Royal Reef

After my nap and a bit of freshening up, I decided to head to the seafood restaurant Lorenzo recommended. The website said it opened at 7pm, so l left here a little after 6:30pm.

It's Saturday night, and I hit prime passaggiata time. The main drag was packed! I walked too far and missed my turn for the restaurant. Backtracking a bit, I made my way down to the waterfront and found the restaurant.

There was a guy sitting out front, and he told me the place didn't open until 7:30pm. But I could have a table then. So I walked along the waterfront and found a park with tons of kids and families. I sat on a bench and admired the view of Sicily in the not-so distance.

At 7:30 "in punto" I was at the restaurant. I got my usual "table for one" special table, right next to the front door and kitchen entrance. C'est la vie! (In Italian, it's, "questo è la vita"...) The waiter was a combination of smarmy and condescending. Especially when I asked for the menu in Italian. But everything else was terrific. I was served a glass of prosecco and a small croquet. I ordered a ton of food since everything looked so good! I started with an octopus salad, then a dish of risotto with shrimp and bergamot. Il secondo was swordfish involtini--swordfish rolled around something delicious, rice? I had a local digestivo, which was great.

The walk home was nice. Along the waterfront and the main drag, it was teenager time. All out and about. The main fashion for the girls is a mini shirt that ends at one's butt cheeks and black boots...

Time for bed!Read more