ph: 503-680-2866
mike
This page has little (or nothing) to do with Jerry Jeff Walker.
Although to be fair we have no idea what Jerry Jeff thinks of calamari.
Nor do we (actually) care.
This page has little (or nothing) to do with the musical goals of this website.
But we do wonder...
Is calamari a fitting accompaniment to the music of the Texas Hill Country.
Will calamari ever (truly) replace barbecue (or catfish).
Will the Salt Lick add calamari to it's menu?
What about Kruetz's market?
How do you dry-rub calamari?
The Before-time
In the before-time there was squid.
Squid came to your table deep fried.
Our ancestors knew not of aoili.
Squid was not an appetizer in the before-time. There were actually few appetizers in the before-time as dinners focused on volume. Shrimp cocktail was considered a 'pinkies up' addition to a meal.
Our ancestors took us to the home of the deep-fried squid - The Ship Inn (Astoria, OR) where even today you can indulge in the before-time custom of a heaping platter of deep fried squid. While it was not spoken of aloud, there may have also been an age-related discount involved in the whole process.
The New Age
While there (undoubtedly) been occasional forays into epicurean delights, the new age of calamari really began circa May 2006 in Spokane, WA. While celebrating Lynda's graduation (Gonzaga's master's program) by browsing our way through the wine list and appetizers at Klinkerdagger, Bickerstaff and Pett's we began the quest for the perfect calamari. It's the perfect blend of taste and texture known as the International Calamari Breading Measurement. While we have resisted the use of the acromym on this website (to avoid the inevitable government intrusion that may have resuted from the impact of 'the google') here is the scale.
The International Calamari Breading Measurement Scale
Tenderness
1 - inner tube-ish
10 - melt in your mouth
Breading/preparation
1 - thick, grease-laden batter
10 - light dusting, limited grease
Flavor
1 - bland (or overpowering)
10 - tasty on its own
Sauces
1 - adds nothing (see marinara)
10 - complements flavors
08/31/12 - Portland Prime - Overall - 9
Calamari 'fries' cut from a large steak.
Buttermilk batter, five spice, fresno chilies
Tenderness - 10
Breading/preparation - 8
Taste - 9
Sauces - 9 Two sauces - chipotle mayo (too spicy), pepper aoli
09/07/12 - The Cove@Night - Overall - 8
@The Peninsula Golf Course, Long Beach, WA
Rings and tentacles, fairly light breading
Tenderness - 9
Breading/preparation - 7
Taste - 8
Sauce - 8 - chipotle aoli
Stanford's
Oswego Grill
Manzana
Harborside
Baked Alaska
The Ship Inn
The Bridgewater Bistro
PF Chang's
Macaroni Grill
ph: 503-680-2866
mike