Before even entering the Ristorante Accursio, I had a sense of the old and traditional delicately juxtaposed with modern and chic. I sat on the terrace but glimpsed the easy elegance of the main dining room where details of the old palazzo have been preserved.
The chef, Accursio Craparo, was born in Sciaca (western Sicily) but has made his name in Modica on the eastern side of the island. (He earned a Michelin star at the La Gazza Ladra restaurant in Modica when he was the chef there.) He and his wife, Oriana Aprile opened Accursio this year.
Accursio offers local Sicilian dishes prepared with international flair organized in fixed price menus (“From the Hills”, “From the Sea” and “Classic”) as well as à la carte. As I contemplated the choices, this lovely basket of different types of local bread arrived with olive oil.
I chose from the “Classic Menu” (four courses for 40 euro): first, a fava bean soup with octopus, next local pasta called busiate with fresh tomatoes, garlic, almonds and basil, then, local fresh fish, Lampuga on the grill and finally, cannolo di ricotta with ice cream, figs and a sauce made from Marco De Bartoli Vecchio Samperi. I think I was too carried away with dinner to take good photos. The only one that came out was this one of the decadently delicious dessert.
The wine list is more than twenty pages long with an emphasis on Sicilian producers but including wines from all over Italy as well as some from France, Germany and Austria. Since I was driving an hour back to where I was staying, it wasn’t a night for tasting. Next time, I’ll stay walking distance in Modica!
Ristorante Accursio
Via Garibaldi, 39
Modica
+39.0932.941689
Open for lunch 12:45-14:30 and dinner 19:45-22:30
Closed Monday and for dinner on Sunday
