Category: italy

Above: Panelle with anchovies at Le Angeliche

(Part One can be viewed here.)

Odds are Le Angeliche is a restaurant you would never just happen upon, and, if you did perchance walk by its door, you’d still not take notice. Even trying to find it with google maps frustrated us a bit.

It’s located on a vicolo, an uninviting alleyway obscured by the crowded, sprawling El Capo Market. Produce sellers toss heaps of empty crates and boxes into the alley, and Le Angeliche’s door is just beyond that pile with hard-to-spot signage. Pass through the doors, and the hubbub of the market vanishes. The cozy bistro opens up onto a patio encased in lush greenery and a wall covered in blossoms.

This patio proved my favorite lunch spot in Palermo, as you can tell from the abundance of photos below. The menu reflects whatever’s fresh in the market, and we trusted the creative kitchen completely. Take what looks like a plain ball of rice below. The “naked rise” was studded with raw shrimp and topped with thin flakes of bottarga, a dried fish roe. Or panelle, chickpea flour fritters offered by street vendors, but thinner here and elevated by the addition of lemony anchovies.

Continue reading “Postcard from Palermo, Sicily: Hands down, the best food we’ve found” →