OK, so maybe we hit a off night, but Ristorante Le Vele was pretty bad. We are not wine experts, so we just ordered a glass of the house white. It was literally so bad that we sent it back. I have never done that. They were gracious about it and replaced it with something a little better. My pasta with zucchini and clams was bland — it lacked enough of either ingredient to be tasty, or even recognizable. I bet I could make a better version at home. My husband tried the €22 red prawns from Mazara del Vallo. They were small and badly overcooked or reheated, hard to tell. We skipped dessert. The dining room was nearly empty. That should have given us a clue. €60.
Last night was Antichi Sapori. When RS referred to lots of local customers with tourists scattered in, he hit the nail on the head. The tourists dined quietly. The Italian tables featured small children and adults chatting/conversing from either end of a table for 14 to the rest being their usually animated selves. We were turned away from the allegedly quieter interior and diverted to a 40 table outdoor space enclosed with heavy plastic curtains and a raised plywood floor that was springy enough to tilt my chair slightly as the waiters rushed by. I’m not saying the noise level was uncomfortable, unusual or bad (for me), but it was uncomfortable enough that my husband had to remove his hearing aids to keep his head from splitting, meaning that he lip read my conversation. Good thing he can. Setting all of that aside, our appetizer platter of “typical Sicilian sausage, cheese and grilled vegetables” was very good. His main of pasta with seafood was generous and well-prepared. My pasta alla Trapanese was also very good. While we didn’t order it, quite a few very large plates of Couscous Trapanese flew by and it looked delicious. We both enjoyed the house white. But, the noise forced us to abandon dessert and flee. On our way out, we passed at least a dozen people waiting for a table, so I’d recommend a reservation. The place was completely packed when we arrived at 7:30. The take home here is if you enjoy participating in the local scene (including hearing every word of various interesting conversations, like it or not), and like homey Italian food, you’ll fit right in. €50.
Maree, also in our neighborhood, was exactly as advertised. The seafood was lightly coated in semolina and lightly fried until crispy as promised. Prices were reasonable — €10-12 with one exception and portions were large. There are a couple of interior tables, but the majority are outside. No side dishes are offered, but bread was available if you asked. The cover charge €2 euros each, but we differed on whether that covered the paper cones in which the entrees were served or the napkins. Might have been the forks. We ate there twice though, so that’s a good indication of the quality of the food.
Having a hunger emergency, we were forced to stop at a tourist restaurant (menus in English and French) on Corso Vittorio Emanuele and were most pleasantly surprised. Like most restaurants in Trapani, the Classique is heavily geared to fish and shellfish, but both of our pasta with seafood dishes were quite good and we both liked the house white. €35.
Bring a healthy appetite to Pizzeria Calvino. We ordered 2 small pizzas and took home one of them. There probably 30 choices and each looked like it would not disappoint. The anchovy was generous in its toppings, and same with the sausage and peppers. The service was good and the atmosphere convivial. €30.
As you can see, fish and seafood figure prominently on the menus here. Helps a lot if you like it.