Portuguese seafood in Newark?

[rschwim]

Any new Portuguese seafood favorites in Newark? As a matter of fact, just tell me what you favorites are. I'll be heading out there with a group of 3 or 4... (No vegetarians so all is ok with clams and pork together, etc.)

Also once in Lisbon I had cockles (small clams) in "Portuguese sauce"--very vague but fantastic. Anybody know where I might look for that dish?

[elara22]

Fornos of Spain - a little $$ but i've heard nothing but good reviews

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Fornos of Spain
47 Ferry St, Newark, NJ 07105

[Ike]

Nothing but good reviews?!? Fornos is like a factory, much like Iberia. Not terrible, but usually just average, impersonal, and overpriced. I admit it's been a few years since I went there, but I can't imagine they've improved (these Ironbound places seem to exist somewhere outside of time as we know it).

Overall, Seabra's Marisqueira and Casa Vasca are much better. In terms of what the OP was looking for, I've heard good things about Coimbra and Sol Mar as well.

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Casa Vasca
141 Elm St, Newark, NJ 07105

Coimbra
637 Market St Ste A, Newark, NJ 07105

Seabra's Marisqueira
87 Madison St, Newark, NJ 07105

[buttertart]

Seabra's has a mixed seafood grill thing that's great as well as other goodies. Their oysters on the half shell are excellent and cheap.

[Ike]

Thanks Buttertart. If you have any other recommendations, let me know. I'm organizing a Meetup World Food Lovers group dinner there, but I have forgotten what other dishes I've tried at Seabra's so I'm not sure what else to recommend to my fellow diners. Everything I've had there in the past has been pretty good though.

[buttertart]

Not seafood but I totally love their leitao (roast suckling pig). Their pork w clams is also v good. Haven't had a clunker there once. Wine is reasonably priced too.

[jmoryl]

If you want the very best leitao around then you must go to Casa do Leitao in Elizabeth. Search this board for a more detailed discussion. If yo intend to dine in, call ahead to make sure a pig is ready, as it is a small place that does a lot of take out orders.

[buttertart]

So I've heard, must get there. Presume they have lots of nice Bairradas to go with?

[jmoryl]

Joao, the owner, is from Mealhada, which is the leitao capital of Bairrada. He has some decent wine around, but not much from Bairrada, maybe a couple espumantes (including the red stuff) and some Luis Pato. From our conversation, I'm not sure he thinks much of the Bairrada wines he can get here in the US.

On my last visit I had a very resonably priced Quinta do Aciprestes '05 from the Douro and before that a Casa de Santar Dao Reserva.

[buttertart]

I'd love to have the espumante with leitao. Must go!

[Ike]

Oh good, I'm glad you like the roast suckling pig because that's definitely on the list of things we're getting! I called ahead about that. I just hope we can rope a few more people into this thing. I guess there are a lot of New Yorkers in the group who are afraid that if they step onto the PATH train then a New Jersey black bear will appear out of nowhere and eat them. :P

[buttertart]

When is this going to be?
We used to schlep over there from Prospect Heights, eat lunch and buy groceries at thebig Seabras supermarket (Portuguese and Brazilian stuff primarily, that store also has nice dishes once in a while), and go home. Made a fun Saturday. Perhaps the average NYer doesn't know how easy a walk it is from the station to the restaurant (and how interesting Ferry Street is).

[Ike]

This Wednesday at 7:30. Send me an e-mail if interested, and spread the word. (My e-mail is in my CH profile -- click my name.)

Oh yeah, you mean the big Seabra's supermarket over on Lafayette St., right? It seems like there are about 32 different Seabra's grocery stores in the Ironbound but that's the biggest one as far as I know. I walked through it once or twice and found it charming but haven't bought anything there yet -- I don't get down to the Ironbound enough. The olive bar (if you could call it that, it's more like big buckets of olives) looked good and were inexpensive.

You're right, Ferry St. is really interesting; maybe I should play that up more.

[flourgirl]

I really liked Casa Vasca when I dined there a few months back. We tried a lot of dishes and everything was delicious except for the stuffed clams (soggy).

I had a grilled baby squid dish there that was seriously one of the best things i've ever eaten in my entire life.

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Casa Vasca
141 Elm St, Newark, NJ 07105

[topshot2219]

I can't speak to how it rates in terms of the restaurants you may have found in Portugal, but "Tony D's" does have a cockle dish wish I enjoyed very much. The garlic shrimp are amazing as well.

[coldbeer]

Here is my top 5 in Newarks Ironbound.
1) Fernandes Steakhouse
2) Adega Grill
3) Iberia
4) Mompou
5) Brasilia
honorable mention...Tony DeCaneca's. That is all.

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Adega Grill
130 Ferry St, Newark, NJ 07105

[jmoryl]

None of these are particularly good for seafood, though.

[Duppie]

I was a little taken aback by Iberia, which IMHO has morphed into the Olive Garden of Portuguese Cuisine.

[Duppie]

There are any number of treads on this subject and a favorite that keeps popping up is Seabra's Marisqueira. We had the cockles in the garlic sauce flavored with lots of white wine and cilantro just the other day and It was very good. Be sure to ask for spoons when the bread runs out or else you not eating much else.

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Seabra's Marisqueira
87 Madison St, Newark, NJ 07105

[jmoryl]

Seabra's is just OK in my book: sometimes we get seafood that seems like it could be fresher. Currently my faves for fish/seafood are Coimbra, Sol-Mar and maybe Taste of Portugal (google for addresses). Tip: try to order off the "daily specials" menu as much as possible.

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Coimbra
637 Market St Ste A, Newark, NJ 07105

Taste of Portugal
148 Delancey St, Newark, NJ 07105