We were staying on Ortigia Island in an apartment in May 2010. The owner of the apartment highly recommended Pub Red Moon. It is a little hard to find even though it is in plain sight. Although it was a Friday night the place was empty when we arrived at 8PM. We were politely seated by a waiter and the waitstaff was bustling around everywhere, but with no patrons yet in sight. We were in the tented summer garden between the kitchens and the port. There were tables inside, but I couldn't see if they were occupied. We looked at the menu and asked the waiter about specials. My companion was Roman so his Italian was perfect, but his understanding of Sicilian cuisine was not. We mostly put it in the hands of the waiter for a bottle of wine, an antipasto, a pasta with squid in ink and a dish of a whole lobster-like crustacean that my companion said translated to "sea rat" or sea whore". We were served with mineral water, and, I think, eventually, two bottles of wine. I say I think, because the conto was presented as "prezzo fisso" EUR50/ each. It seemed a great bargain. Each course was delicious, we got extra olives with the antipasto because they were so good.
And while all of this was going on the dining area began to show up. First a table of four. Then a table of six and as it began to fill our landlord arrived with a party of seven. Clearly we were unfashionably early at 8PM. By the time we finished at about 11:30 the place was full. A bit of dessert and we were very satisfied. The landlord was right. DRH Boston read more