Oh Yes I Squid

Since Ryan has been back, we have both been busy with work and school things, so on Wednesday night, we decided to take a break and go out to dinner.  We went to Buzios, our favorite Italian place.  The food is always good, as is the service and view.

Olives to start, naturally!

We even did a bottle of wine.  Around here it is not sold by the glass, but the bottle often costs as much or less than one glass would cost in the US.

Can't forget the garlic bread, right?  It is an Italian restaurant.

Ryan and I always like to split the Greek salad.

Ryan ordered the chicken penne vodka, which is one of his favorites when it comes to pasta dishes.

And I had...wait for it...the squid!

Oh yes I squid!

This is something extremely unusually for me given that I became a vegetarian at an early age because of the inability to actually eat meat.  I could not handle the consistency.  I only reintroduced fish and seafood back into my diet while working on my nutrition degree, and it was slow going with that.  I would say it's really only been a few years since I have been able to consistently eat fish and enjoy it.  When it comes to funky seafoods, I have gotten braver on the island because if there is any time to try it, it would be here in the Azores.  They do an amazing job with seafood.  I am convinced that some places in the US just do not know how to cook things the right way.

With that being said, one thing that is very popular here is squid and octopus.  I have tasted someone's octopus, and I was surprised that I liked.  On Wednesday, I was even more surprised when the squid with garlic and green olives (which I swear were really capers) in a spicy tomato sauce was a dish that actually looked good to me.  Was I really going to order squid for myself?

I have had fried calamari before, and I know I like that, and at times if the breading came off, I could eat the actual calamari, but it was very different in my mind to order an entire plate of it.

After talking it over with our server, she said I could get just rings, and she would have them leave out any tentacles or other parts.  I am glad we had that talk, because here is what I was served, and it was absolutely wonderful.

Here is just the squid rings.  There was an amazing flavor from the spicy sauce, and the calamari was easier to chew than I ever would have expected.  If you want seafood done right, go to a small island.

I looked up the nutrition information for squid here and nothing really surprised me.  I already expected it to be high in cholesterol, just like shrimp, but there is less effect when not coupled with saturated fat, and it seems squid, as I would have thought, is higher in monounsaturated fats than saturated fats.  I am pleased to say, I would order this again.  Did I just say that?  Oh yes I squid!!!

After dinner, we enjoyed a cup of coffee, before walking around outside.

Even at almost 8 pm, the sun was shining and people were still swimming in the swimming hole in front of this restaurant.  I like how next to the enclosed swimming hole (not pictured), there is a sliding board and floating dock out in the more open part of the ocean.  Hard to believe, but this is ocean.  It looks a little like a lake because it is so calm.

We hung out for a few minutes and took a look at the beautiful views.

You can almost see the outline of the swimming hole here.  It is really a nice place to come and swim.

QUESTIONS:  Have you ever eaten squid?  What is your favorite seafood dish?