A filling birthday dinner at Simply Vietnamese in Tenafly

At Simply Vietnamese in Tenafly, a whole fish smothered in fried onions and scallions recalls a time when food was prepared with only fish sauce, below.

Owner and Chef K.T. Tran described this as a ginger fish sauce.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

I picked Simply Vietnamese in Tenafly to celebrate my birthday on Tuesday night, enjoying three wonderful seafood dishes and even trying a few spoonfuls of dessert -- warm sticky rice bathed in sweet milk.

Owner and Chef K.T. Tran prepared an off-menu whole fried fish with onions and scallions, a bowl of fish sauce on the side ($19.95).

That followed summer rolls stuffed with carrots, rice and shrimp; an appetizer of broiled mussels and a plate of crunchy cooked vegetables.

Summer Rolls with Shrimp are wonderful when dipped in a peanut sauce ($8.50).

Broiled New Zealand Mussels in a ginger wasabi sauce ($8.50).

A plate of sauteed mixed vegetables.

The restaurant's specialty, Pho, an anise-flavored noodle soup, here with beef ($14). My wife and mother-in-law shared Pho with Seafood ($12).

Garnish for the soup includes fresh cilantro, bean sprouts and jalapeno peppers.

Complimentary desserts: Fried bananas with ice cream and warm sticky rice covered in sweet coconut milk, below.

Simply Vietnamese, 1 Highwood Ave., Tenafly; 201-568-7770. BYO, free street parking.

Web site: Fine Vietnamese Cuisine

Delicious food -- neatly wrapped -- at Simply Vietnamese

Summer Rolls with Shrimp at Simply Vietnamese in Tenafly.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

I can't resist the allure of Vietnamese summer rolls, which allow you to see the fresh, crunchy contents through translucent rice paper.

I ordered the appetizer -- filled with rice noodles, lettuce, cucumber and carrot -- to share with my wife on Saturday night at Simply Vietnamese in Tenafly, as I always do (two rolls for $8.50).

I chose Summer Rolls with Shrimp, and they were cut in half and arranged on the plate to show the contents.

The plate also held a cup of mildly spicy peanut sauce for dipping.

The rolls satisfy the primal urge to pick up your food and eat it without worrying about chopsticks or forks and knives.

My wife chose Chef's Noodle Soup as her entree ($14), made with chicken broth and fresh herbs in contrast to the anise-scented broth of pho, the specialty of the house.

Chef's Noodle Soup includes shrimp, pork and chicken.

The hand-held theme

I guess I like eating with my hands -- think fish tacos and roll-ups of cheese, smoked wild salmon, lettuce and mustard I snack on at home.

My entree, Steamed Asian Angel Hair with Vegetables ($15.95), was a big plate holding undressed rice noodles, cooked and raw vegetables; and green-leaf lettuce with fresh cilantro and mint for wrapping.

This turned out to be a three-napkin dish when I poured the vinegar sauce over the noodles before wrapping them in lettuce.

A neater method would be to make the wraps and then dip one end in the sauce.

Steamed Asian Angel Hair comes with lettuce and fresh herbs for wrapping, a vinegar sauce and a choice of vegetables, curry chicken, beef, grilled pork or shrimp.

Another view of angel-hair rice noodles with vegetables.

Addictive shrimp chips with a spicy chili dipping sauce are complimentary, as are seconds.

They know my name

Besides going for the delicious food, I enjoy Simply Vietnamese because just about everybody knows my name.

I've been a customer of K.T. Tran, the chef-owner, and two of the waiters, Joe and Peter, for many years, including at their former restaurants in Fort Lee and Englewood.

Simply Vietnamese, 1 Highwood Ave., Tenafly; 201-568-7770. BYO, free street parking.

Web site: Fine Vietnamese Cuisine

Favorites: Sweet potatoes and Simply Vietnamese

Boiled slices of sweet potato are the main ingredient in this frittata, which is made with whole eggs and egg whites, sun-dried tomatoes, sliced cheese and prepared pesto. Most ingredients are from Costco Wholesale.

Kirkland Signature Basil Pesto from Costco is spooned on after the frittata is finished under the broiler, above, and removed from the oven.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
Editor

With Easter in mind, Costco Wholesale in Hackensack has brought back bags of sweet potatoes, which are great baked, mashed or boiled for use in frittatas.

Late last year, Market Fresh-brand sweet potatoes were available in 10-pound bags, but this month, the bags hold only 6.5 pounds ($5.99).

