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In 1991 Billy and Akaisha Kaderli retired at the age of 38. Now, into their 4th decade of this financially independent lifestyle, they invite you to take advantage of their wisdom and experience.

Trattoria del Cavaliere

Catania, Sicily

Billy and Akaisha Kaderli

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Being FOODIES, Billy and I seek out local food preparations, restaurants, and widely varied markets all over the world.

Trattoria del Cavaliere was a restaurant we tried to enter on our first visit to Sicily, but the waiting line was out the door and down the street. 

This day we arrived at the opening, and were able to get in right away.

We understood immediately why this restaurant was so popular.

fresh fish on display at entrance of Trattoria del Cavaliere, Catania, Sicily

Fresh fish on display at the entrance of the restaurant.

Not far from the piazza at the University of Catania, we walked in off the street.

On the first level of the restaurant was the bar and the kitchen, with lunch prep already revving up for the crowd to come in.

Fish were on display in the case over ice, purchased from Catania's Fish Market that morning.  

The hustle and bustle were beginning and we were escorted up the stairs to our seats.

Elderly woman and Black waiter at Trattoria del Cavaliere, Catania, Sicily

Akaisha and Mossah

 Our waiter, Mossah, was from Senegal and spoke French, Italian and English.

He asked us which language in which we preferred to engage, and since we had the choice, we chose English.

This young man was 28 years old and self-possessed.

We told him we were in France in 1979 and he could barely take it in. We are more than twice his age!

Young people like Mossah give me confidence for the future of the world.

He is smart, friendly, authentic, and skilled.

 

 

 

 

Antipasto menu at Trattoria del Cavaliere, Catania, Sicily

Antipasto menu

The word "antipasto" in Italian literally means "before the meal."

Restaurants can offer all sorts of flavors and textures customized to the clientele in their location. And for the patrons, it's an easy way to sample the variety a restaurant might offer.

Some of the listings above are mussels in pepper, boiled or in soup, mixed seafood, mixed fried fish, sautéed clams, shrimp in a pot, or octopus salad.

The pricing of the above menu is in Euros.

Primi Platti menu at Trattoria del Cavaliere, Catania, Sicily

Menu of First and Second Courses

Italian menus have items listed as First or Second Courses.

The First Course in an Italian meal is typically a pasta dish or a risotto. The Second Course is usually a meat or fish dish.

The above menu offers sea urchin, spaghetti in cuttlefish ink, clams in white sauce, swordfish and butterflied salmon.

Secondi Platti menu at Trattoria del Cavaliere, Catania, Sicily

Second Course menu

This Second Course menu offers some interesting choices.

There's fresh calamari, grilled cuttlefish, boiled baby octopus, a slice of grilled horsemeat, veal rump, horsemeat meatballs and skewers of chicken and pepperoni.

As I've mentioned before, horsemeat is a delicacy and tradition in much of Europe. 

Elderli couple toasting wine glasses at Trattoria del Cavaliere, Catania, Sicily

Billy and Akaisha at the dining table

We are seated on the second floor, there's a wait station behind us, and we have a wide view of the dining room from here.

Behind Billy is a window that looks out to the tropical vegetation and blue sky.

Linguine "Dello Chef" at Trattoria del Cavaliere, Catania, Sicily

Linguine "Dello Chef"

This is a photo of Billy's Linguine "Dello Chef" which is a mixed seafood dish with a red sauce, vegetables and nuts.

The customers at the table next to ours were so fascinated with Billy's dish, that 3 out of 5 people ordered the same thing!

Everyone was raving about how delicious this pasta was.

Linguine "Verde Mare" at Trattoria del Cavaliere, Catania, Sicily

Linguine "Verde Mare"

I was in the mood for a pesto cream and seafood linguine, so I ordered the "Verde Mare."

It also had some eggplant, which I love.

Eggplant dishes are big in southern Italy, and you'll find them in a variety of ways at salumerias and on restaurant menus.

The dining room at lunch at Trattoria del Cavaliere, Catania, Sicily

Second floor dining room

This is the view of the dining room from our table.

 

 

 

 

The soft arches in coffee/taupe coloring with stone inlay against the ivory walls gave a sophisticated look to this incredibly popular restaurant.

Business people, families, and young couples all come here for a delicious meal at affordable pricing.

Almond cake at Trattoria del Cavaliere, Catania, Sicily

Almond cake

At dessert time Mossa recommended an almond ricotta cake that was superb.

It didn't sound exciting at the time, and we suggested alternatives, but he was insistent.

"This dessert is for you."

So we ordered it, and were very impressed!

Chocolate drizzle and sliced almonds add contrast.

The bill for 2 people at Trattoria del Cavaliere, Catania, Sicily

Our bill for 2

As you see here on our bill, the coperto charge is a reasonable $1Euro per person.

Our main courses were $12Euros each, the ricotta torte was a fair price at $3.50 Euros, and our carafe of white wine - unbelievably - was only $4Euros.

We have had other meals and paid twice as much. All of our meals were memorable, but the one at Trattoria del Cavaliere checked every box.

Good service, good atmosphere, excellent food and appealing prices.

Chefs cooking at Trattoria del Cavaliere, Catania, Sicily

Chefs are busy in the kitchen

While we were the first to arrive and were the only ones in the dining room at the beginning of service, by the time we finished our meal the place was packed.

As we came down the stairs and back past the open kitchen, the chefs were busy grilling and plating for the clientele in the dining room.

Here you see the meats all displayed and the fresh seafood in iced cases.

bartender giving the thumbs up at Trattoria del Cavaliere, Catania, Sicily

The happy bartender/barista

During a busy service, busy bartenders and baristas are pleased.

Delighted patrons, waiters buzzing around, the house is making money and the bartenders give thumbs up.

Satisfaction.

Would we recommend Trattoria del Cavaliere?

Absolutely!

__________

Trattoria del Cavaliere

Address: Via Paternò, 11,

95131 Catania, Italy

Phone: +39 095 310491

Website: https://consolepsp.com/trattoria-del-cavaliere

https://mycontactlessmenu.mycia.it/r/q/wjobpp4xa 

Open daily, lunch and dinner

For more stories, photos and videos of Italy, click here for Sicily, click here

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About the Authors

 
Billy and Akaisha Kaderli are recognized retirement experts and internationally published authors on topics of finance, medical tourism and world travel. With the wealth of information they share on their award winning website RetireEarlyLifestyle.com, they have been helping people achieve their own retirement dreams since 1991. They wrote the popular books, The Adventurer’s Guide to Early Retirement and Your Retirement Dream IS Possible available on their website bookstore or on Amazon.com.

 

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