Add this not-so-known Sicilian trattoria to your Italian vacation itinerary.
A friend’s upcoming trip to Sicily has me foraging through my Google Maps to compile a list of spots to dine at. There, off of the tip of the Italian boot, where the best meals are often casual and homemade, my answer to that question is usually, “the one that’s nearby and looks pretty good and will take you”—though there’s one restaurant to which I suggested a pilgrimage. In the tiny seaside town of Brucoli, where one would also encounter the consistently packed or closed Il Chiosco Di Savaglia, there is the slightly-less-difficult-to-get-into Trattoria I Rizzari, with a charming wraparound deck overlooking the ocean, and a large dog that clambers around like he’s in charge. (He might be.) To start, order the rosy gambero marinato, which comes to the table spooning one another in a shallow puddle of oil. If there are fresher prawns out there, I haven’t met them. Then, get the spaghetti ai ricci, a.k.a. a tangle of noodles in a sauce of creamy, briny sea urchin. Or if it’s more your speed, try the one with bits of plump shrimp and tomato and zucchini.
Trattoria I Rizzari, Via Libertà, 63, 96011 Brucoli SR, Italy.