Ferry Street Barbecue

I almost didn't write about this place because, as I was taking the above picture, an irritating twat behind the counter said petulantly, "No photos allowed."

Surmising that the impromptu policy was not so much about culinary secrets as it was about the immigration status of most of the employees, I asked:

"Not even just the food?"

"No."

If the dictum "request" had been delivered with even the least iota of courtesy, I would have considered complying. But screw it. Businesses should really try to keep the cunts away from the public.

Sullen twats notwithstanding, Ferry Street Barbecue hawks some mighty tasty grilled chickens. Nicely seasoned, with the right amount of char, and (usually) juicy, a whole bird will set you back 11 bucks - 12 if you want rice or french fries with it.

As is probably obvious from the photo, this place is a barbecue in the sense of "meat grilled over charcoal", not "smokehouse barbecue". It's a very informal place - a counter and 6 or 7 tables - and almost everyone is there for the chicken, but they also do pork ribs, beef ribs, shrimp, and bacalhau.

Ferry Street Barbecue
89 Ferry St., Newark, NJ 07105
973-344-7337
(from Newark Penn Station, walk 5 blocks east on Ferry St. - 5 to 7 minutes)
menu (add $2 to most of the prices)

Sabor Mineiro

Being rather more fond of meat than the next guy, I’m always up for a good rodízio. And outside of Brazil, the king of them all surely must be Sabor Mineiro, near Lisbon.

The hot and cold buffet has a truly astounding array of offerings—many just make that their meal. Over a dozen hot dishes, two or three times as many cold offerings, soups, and, of course, some stellar pão de queijo (cheese “bread”—heavenly little balls more like a cross between a roll and a popover). The rodízio portion (where guys bring huge skewers of meat to your table and cut you off slices until you tell them to stop) includes more varieties of meats than I’ve seen anywhere. Some of the items I hadn’t seen before: cupim (meat from the bump just behind the cow’s neck), and beef “com queijo”—slices from a big hunk of meat larded with globs of cheese which ooze out of it in an almost obscene fashion. Everything is of the highest quality, and you can eat your fill for about €20.

Although there is a location in Lisbon proper, word is that this is the location to go to. With a modicum of adventurousness, it’s a fun trip. From Lisbon, take either the ferry to Cacilhas or the Fertagus train (which crosses the Tejo river via the 25 de Abril bridge) and pick up bus 126 (to Marisol) or 127 (to Fonte da Telha) to Charneca da Caparica… ask the driver to let you know when to get off—everyone knows where it is. Slightly less fun, but more direct would be to catch the bus 159 (to Marisol) from Praça de Espanha in Lisbon.

Sabor Mineiro
Avenida Elias Garcia 992
2820-222 Charneca da Caparica, Portugal
(+351) 21 297 34 07
website