Best Bites: Calamari at Amelia's, Forest Park

Amelia's in Forest Park has been open for less than one year. I'd read on Amelia's website that they serve a fried salami sandwich, and that was all it took to draw me in.

We hardly ever order calamari because it seems to taste pretty much the same everywhere. It's usually fine, the kids like it, but it seems a repetitive and not very interesting appetizer.

The calamari at Amelia's was probably the most satisfying I've had. It's listed on the menu as "Port Judith, R.I., Wild Calamari," which sounds very exotic, and so made me, for some reason, suspicious – but it was fantastic.

The calamari clusters were almost lobster-like in their white seafood density, not in the least bit rubbery (a common problem with squid), and lightly breaded. They were served with rings of pickled banana pepper, which picked upon the circular theme of the seafood and also added a pleasant piquant note.

I did get the fried salami sandwich, and the salami was fine but I was a little disappointed by the squishy white bun from Turano (a place that offers some decent breads; this wasn't one of them). The menu said "toasted baguette," but it was more like a mushy roll, the kind you'd expect from Subway. The sausage seemed a little thicker than I'd expected, making it hard to bite through, which resulted in me gnawing the sandwich until it submitted, awkward.

Amelia's is an interesting restaurant with ambitions. On the current menu they have duck pasta, grass-fed hangar steak and a few other items that bespeak a vision that goes beyond bar food.  They source bacon from Dreymiller and Cray, ground chuck from Ed's Way, fruits and vegetables from Nichol's.

And they have a fine selection of beers and bourbon.

Though it's located on a somewhat depressing stretch of Harrison, Amelia's is good bet for casual dining and the menu promises to get better over time. 

Amelia's

7330 Harrison Street

Forest Park

708,366.6633

www.ameliasrestaurantandbar.com