Hoagie Haven

I cannot go to Princeton, it seems, without making a pilgrimage to Hoagie Haven, and last night was no exception. I was there in an official capacity - one of "my" singers is singing Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde with the Princeton University Orchestra tonight, and I was her "set of ears" out in the house for the dress rehearsal. But after the final Abschied was taken, it was hello, Hoagie Haven time!

This place never, ever disappoints. They crank out consistently wonderful sandwiches and hoagies of all sorts, and have been doing it for over 40 years. For me the star is the cheesesteak, and, predictably, my favorite is the bacon cheesesteak:

It differs from the classic Philly cheesesteak in a couple of respects - the slices of, um, "steak" are left intact on the grill, rather than being chopped up, and they use provolone instead of the echt-authentic Cheez Whiz. No matter... it's still one of the great sandwiches on the planet as far as I'm concerned. And their prices are eminently reasonable.

They also make the best breakfast sandwich I have eaten anywhere, in case you happen to be in the vicinity before noon: egg and sweet Italian sausage slices (grilled together) on a kaiser roll. It ain't no Egg McMuffin, that's for damn sure.

God, I hope these guys own the building they're in... As Princeton gets more and more twee (and EXPENSIVE) - as if that were even possible - businesses that cater to regular people are fast disappearing (the exact situation that has made Manhattan so unpleasant these days). It would be a tragedy if this place didn't have some protection against the kind of skyrocketing business rents that is killing NYC.

Hoagie Haven
242 Nassau St., Princeton, NJ 08542
609-921-7723
website

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)

Portugalia

I was picking up some Portuguese groceries in Newark this afternoon - one should never, ever run out of Delta coffee beans - and decided to stroll over to Portugalia Bar & Restaurant, a favorite of my good friend Michael's. This was not the first time I had reconnoitered the joint, but the pratos do dia (daily specials) had never been inspiring enough to get me to stop in... until this evening. There on the list was cabidela de galinha, probably my favorite Portuguese dish of all time.

Now, it may not look like much (and the lighting there did not help things one bit - my apologies for the dimness of the photo), but it is utter deliciousness. Chicken is stewed with its giblets, removed from the pot, and rice is then cooked in the same liquid. "What's that brown color, then?" you may ask. The dish is finished with chicken blood. When the chicken is killed, the blood is saved, with some vinegar mixed in to prevent coagulation. For my taste, there was just a bit too much of that vinegar in Portugalia's cabidela, but overall a good rendition of the dish.

Most of the patrons were eating either this, or the grilled chicken, which looked excellent (even better than Ferry St. Barbecue's). And the accompanying fried potatoes are the first and only I've seen in the U.S. that look exactly like they do in Portugal. I do believe that's what I'll be sampling my next trip here.

Portugalia
280 Ferry St., Newark, NJ 07105
973-465-0696
(from Newark Penn Station, walk 13 blocks east on Ferry St. - 12 to 15 minutes)

Coimbra Restaurant

Coimbra Restaurant is one of those places I've been meaning to write about for years, but just haven't got around to it until now (finally remembering to bring my camera helped provide some impetus). Named for Portugal's most famous university town in the middle of the country, it has the reputation of being one of the most authentic Portuguese joints in Newark, and from what I can tell, that reputation is most likely deserved.

I've eaten here at least a dozen times and have hardly had a disappointing meal (maybe one - a stellar record by any standard). For one thing, I do as I would in any restaurant in Portugal: order from the pratos do dia (daily specials) only. They're made specially that day, and are almost invariably more interesting dishes than those on the standard menu. Tonight I got borrego assado, oven-roasted lamb. In fact, mutton would, I believe, be the more accurate word, but don't be put off by the idea - it was delicious. Chunks of meat (on the bone, of course) pan-roasted slowly with white wine, paprika, bay leaf, plenty of garlic, and... lard! Accept no substitutes - it's what gives the dish its absolutely unmistakable "taste of Portugal" (specifically, the mountains and the northern regions).