I usually bake a half-dozen of the smallest, reserving the bigger potatoes for slicing, boiling and using in frittatas; or for boiling with peeled California garlic and mashing with extra-virgin olive oil and seasonings.

The sweet potatoes are often bruised and don't hold up well at room temperature.  After a day or two, I refrigerate them.

Costco usually offers them around holidays.

Trident Seafoods The Ultimate Fish Stick from Costco, above, served with leftover whole-wheat pasta shells. Chopped Christopher Ranch peeled garlic, fresh tomatoes, celery, scallions, canned sardines, canned anchovies (drained and rinsed), chicken stock and red wine went into the sauce.

The organic whole wheat shells from Italy are $1.39 a pound at Whole Foods Market in Paramus.

Same sticks, lower price

Trident Seafoods' fish sticks, made with wild Alaskan Pollock, have a new panko breading.

A 4-pound bag was on sale last week at Costco Wholesale for $8.99 after $3 off.

Trident says the sticks are 65% fish, and made from fillets of pollock, a cousin of the cod.

The bag my wife brought home last week contains 60 fish sticks, as did the 4-pound bag we purchased from Costco in 2011, when the price was $12.99.

If you follow the cooking instructions for a conventional oven, the fish sticks come out crunchy on the outside.

House Noodle Soup with Ribs ($12.50) at Simply Vietnamese, a BYO with free street parking in downtown Tenafly.

The restaurant's Summer Rolls with Shrimp are stuffed with shredded vegetables and translucent noodles, and served with a small side salad and a vibrant peanut sauce ($8.50).

Simply Vietnamese

We love Asian restaurant for their abundance of seafood, tofu and vegetables, and one of our favorites is Simply Vietnamese, the only reason to dine out in downtown Tenafly.

We stopped in late Saturday afternoon during a rainstorm, and were told we could sit anywhere.

The meat eaters in the family ordered their favorite bowl of noodle soup -- each one a meal in itself -- and I tried something new, Crispy Tofu in a spicy sauce with a side of brown rice.

We also shared a favorite appetizer, Summer Rolls with Shrimp.

K.T. Tran,  the chef owner, came out of the kitchen to say hello, and we spoke to Peter the waiter about his hybrid car.

Another longtime waiter, Joe, was off.

Crispy Tofu in a highly spicy sauce is the perfect entree for non-meat eaters ($15.95). I asked for brown rice ($2). It's also available with a garlic sauce.

Pho noodle soup is the specialty of Simply Vietnamese, and the anise-flavored broth is available with seafood, beef, pork, chicken or tofu and vegetables. The Beef Combo, above, is $14, and a meal in itself.

Crispy shrimp chips with a spicy dipping sauce are complimentary.

Simply Vietnamese, 1 Highwood Ave., Tenafly; 201-568-7770. BYO, free street parking.

Web site: Great Vietnamese food, service

At Aroma Espresso Bar and Simply Vietnamese

At Aroma Espresso Bar in Paramus, Shakshuka is described as a mild tomato, onion, and pepper sauce topped with 2 eggs sunny side up and parsley. The menu says it is served with tahini, but I didn't see or taste any.

By Victor E. Sasson
Editor

I had been looking forward to trying Shakshuka, a saucy egg dish from Israel that is one of the all-day breakfasts at Aroma Espresso Bar in Paramus.

But when I ordered it last Thursday, it came without the tahini sauce described on the menu -- the second straight glitch I've experienced with Aroma's food service.

The Aroma Espresso Bar at Westfield Garden State Plaza is the only New Jersey branch of an Israeli chain with other shops in Manhattan, Maryland and Florida.

The single employee I've seen in the Paramus kitchen doesn't seem up to the task of including everything described on the menu.

And the manager appears to spend a lot of his time walking around or sitting at empty tables, all the while chatting on a cellphone.

I recall ordering the Organic Quinoa Salad ($8.50), and wondering why it was so tasteless. 

I got the salad, but not the Lemon Olive Oil Dressing, which is supposed to be served on the side. 

Shakshuka is a great dish ($8.90), but why doesn't Aroma serve pita, the Hebrew word for Middle Eastern pocket bread?

A spoon is ideal for enjoying all that sauce. Still, I thought the dish could use hummus.

Corner tables at Aroma Espresso Bar.

When I got home and looked at my copy of the menu, I saw the dish is supposed to be served with tahini.

Shakshuka comes with bread and butter, but I didn't want them, and asked if I could get some veggies instead (they're listed on menu for 50 cents extra).

No substitutions are allowed, said the employee who took my order.

So, I paid $1.25 more for feta cheese, but it came in a small bowl, not sprinkled over the top of the warm eggs and sauce.

