Coffee and Pastries from Trinacria at Il Ristoro || The Coffee Shop Prompt: Week 65

marlyncabrera (70)in Cinnamon Cup Coffee • 13 days ago

Hi, foodies in the Hive!

Hope you're healthy and happy right now or that you'll be really soon 💕

I'm glad to share my post for prompt 65 with you. I'm telling you about a place that makes me crazy 😁

Savory, Sweet & Coffee

Although I spend most of my time in Cumaná, my hometown (4 or 5 days out of 7), I can say that I live between two cities, so naturally, some of the cafes I like the most are in that other city (Lechería). I loved this Italian café for its espresso and pastries; it also has a calm atmosphere and the colors of its design are invigorating. But the best thing about it is that it has an invisible umbilical cord to the restaurant across the street 😁 We can say that they're one and the same. The restaurant belongs to the mother of the owner of the café. So they are in symbiosis to please their customers 💕

When I visited this cafe for the first time a couple of months ago, it was late at night and they were almost closed; so we ordered savory pastries for dinner and were left wanting to try the coffee.

The café has been named after ancient Sicily: Trinacria

This emblem gives me the creeps. I think it would make a good tarot card 😂 I like to imagine it would mean something like “it's okay to ally and evolve, but don't expect not to be seen as weird, weird like you have three legs” 🤣 Forgive my foolish medieval humor for foreign matters, please.

This day we found this cute cat

She was so lovely and was being so cute that I thought she was hungry. We fed her before we learned she was being fed and well taken care of at the place--she ate the kibble anyway; like me, my sister always has some in her car just in case (and also water). I always like to listen to this kind of happy story. Stray animals deserve all our consideration and a helping hand.

Because of the late hour, the place was empty.

The good thing about the place being empty is that I could take my time to make some photos.

The pastries looked good and fresh.

I really wanted a piece of this; I could hardly hold myself 🙊 That lovely applesauce roll was going to spend the night cold and lonely. Not fair.

They had a good variety of pastries, the kind I like for my coffee 😋

This emblem was intriguing. I had to google it.

Probably the best coffee at a coffee shop, in my experience.

A couple of months after that, I was able to visit it earlier and verify what some friends had already told me: their food and pastries are good, and the coffee is perhaps the best I've tried in a coffee shop so far.

We recently had a Labor Day lunch; our bosses at the Unidad Médica Las Garzas (where I work every weekend) invited us to enjoy a delicious and pleasant afternoon. We sat at Il Ristoro, the restaurant across the street which owner is Trinacria's owner's mother, aka "La Nonna." We ordered our food at Il Ristoro, while dessert came from Trinacria. I found that fun and comfortable too, of course, as we didn't have to move from our seats.

As I told you, the coffee shop is across the street from the restaurant.

That day we had a caesar salad and lasagna prepared by La Nonna.

La Nonna is a good friend of my brother-in-law's family, who is one of my bosses. In the photo below you can see me with La Nonna, the blonde lady with the necklace of big pearl-like balls.

As it was one of our secretaries' birthday, part of the dessert was strawberry cake with which we sang happy birthday to her.

The cake also came directly from Trinacria and was super good. Best birthday cake from a coffee shop or bakery I've tried so far.

Soft, moist, and you could feel the different flavors. It definitely tasted homemade.

Around the Place...

We were seated in the first room of the restaurant.

When I got up from my chair to go to the bathroom, I could see the bar area, where there were more tables.

Past this area, there was a partial outdoor seating area; this is where Jorge, the most loving little monkey you will ever meet, lives.

Jorge (George, the Monkey)

Although I don't like to see caged animals, Jorge made my afternoon. His story is both sad and beautiful: he was rescued as a newborn. According to what the waiter who was feeding him told me, his mother was killed and Jorge was left in a very helpless and life-threatening situation. Now he lives here safely and happily; the cage is for his own protection, and he can go out as he pleases every day.

Jorge is friendly, nice and means pure love.

At first, I was a little reluctant because the last time I went near a monkey, she pulled my hair so hard that the pain lasted until the next day. But Jorge is different; he holds your hand, explores your surfaces, and if you're not paying attention, he may take your phone away, hehe. Monkeys will be monkeys, so be careful.

This area has a good eclectic vibe. I love the feeling of a black leather sofa next to a hut, like we can be together no matter what.

The place is also loaded with symbolism. Besides the Trinacria emblem, there's a little Virgin Mary statue. I think some of the pearls on her dress might be real (pearls from Margarita Island, I think).

Had it not been because of the hot weather, I would've liked to stay in this area and have a nice talk with Jorge; he must have some interesting stories to tell, as he has met so many people here 😄

I could find the restroom in this area. It was just as nice as the rest of the place and with the same eclectic feel.

Finally, Delicious Coffee ❤️

To close the afternoon, we had our coffee with cinnamon and sugar polvorones.

I had an espresso, as usual. The flavor was intense, but not aggressive at all. It was fruity and round on the palate, almost creamy, and very aromatic.

The polvorones were soft and crispy, with a light aroma of almonds, perfect for my coffee (or tea). But, oh, I'm coming back for that applesauce roll anytime soon! Remember?