Takeout dinners from Jerry's, more Portuguese-style food delivery

Two of the three Smoked Chicken Sausages in a restaurant-quality takeout dinner from Jerry's Gourmet & More in Englewood with two of the sides, Steamed Broccoli and Avocado Salad.

The complete Smoked Chicken Sausage dinner, including a delicious Artichoke Fennel Salad, was reduced to $5.99 from $7.99 after 4 p.m. on Wednesday, when I stopped at Jerry's, 410 S. Dean St., Englewood.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

The $7.99 takeout dinners at Jerry's Gourmet & More in Englewood are more proof that there is life after you've sworn off calling for the delivery of Chinese food.

On Wednesday afternoon, I stopped for two Meals To Go, finding Smoked Chicken Sausage and Roasted Chicken for the meat eaters in the family, and because it was after 4 p.m., they were reduced to $5.99 each from $7.99.

Both dinners included Steamed Broccoli and Artichoke Fennel Salad.

The sausages also came with an avocado salad, and the other dinner included a Ham and Cheese Monte Cristo, a fried sandwich.

To complete the meal, all you need to do is to pour yourself a glass of red wine.

A portion of the Grilled Cod Dinner from Fire Pit Barbecue in Hackensack. A large fillet of Portuguese-style salted cod is smothered in onions, green pepper, garlic and olives, and comes with potatoes, broccoli and carrot slices.

For our second delivery from Fire Pit Barbecue, we tried three Cod Cakes and two Shrimp Cakes. Both were tasty. The Portuguese restaurant also offers Meat Cakes.

Fire Pit Barbecue

We didn't feel like going out for dinner last Saturday night, and figured it was as good a time as any to order a delivery of Portuguese food from Fire Pit Barbecue on Essex Street in Hackensack.

We stuck with the same dishes we ordered the first time, a whole Barbecued Chicken with yellow rice and black beans ($14) and Grilled Codfish with vegetables and potato ($19), each of which can serve three.

This time, we also sampled tasty Cod Cakes ($1.25 each) and Shrimp Cakes ($1.50 each).

The first time I ordered the salted codfish -- a dish you'd find throughout Portugal -- the skin side of the fillet had nice grill marks on it. 

This time, the skin was completely scorched, and I avoided eating it, but the fish itself was deliciously smoky and pleasantly salty.

The vegetables and a generous amount of extra-virgin olive oil are other highlights of the dish.

Fire Pit Barbecue, 357 Essex St., Hackensack; 201-489-3473. Eat in, takeout and delivery. No delivery charge.

Web site: Authentic Portuguese Barbecue