I especially love the rib meat, and there's a nice chunk of it right there in front. And next to the dish, you can see the full-to-the-brim, 12 oz. glass of a quite decent Portuguese table wine that sets you back all of five bucks here. This dish is normally served with small, roasted potatoes, but luckily I remembered to ask about arroz de feijão. It's a traditional accompaniment to grilled, stewed, and roasted meats, and one of my most beloved Portuguese comfort foods. They pretty much always have it here, and it was cheerfully substituted for the potatoes. It's simply rice cooked with kidney beans, plus a bit of onion and tomato for flavor. One of those dishes that is somehow more than the sum of its parts.

This meal prompted me to ask just where the people doing the cooking were from. "Portugal," was the reply. "Well, yes, but WHERE in Portugal?" The answer confirmed my suspicions: the Serra da Estrela mountain region (which is due east of... Coimbra). No wonder the food was so very tasty - people do NOT cook this way in Lisbon, where I lived.

One of the handful of items from the regular menu I would recommend is the chouriço na brasa appetizer. It's hefty length of good chouriço, made by a local Portuguese butcher, grilled in front of you over flaming aguardiente in a traditional terra cotta dish designed specifically for that purpose. Only if you have someone to share it with, though - it's big, and the main dishes are huge. And one small caveat: do not expect wonderful vegetables here. Cabbage and greens are about the only ones the Portuguese consistently get right... those green beans were terrible.

I've only ever been here on weeknights, and only eaten in the (ample) bar area. On weekends, I understand this place becomes a different scene altogether, with the adjoining dining room full of families all day long. I need to check it out, though, because that's when they tend to have all my real favorite daily specials. Dishes such as leitão à Bairrada (roast suckling pig, Bairrada-style, one of the glories of Portuguese cooking - actually, they supposedly have it all week, but it will be freshly-roasted on the weekend), galinha em arroz de cabidela (my favorite Portuguese dish - see my description of it here), even sarrabulho, or so I'm told (chunks of pork, served with seasoned rice finished with pork blood). So who wants to meet out there and help me try things some weekend?

Coimbra Restaurant
637 Market St., Newark, NJ 07105
973-491-9811
(from Newark Penn Station, walk 14 blocks east on Market St. - 15 minutes)
http://www.coimbrarestaurant.com/

White Manna

Hamburgers are not something I will be writing about often on this blog. They certainly are the rage these days all over New York City, though. But why an outfit like Shake Shack, for instance, warrants all they hype (or the now 7 locations in NYC, or 12 worldwide, including one in Dubai!) is COMPLETELY beyond me. Gray, slightly dry blocks of ground meat (you cannot request doneness there) are not, and will never be, my thing and I utterly fail to understand their mass appeal. Unless a hamburger is closing in on a half-pound of meat and is red in the center, you can keep it. Unless it's White Manna.

Did you ever wonder if White Castle hamburgers were ever any good? I'm guessing they actually were, over a 80 years ago. According to the Wikipedia page, when they began, they made their hamburgers exactly the same way the White Manna does now:  throw some sliced onions on the hot grill, place a small ball of freshly ground beef (at White Manna, it's still red - you can watch them do it) on the onions, smash the ball into a patty, flip, place the bun on top so the flavors can steam into it, assemble with pickle slice, and serve. But White Castle abandoned the idea selling real food in 1931 when they switched to frozen hamburger patties (the hideous five holes were added in 1951).

First opened in 1946, White Manna was once a mini-chain of five diners in New Jersey. Now there are just two left - the one in Hackensack, and the original location in Jersey City (which is the historic diner building of the 1939 World's Fair in Flushing Meadows). Word on the street is that the burgers at the Hackensack location these days are significantly better. I believe it - they are divine. Sliders made of freshly grilled, freshly-ground beef with grilled onions, American cheese (if desired, and I do), on a steamed fresh potato-flour bun... what could be better? If I can't have the half-pound, almost-mooing slab of red ground meat, this is the next best thing. And there are times when it is THE best thing.

These heavenly bites are, to my mind, worth the trip from just about anywhere, and I often take the NJ Transit bus (165 from Port Authority to Passaic St.) when I can't interest anyone in driving me. It is well worth the effort EVERY time.


(Upper photo courtesy of Alan Baer, principal tuba, New York Philharmonic Orchestra.  Lower photos are mine.)