My wife enjoyed a Steak Sandwich with mayo, jalapenos, sauteed onion and red pepper, and Swiss cheese ($6.50 for half), and a 20-ounce Lemonade ($4).

"Chik chak" is an Israeli phrase meaning "pronto," "quickly" or "chop chop," but I've found the kitchen at Aroma Espresso Bar in Paramus doesn't know it.

After you place your order and pay at the register, be prepared to wait until your name is called for you to pick up your coffee or food at the counter.


Aroma Espresso Bar, 1 Garden State Plaza, Paramus; 1-201-556-1700.

Seniors get a cool reception at the AMC movie theaters in another part of the Paramus mall. Discounts on the $11.25 tickets are available only after 4 p.m. and all day Tuesdays.

Simply Vietnamese

We had no service or food problems on Saturday night at Simply Vietnamese in Tenafly, one of the half-dozen Asian restaurants we return to time and again.

I love Chinese, Thai, Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese restaurants for their abundance of seafood and vegetables.

At Simply Vietnamese in Tenafly, a steaming bowl of Chef's Noodle Soup -- a combination of shrimp, pork, chicken, noodles and greens ($14).

On Saturday night a little after 6, Peter greeted us and told us to take any table. 

We sat in the quieter of the two dining rooms, the original one with the entrance.

Look for the word "Saigon" in red neon hanging in the window -- a vestige of the old Englewood restaurant.

Outdoor seating under umbrellas also was available. 

Peter said Chef-Owner K.T. Tran was in the kitchen, too busy to come out and say hello, so we sent her our regards.

An appetizer of Summer Rolls with Shrimp ($8.50). Translucent rice paper is stuffed with rice noodles, lettuce, cucumber and carrot, and served with a mildly spicy peanut sauce.

Grilled Pork Chops in a caramelized lemongrass sauce ($16.50).

Broiled Basa Fillet, a farmed catfish from Vietnam, is served on a bed of greens with either a sweet-spicy ginger-scallion sauce, above, or with curry coconut milk ($19.50). Brown rice is available for $2 more.

Free Shrimp Chips with a spicy dipping sauce.

Simply Vietnamese is a BYO.

Simply Vietnamese, 1 Highwood Ave., Tenafly; 201-568-7770. Open 7 days for lunch and dinner. BYO, free street parking.

'Dirty Waters, Dangerous Fish'

Farmed salmon is steamed in a clay pot with bok choy, and topped with fried, crispy onions at Simply Vietnamese in Tenafly. Brown rice is available.

Here is an eye-opening video about how basa fish are farm-raised in Vietnam:

'Dirty Waters, Dangerous Fish' 

Judging from the comments, the video was made public about two years ago.

Why a two-year-old video is circulating now is unclear.

But K.T. Tran, chef-owner of Simply Vietnamese in Tenafly, said she recalls a customer brought up a concern with basa fillets from Vietnam a year to a year and a half ago.

Since then, Tran said, she believes the United States has taken steps to ensure that frozen basa fillets sent here are from certified fish farms free of pollution.

Tran also said she is considering switching to U.S.-farmed catfish.   

On Saturday night, we had dinner at Simply Vietnamese, where I have enjoyed basa fillets a number of times.

Basa is a type of catfish that is also called swai or Pangasius.

On Saturday night and on a previous visit to Simply Vietnamese, I chose another seafood dish instead of having my usual basa fillets in a coconut curry sauce with bok choy and brown rice.

Food safety experts generally recommend buying seafood farmed in the United States, if you can't find wild-caught fish.

Simply Vietnamese doesn't serve any wild fish, so I ordered farmed Salmon in a Black Pepper Sauce on Saturday night as an alternative to basa.

The controversy over basa fish isn't going to keep me from enjoying one of the best Vietnamese restaurants in the metropolitan area.

At Simply Vietnamese, two other alternatives to basa are shrimp in a coconut curry sauce, above, and greenshell mussles in a ginger-wasabi sauce, below.

A green papaya salad with mango, above, and pho with pork, below.

Simply Vietnamese, 1 Highwood Ave., Tenafly;
201-568-7770. BYO, free street parking. Seafood entrees are $18.50 and $19.50.
   

The downside of a BYO restaurant

A spicy Tamarind Soup with tofu at Simply Vietnamese in Tenafly.

All I wanted was a quiet Saturday night dinner with the family at our favorite Vietnamese restaurant -- the only reason we dine out in tony Tenafly.

