I'm a recent convert to fried calamari. Though some may quibble over the atmosphere, I do enjoy Bob Chinn's calamari.

Bob Chinn's Crabhouse
393 South Milwaukee Avenue
Wheeling, IL 60090-5081
(847) 520-3633

If there's a place where you like the salt and pepper shrimp, see if you like their salt and pepper squid. It's not like the italian style, but it is often very good.

nsxtasy wrote:If you enjoy spicy versions of fried calamari, you'll love these:

Kung Pao Fried Calamari
Mitchell's Fish Market
2601 Navy Boulevard
Glenview, IL 60026
(847) 729-3663

Sweet Chili Calamari
Coopers Hawk Winery and Restaurant
4 locations - Orland Park, Burr Ridge, Wheeling, South Barrington

I ate at Coopers Hawk again tonight and had the calamari again. It was not as good as in my previous visit and I would not recommend it.

On the high end, I love Capital Grille. On the more moderate end I think Maggiano's does a really good job with calamari. I'm a tentacle girl myself, and they seem to have alot.

basis wrote:

earthlydesire wrote:My favorite calamari in town is at The Capital Grille. They do a panfried version that's nice and crisp but also mixed with chili peppers and other spicy things.

+1

+ another 1. I just caught up with this thread and was about to praise the Capital Grille's version when I saw that earthlydesire had done it for the reasons I was going to cite.

One thing that recommends the Capital Grille's version is that it's not just "better than" other versions (e.g., if they were shooting for the same Platonic Ideal of fried calamari that everyone else is, and were just better at coming closer to it), it's different than other versions, with the spices and the peppers and all. In my experience their version is unique.

Like many I have been eating fried calamari for many years. To me the "Fried" Calamari at Via Mare fish market is some of the best Ive had. As an added bonus they also have excellent Grilled Octopus and cold seafood salad.

Via Mare
7601 W Addison St.
Chicago
773 625-3205

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