White Manna
358 River St., Hackensack, NJ 07601
201-342-0914

Solar do Minho

The weather in NYC had been disgusting all day... drizzly and windy (such a winning combination). The kind of weather that makes you want to light a fire and curl up with some red wine and some red meat. Luckily, I had arranged to meet my friend Ian (one of this blog's faithful followers) for dinner at Solar do Minho. Even luckier, my friends Michael and Elizabeth decided at the last moment to join us, guaranteeing enthusiastic dining partners and raucous, hilarious conversation.

When I discovered rodizio, the Brazilian all-you-can-eat grilled meat service (insert joke here), about 10 years ago, I couldn't believe it had been hiding from me in plain sight all that time. I mean, this is a meal designed with ME in mind - guys coming around to your table and cutting off slices of meat from huge skewers until you tell them to stop! A little salad, some side starches, but MEAT is the star of the show. Then arose the problem of where to get my fix (and I need a fix every month or two). First, there was Churrascaria Plataforma, back when it was affordable. But they seem to have become less interested in food and more interested in separating guys on expense accounts from their company's money. I mean, over sixty bucks a head?? And that's before you have a drink! Then, for a couple of years, a lovely place in Astoria reigned supreme until its untimely demise, a casualty of ConEd's failure to maintain its infrastructure in Queens. Since then, I have been casting thither and yon for a replacement favorite: Solar do Minho has held sway for a couple of years now.

Since it's a Portuguese restaurant and not a Brazilian one (biggest bummer on that front: no pão de queijo, those wickedly addictive little balls of Parmesan cheese "bread" - more like little popovers), the variety of grilled meats in the rodizio is slightly reduced (no chicken hearts, alas), but there are still 10 or 12 cuts to satisfy the hungry carnivore. And all of them are of excellent quality, grilled by guys who know what they are doing - much higher quality than any of the places in neighboring Newark. And although the prices have risen slightly since their online menu was posted, at $24.75 a head (as of this writing) (ed.: now $29), it's still an excellent value.

Some of the carnage (all puns intended):

And I swear they must sprinkle crack on those french fries. They are some of the best fries I have had in any restaurant, anywhere.

Solar do Minho also serves some of the best Portuguese food I have tasted outside of Portugal, if one orders with some care. On this front, your menu perusal should begin with the daily specials. Sunday is a particularly good day to go here, because that's when they usually have cabrito assado à moda de Monção (which they may call "à moda da casa" or "à nossa moda"--I forget), one of Portugal's great dishes from the north: kid goat roasted so that the juices drain into rice cooking below it, which in turn has been fortified with onion, a cured pork product or two, and saffron. Sublime. At some point during the week they usually have an excellent version of what is probably my favorite Portuguese dish, galinha em arroz de cabidela. This is chicken which has been stewed with the giblets, served with rice that has then been boiled in the chicken giblet liquid, with some chicken blood added at the end. The day they serve it varies - call ahead and they will happily tell you.

As far as the regular menu goes... this evening, a neighboring table ordered bife na telha (steak cooked on a terra cotta roofing tile). It looked and smelled just right. The chouriço assado (a chouriço sausage flamed tableside in brandy) is an excellent appetizer and everything it should be. The bacalhau com natas appetizer is not bad, although a bit pricey, and served covered with a gooey white cheese... most un-Portuguese. There are a couple of pitfalls on the regular menu to watch out for. The "chicken and rice Melgaço style", although tasty enough, is something I might expect to be served in a Dominican or Puerto Rican restaurant, not a Portuguese one. I never had a rice dish remotely resembling this anywhere in Portugal, much less anywhere near Melgaço. And if you have enjoyed the justly famous dish carne de porco à alentejana in Portugal, under no circumstances order it here. The traditional dish is essentially cubed pork seasoned with garlic and paprika, fried with clams. It in no way resembles the runny stew I was served here. A travesty, and a lousy one at that. Stay either with the straightforward, or the daily specials.

Their leite creme, on the other hand, is as good as any I tried in Portugal. More or less like crème brulée, complete with burned sugar crust.

Unfortunately, not easy to get to via public transportation, although it is possible. And when you gotta have that unlimited meat fix, it's worth the trouble.

Solar do Minho
15 Cleveland St., Belleville, NJ 07109
973-844-0500
http://www.solardominhobelleville.com/