Shroomy Calamari at French Meadow Bakery & Cafe — Iszy's Review (Jun 14, 2023)

After a long walk to and from the Bakken Museum on the far side of Bde Maka Ska, I was ready to dig into some food. Unfortunately HiFlora wasn't open, so I had to return to a restaurant I've rarely been happy with. I did my best to set my bias from previous experiences aside.

I was happy to see some new things on the menu, including these oyster mushroom calamari! I've only had "calamari" one other time, and it was just a few weeks ago at Coletta in NYC. These were nice fried mushrooms, but I'm not sure that's I'd call them "calamari". They aren't even in the ring shape! They do have old bay seasoning, which I guess is like a traditional sea food seasoning. The chipotle dip was nice and added more flavor. I think what I preferred about Coletta was the lightness of an otherwise greasy fried dish. I liked that it was served with a lemon wedge and lemon parsley sauce. The chipotle cream sauce here just added to the heaviness. I'd still recommend this dish if you like fried mushrooms! It's also impressive that this is gluten free!

#sweetdreamsaremadeofgrease #mushroom #mushroomlover #calamari #veganseafood #deepfried #chipotle #glutenfree