DANJI

Place: DANJI @ 346 W 52nd St IN NYC


Price: $8

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 *****
Crispy-ness: 4 out of 5
Chewy-ness: 4 out of 5
Grease Factor: 4 out of 5
Tentacles: YES
Dipping Sauce: WASABI MAYO


Notes: Stopped here on a whim after seeing the "Sister Act" musical.. besides having who I assume is the owner give me a smart ass comment, we sat down at the bar to drink expensive glasses of wine and ordered the Fried Calamari as soon as I saw it on the menu... It came out fairly quickly since there were few people there and they were at last call @ 11pm on a Tuesday night.. It was fried tempura style, light outer shell and easy to bite into.. the salt & pepper seasoning on it sealed the deal since it reminded me of my childhood days of having salt & pepper pork and squid... the wasabi mayo wasn't overpowering at all, it had the right amount of kick without clearing my sinuses though I would've preferred something on the lighter side since the fried calamari can be a lot if you dont have anything on the side to lighten it up with... side of frisee salad was useless, a few leaves... the calamari here is actually quite good... if the owner wasn't such a dick, I would probably return frequently...instead I'll take my business to the amazing friendly spot next door @ Bamboo 52!

SUSHI VILLAGE

Place: SUSHI VILLAGE @ 3250 Francis Lewis Blvd in Bayside, NY

Price: INCLUDED IN ALL YOU CAN EAT SUSHI SPECIAL $25+

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 *****
Crispy-ness: 4 out of 5
Chewy-ness: 3.5 out of 5 - good bite
Grease Factor: 4.5 out of 5
Tentacles: NO
Dipping Sauce: MANGO


Notes: Part of the appetizer menu at this all you can eat sushi place located in the depths of Flushing, NY. As you can see, they only give you 4 rings in an effort to make sure you do not waste any bit of your food. Service was speedy and these came out piping how in 5 minutes! These had quite an interesting texture, probably a mix of panko and regular bread crumbs... the mango sauce threw me for a loop though... these were so greasy and the thick mango sauce didn't help the effort, a nicer light marinara would've helped soak up the grease but alas, we are at a Asian establishment and a tomato sauce would be sacrilegious... Rings were bigger (just the way I like them), no tentacles, just simple straight forward, just another set of calamari tasted on this never ending road to find great fried squid

CAFE CHARBON

Place: CAFE CHARBON @ 170 Orchard St, NYC

Price: $10

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 *****
Crispy-ness: 4 out of 5
Chewy-ness: 4 out of 5 - like the bite
Grease Factor: 4 out of 5
Tentacles: YES
Dipping Sauce: Tartar Sauce


Notes: Cafe Charbon is a little French Bistro located in the LES thats perfect for a date or a little late night dinner. The calamari was pretty good, although a little heavy on the greasy side. Even the tentacles very tender, not usually the hard bite I'm used to. I appreciate the side of dressed frisse greens as a garnish and palette cleanser. Very crispy and almost a little charred but the squid itself had such a good bite it was a nice balance. The first time I had fried calamari with Tartar Sauce, think fried clam strips from White Castle, this would be the upscale sister version of that. Nice lemon to drench over it to absorb the grease, great portion for those hungry singles or to be shared with a fellow calamari lover!

Tip: Cafe Charbon is listed on restaurant.com where you can pay less and dine more!