7 Dishes to Eat on Black Friday
You can tell we’ve entered the holiday season when the color of the day is black. To get in the mood for the shopping extravaganza (or refuel if you are among those who queued up at the crack of dawn), why not dine today where the plate is painted black?
At restaurants around the city, squid ink transforms starters, mains and even desserts into dramatic pieces of edible art. Here are seven dishes where squid ink is the secret to show-stopping texture, color and flavor that’ll wow you more than a doorbuster.
Squid ink and pasta are a classic combination. When you feel like twirling a fork around some bold, black pasta noodles, hit up No. 246 in
Decatur for its squid ink spaghetti and shrimp fra diavolo, or head to KR Steakbar to fill up on tagliatelle nero with crab that gives a slight kick from chile. Saltyard's black linguine dish studded with clams, Georgia shrimp and squid is a signature item while at Floataway Café, the squid ink macheroni is the staple. The house-made pasta changes – rigatoni, spaghetti, macaroni – and exec chef Todd Immel may even cut it into ring shapes so it resembles squid – but one constant: It will always be studded with shrimp, octopus and squid.
Yet squid ink isn't solely for pasta. There's the spicy fried "black rice" starter at King & Duke that also offers squid, pine nuts and Romesco sauce. And at recently opened coastal Italian concept Il Giallo Osteria in Sandy Springs, you can find risotto "nero" braised calamari in ink.
Dessert? Try the cream cheese panna cotta with huckleberries and squid ink cookie crumbs at BoccaLupo.
About the Author
Ligaya Figueras is the AJC's senior editor for Food & Dining. Prior to joining the AJC in 2015, she was the executive editor for St. Louis-based culinary magazine Sauce. She has worked in the publishing industry since 1999 and holds degrees from St. Louis University and the University of Michigan.
