Calamari's, Torrance, CA

Calamari's
1000 Torrance Blvd, Unit A, Redondo Beach, CA 90277
310-792-0077
Southeast corner of Torrance and Prospect. In a strip mall with free parking.
Casual. Large dining room.

Visited: A few times, Dinner, Dine-In
Most recently: June 2010

This is the former location of The Appetizer which now has a new owner, but retains much of the same menu. We went on a Friday night for dinner, and were surprised how empty the restaurant remained. There was a steady stream of business, but the restaurant was by no means full. We wondered if this may be have been an effect due to the confusion from the closure of The Appetizer.

Anyhow, we enjoyed our dinner, and here's what we had.

We started off with Garlic Bread which was brought to the table (versus ordering it from the appetizer menu). It's pizza dough or thin foccaccia based, and very light on the garlic seasoning. Wasn't too inspiring.

We also had an order of Fried Mozzarella ($5.95). The coating was crisp and seasoned, and happily, the cheese was piping hot. They came with a dish of marinara which was tasty, and enough to dip the garlic bread in, too.

Since the place is called Calamari's, we decided to try the Fried Calamari ($6.95). The calamari was a golden brown breading with some herbs sprinkled in, and served with a dish of marinara. The serving was generous, but overall it was rather plain.

The Antipasto Salad ($6.95) was very generous. It has a base of romaine and iceberg, topped with sliced rolls of salami, ham and provolone, plus marinated mushrooms and marinated artichoke hearts. The pieces are rather large which makes this a knife and fork salad. Everything is very tasty, and definitely large enough for an entree salad. It's lightly dressed in an Italian dressing - you may want to ask for more on the side.

The Calzone with Pepperoni and Ham ($11.45) was well done. The crust was crisp and cooked well, without being mushy or doughy. There was plenty of pepperoni, mozzarella and sauce to fill the calzone from end to end (none of those doughy corners) plus it comes with extra tasty marinara on the side. We tried ordering this on a second visit, only this time adding ricotta, and were saddened to find out that they were out of ricotta (seems odd, no?)

They feature Brick Oven Pizzas, and so we decided to try an XL (16 in.) Pizza with Pepperoni and Sausage ($18.00). The sauasage were nice slices of sausage instead of chunks (which can sometimes be hard), and there was plenty of both meats. There was also plenty of sauce which had a nice spice to it.

We ordered the Seafood Fettuccini ($14.95). This comes with choice of marinara or white wine sauce, but I asked for Alfredo sauce instead, and they were happy to comply. This dish was great with a mix of nicely cooked baby calamari, scallops, shrimp, and white fish. The pasta also comes with garlic bread and soup or salad, and we chose the Lentil Soup. The lentils were tender and had a nice mild middle eastern spice to it.

We also tried the Cannelloni ($9.95) with meat sauce (choice of having marinara or meat) which also came with garlic bread and soup or salad. This time we got the Chicken and Rice Soup, and it was very tasty. The broth was rich, and the soup was full of chicken, rice and veggies. Now, my favorite cannelloni is/was the version at the now long departed Rossini's on PCH in Torrance (now home to the expanded Volvo dealership), and unfortunately all future canenelloni is compared to theirs. This one doesn't compare. It's a very nice sized serving of three rolls of pasta sheets filled with what seemed like sausage lumps in a gravy. I was hoping for a soft smooth filling, not the firm lumps of meat. Overall, it was tasty, but not my favorite.

We will definitely be back to try more things including the sandwiches.