Best of St. Louis 2006
Food & Drink
Best Calamari
Cardwell's at the Plaza
"Flash fried calamari, spicy chili-lime mayonnaise." Oh, modesty, thy name is Cardwell's menu. In a world where bastardized bar-food cuisine has dragged squid rings down to the pitiful ranks of potato skins and jalapeo poppers, Cardwell's offers a beacon of hope and taste. That's in keeping with the whole of Cardwell's less-is-more food philosophy; it's about finding great ingredients and then pretty much getting out of their way. A gentle nudge here and there—that suavely calibrated chili-lime mayo—is all that's needed. And come to think of it, a big bowl of Cardwell's calamari is exactly what we need right about now.
