To some, the thought of eating a squid conjures up images of chewing on a ball of squishy and fishy mucous. Actually its quite the opposite. When cooked properly, it can be one of the tastiest foods out there. With a little squeeze of fresh lemon and a dip in some homemade marinara, fried calamari is perhaps the #1 appetizer on my list. And if you're lucky enough to find a Japanese restuarant that serves calamari on the egg-spinning, shrimp-flipping, lil-volcano-turned-into-choo-choo-from-a-stack-of-fresh-onions circus stage that is the Hibachi bar, don't pass up the opportunity (wait, did I just write choo-choo? How old am I?)
But when its over cooked? Lets just say I'm not a fan of eating fried rubber bands. Office supplies do NOT make the tastiest treats (besides, my Liquid Paper casserole always comes out so bland!).
Perhaps the best calamari I ever had was at a friend's engagement party in Jersey. Since the whole state smells like seafood and grease anyways, I gave it a try and was not disappointed in the least. Of course this was made by an Italian family so I knew I was in for a treat before I even tried it. The sad result is now when I order fried calamari in an Italian restaurant, I gotta call it "Da Calamaaaaaad!" Then I continue to speak some of the complex Italian phrases I learned from Peter Griffin: "a boppity boopy!" (it means, 'thank you fine sir, are you a fan of The Godfather?')
So, I got a chance to try out a new restaurant this evening where I had noted the fried calamari on the appetizer list. It's now come to my attention where if I'm trying a new restaurant, I'm going to test them on the most difficult of foods. Tonight's calamari at Prime Steak House in Bethlehem? They passed with flying colors. Perhaps next time instead of prime rib for my main course (also mouth-watering), I'll just get 2 orders of the calamari. That is, if they stay consistent...
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