Takes on Tentacles

Pieces of Eight

by Gary M. Kramer

Mustapha Rouissiya's BYOB boasts the taste of Morocco with its harissa-marinated octopus and squid appetizer. The never chewy, always succulent tentacles and rings are perched atop two triangles of polenta. Roasted tomato, onion slices and fennel slivers add to — and soak up — the distinctive flavor.

Ansill's slow-cooked squid en su tinto — in its ink — is a tasty plate of tubes and tentacles, served with two crusty pieces of bread plus lobster roe and garlic herb butters. If the pungency of the ink is a bit of an acquired taste, this divine dish is a great way to acquire it.

DiBruno's seafood salad consists of 3- and 4-inch-long squid rings, octo tentacles the size of your fingers and whole baby octopuses. Marinated in olive oil and served cold, this simple, delicious treat also features mussels mixed in with the cephalopods.

The cooked octopus carpaccio at this reborn BYO is a plate of thin-sliced tentacles served cold and dressed with orange and lemon juices. Topped with watercress greens sprinkled with olive oil, it's a refreshing appetizer that you'll have no trouble gobbling up. For the real squid lover, APM serves calamari two ways — grilled and baked in a red sauce.

Xochitl's squid hot pot entrée offers dozens of piquant rings and limbs in a large bowl. Guajillo chili — a staple of Mexican cooking that boasts a leathery texture and rich flavor — gives the dish its spicy, smoky, tangy character.