
• Leave lightly covered for 21 days
• Pour out and sweeten the wine with the remaining 6 lbs of sugar.
• Strain using a cloth and make sure everything is sterilized in hot water before use.
• Pour out in sterilized bottles add raisins and leave for ten days. Adding the raisins and leaving for the ten day period helps make the wine clearer.
• After the ten day period strain the wine again.
• Bottle the wine and store in a cool dry place. Serve chilled or with ice

Recipe courtesy www.simplytrinicooking.com 

Tobago Blue Food 2015

Why go all the way to Bloody Bay on a Sunday afternoon, in the hot sun behind massive traffic blockades? Why to Blue Food 2015 of course! What other reason could there be other than the lure of delicious cuisine and the promise of a good lime before the hectic work week starts again!

Traditionally Blue Food is held every year by the THA to commemorate the iconic 'blue' dasheen which is special to this island. Normally when cooked, dasheen can range from a flat gun metal grey to a much rarer smoky grey-blue. This rarer form of the dasheen colouring is what essentially defines this festival and  makes it so special.

This year was very well attended, with hundreds flocking to the many white tents. Blue Food has 3 main purposes: 

1. Firstly to provide an opportunity for local cooks to show how creative and innovative they can be using dasheen.
2. Offer up a sales aspect to sell 'blue' food.
3. Bring people from in and around the island to a more remote part of Tobago with the lure of an awesome lime.

Of course you know i had to take this opportunity to find some good crab and dumpling to go along with that dasheen! I'm most definitely not the provision loving type, but everything tastes better with some crab sauce over it! Although I wouldn't knock the merits of a good stewed rabbit either! As you can tell, I had a full plate with macaroni pie, stewed rabbit, breadfruit pie and callalloo. Trust me when i say it's the atmosphere or the different location or maybe these chefs put more effort at these times because buying 'local' food on a regular weekend- the food just cannot compare.


Needless to say, I believe festivals like Blue Food and the upcoming World Food Day give us the opportunities to step outside our boring chicken and fish lives (Not that there's anything wrong with chicken and fish) and range a little further in our culinary aspirations.

This festival is a wonderful opportunity for our local talent to step outside their usual repertoire of pie and baked chicken, with the most adventurous option being pork. No offense to a good macaroni pie but this type of food shouldn't just be served in this particular forum alone. We should celebrate this 'blue food' every chance we get.

There are so many business and marketing opportunities to be had from local production. If the recipes for sweets are standardized by the THA and packaged as a local treat for international flights that would be amazing. Or even at the port for THA holiday or Blue Food weekend. The possibilities abound with dasheen. It's versatility for both savoury and sweet treats is not something that should only be delegated for one weekend a year.

A great reference book to look at is A Taste of Tobago Blue Food by author Yzanne Williams-Chance. this recipe book carries many iconic 'blue' dishes with easy to read steps and appetizing imagery. It can be found at Nigel Khan bookstores nationwide. It even carries alcoholic drink options as well as dessert- and of course who can resist ice cream in any form or fashion!




You can check out a little snippet of Blue Food here at Liz Williams FB Page:  https://www.facebook.com/liznwill/videos/10153137146766120/

You can look forward to more local flavours for this week as I head to World Food Day 2015!

Golden Bell Korean Restaurant

" Food without wine is a corpse; Wine without food is a ghost; United and well matched they are body and soul- living partners" Andre Simon (Author of A Flummery of Food)

I take this quote to heart because up until five weeks ago the concept of wine tasting anything but horrible was a foreign one. Don't get me wrong, I understand the theory of it all- the notes, mellow undertones and subtle flavours that come from a 'good' year. BUT. It just smells so wrong. Like Bleh. But i digress- Let me start at the beginning...

So my love affair of all things Korean started with Netflix. I strongly recommend that you watch Cunning Single Lady because I CRIED. I also fell in love with the concepts of kimchi and soju. I learned how to say 'kansamida' and 'kinchana?' Which mean thank you and are you okay respectively in Korean- not that i'm an expert or anything. But it got me all fired up wanting to step out of my comfort zone with food- and this is where I ended up on my first pit stop of my culinary education.

I actually ended up by this fantastic restaurant on a Wednesday afternoon about 5-6 weeks ago when I hopped on a plane after wrangling and begging the travel agent to do me a favour and put me on a flight to Trinidad so I could go to class. Long story short- I was late, Reached into PoS after 7pm and it just did not make sense to go to COSTAATT. So I called my bestie and was like "hey i'm ditching class until next week, wanna meet up?"

We decided to meet at movietowne in Invaders Bay to catch up and have drinks. But looking at the menu options it was fancy surf and turf, brazilian surf and turf, unappealing italian or fast food. And I was not about to spend $500 on rubbish. So entirely disheartened we made a call and Golden Bell was highly recommended.

Stepping into Golden Bell was weird. There was no one there but the host. ALL the tables were empty. And it was really quiet. Like creepy quiet- But hey I was already there. Looking at the menu was like reading gibberish- the words looked like they were supposed to make sense, but they kind of didn't. So when the host came to the table he was like are you ready to order? Huh? Where's the menu? Wow. Apparently the menu doubles as a placemat....


Yikes! Didn't see that coming.... Totally mortified I ordered the only two things I know about- Kimchi and soju. They didn't have soju, but the korean bbq came with a side dish of kimchi. Yay! At least I didn't have to die a social death by stereotyping korean food... Anyway the restaurant is Shabu Shabu which is a kind of dish where you steam your vegetables and meats in this really fragrant kind of fish sauce- that tastes way more appetizing than it sounds.

Totally unexpected to cook your own food, but it adds to the charm of the place- plus its fun trying not to overcook your squid while simultaneously keeping and eye on your beef rib eye before it burns. Since they didn't have any soju I asked what the other options were- Bobokbinju (yes, it's a mouthful) A mouthful of exquisite light and crisp raspberry wine from the Korean Gods!!! how do I describe it? The wine is a bit sweet, deep red and served chilled in these little unassuming cups. It just perfectly cuts through the slight fattiness of the beef, but works so well with the crispness of the lettuce wrap- Not to mention the added bonus of using it to wash down the remnants of my lettuce wrap after I almost choked trying to get it down in 'ONE BITE!" 

To me, a person who hates rice dishes and all things vegetable, eating steamed patchoi and plain rice has probably been the most appetizing thing since- forever. The total cohesion of food and wine is what has really inspired me to do the wine part of this blog especially. So yes, since then I have probably eaten at Golden Bell at least four times and while I love the seafood shabu and beef bbq, I actually have a date with some divine looking ginseng chicken- or maybe I'll be adventurous and try the duck!

Until Next Time You Guys!!!!
Ps. Look forward to some interesting posts from Blue Food Festival!

Welcome Post!

Hi everyone!

Welcome to my very first blog post.

Firstly, this blog is intended to fulfill a course requirement for my degree; so you guys can look forward to two posts each week until Christmas. If all goes smoothly, maybe even after that! 

Secondly, I was inspired by this name concept because of my overwhelming love of greek mythology. Bacchanalia typically represents the Greco-Roman festival of Bacchus who is the God of Wine, Freedom, Intoxication and Ecstasy. Historically speaking the festival of Bacchanalia has had some negative connotations, influenced by slightly disturbing cult tendencies. However, modern teachings describe it as uninhibited or drunken revelry.

Moving slightly aside from the traditional concept of Bacchanalia, I believe it entirely possible to become intoxicated with good wine and good food- hence the creation of this House of Bacchanalia...

So here's to hoping that you join me for the next few weeks as I explore the culinary and wine delights of both our Trinbagonian Isles!