People who think they don't like squid have never eaten it properly cooked. As the late Jeff Smith (the controversial Frugal Gourmet) used to say, most seafoods shouldn't be cooked but simply “threatened with heat”. A light touch makes calamari divine instead of rubbery, as executive chef Josh Wolfe at Coast Restaurant (1054 Alberni Street) proves. He marinates local Humboldt squid in buttermilk, garlic, and a touch of chili, then flours and briefly deep-fries it. Each morsel of the appetizer ($12) is crisply coated yet as tender as a mushroom cap, ready for dunking in creamy smoked-garlic aioli. This is what calamari should be.