Firecracker Calamari at An American Grill

A Dish Worth Driving For

What: The “Firecracker” Calamari
Where: An American Grill, 246 Rt. 10, Randolph NJ (973)442-9311.
Website:

I think it was Milton Berle who said “I know I good joke when I steal one”. Same applies to restaurant dishes. The firecracker calamari at An American Grill in Randolph might well remind you of the Santa Fe calamari at Tim Schaeffer’s in Morristown. It should, AAG owner Lou Reda will admit, when he’s in the mood, to having lifted this dish from “the Beer Chef”. Reda will insist that he played around with the dish and improved on it and maybe he’s right. I haven’t been to Tim Schaeffer’s in a long time but I do remember having this dish there and liking it.

Now I go to AAG at least twice a month to eat calamari, talk with Lou Reda and whomever else might be in the bar and drink some Mark West Pinto Noir by the glass or some Hacker Pshcorr Weiss Beer. You can only taste four things: sweet, sour, salty and spicy and this dish hits them all. I love the saltiness of the kalamata olives and the capers, the sweet and sour notes of the balsamic vinegar, the sweetness that comes from the tomatoes, and the heat from whatever kind of peppers they’re using, the crunch of the perfectly cooked calamari. The secret of this dishes’ success is time. That’s what Lou’s told me. You can’t move the calamari around in the pan too much or it won’t get crunchy enough. Whoever they’ve got working in the kitchen has learned this lesson. I can’t think of any time I’ve ordered this and been unsatisfied.

So go and go soon. I don’t make recommendations lightly. This is the kind of dish worth driving an hour for. There’s lots of other good food at An American Grill, a lamb sandwich lunch special comes to mind, but I really haven’t ordered anything but this calamari in months. Go there and find out why.