Instead, we were surrounded by other customers who voices seemed to grow louder with each gulp of wine they drank in the casual BYO, Simply Vietnamese.

One man knocked over his glass, splashing red wine on a customer at the next table, where a party of six were working their way through several bottles.

A waitress cleaned up the mess amid the clumsy guy's profuse apologies. 

I looked at one woman at a table near the window, and she sounded as if she was shouting at her husband, who was seated facing her only 2 feet away.

She likely was trying to keep her voice above the wine-fueled commotion filling the small dining room, one of two in the storefront restaurant.

By the time we escaped the din, customers filled nearly every table inside and several outside, and almost everyone brought their own bottle -- or two, in the case of one party of four.

After we arrived for our 6 p.m. reservation, Joe, the head waiter, gave us a choice of two tables inside, but he never had time to come over and chat as he usually does. Nor did I see K.T. Tran, the chef-owner.

The servers were slammed, and it took longer to get our appetizers, entrees and especially the check. I can just imagine what was going on in the kitchen.

I did notice an appetizer of New Zealand Mussels with a ginger-wasabi sauce gave off an unpleasant scorched-shell smell from being left under the broiler too long ($8.50).

When I asked for a special, Spicy Tamarind Soup with tofu, pineapple and fresh tomato, no one asked whether I wanted it less spicy than the full furnace blast I got ($15.50).

We had three appetizers: New Zealand green-lip mussels for me, above; pork ribs, below, and a summer roll with duck, not shown.

In a restaurant with a liquor license, you wouldn't encounter so many loose-lipped customers drinking wine. 

The ridiculous markup on bottles and even glasses of wine at many restaurants keeps down the number of people who order liquor with their food.

And it keeps down the noise, too.

An anise-flavored broth called Pho, above, comes with a plate of garnishes, including cilantro, bean sprouts and jalapeno pepper, below. Pho is a breakfast soup in Vietnam.

The House Noodle Soup with ribs, above, contains thick noodles, below.

Garlic Chicken comes with onions, green beans, bok choy and zucchini ($12).

 
We also ordered too much, because ribs in his soup weren't enough for my growing teenage carnivore. He wanted the rib appetizer, too.

We spent more than $100 for four, including a lower-than-usual tip for service that wasn't up to what I have come to expect at Simply Vietnamese.

Next time, we'll try to go there at 5 p.m., as we have in the past -- before the wave of chatty wine drinkers descends on the place.

Simply Vietnamese, 1 Highwood Ave., Tenafly; 201-568-7070.

Web site: simplyvietnamese.com

Related article

• Here's the only reason to dine out in Tenafly

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Here's the only reason to dine out in Tenafly

At Simply Vietnamese in Tenafly, complimentary shrimp chips and hot sauce will awaken your taste buds for the bright flavors of appetizers, soups and entrees.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

As an Englewood resident for decades, I had little reason to drive to the neighboring town of Tenafly for something to eat.

Tenafly is a wealthier town, but in the past, its lack of diversity made for a lackluster restaurant scene.

I did have a couple of wonderful meals at the Green Door Cafe, which served organic and naturally raised or grown food before it was closed by a fire.

Then, in 2010, Chef K.T. Tran moved her popular restaurant from its cramped quarters on Palisade Avenue in Englewood to Highwood Avenue in Tenafly, and renamed it Simply Vietnamese.

It has proven such a big hit, she expanded and closed Mo' Pho, her soup-focused restaurant in Fort Lee, to devote full time to the venture.

Now, we drive to Tenafly from Hackensack for a regular fix of this delicious, reasonably priced food.

My favorite entree is basa fillet in a spicy curry coconut-milk sauce.

Appetizers include New Zealand Mussels; Vietnamese Salad, right; and a Summer Roll.

A bowl of Pho noodle soup with pork and a plate of garnishes.

Chef/Owner K.T. Tran taking a break from cooking.

  

On May 1, we had another terrific meal at Simply Vietnamese, where great service is provided by waiters Joe and Peter, and the rest of the staff.

I started with those green-lip mussels from New Zealand in a wasabi-ginger sauce, and had some Vietnamese Salad, chopped vegetables and mango dressed in fish sauce ($8.95 each).

The rest of my family shared a special, a Summer Roll with Chicken and Asian Pear with dipping sauces ($8.95).

My entree of basa, a farmed catfish from Vietnam, was served over a bed of bok choy in a spicy coconut-milk sauce, with a side of brown rice ($19). 

I took more than a third of the generous portion home, and ate it for breakfast the next day.

For meat eaters

My wife had Pho, an anise-flavored noodle soup that is the specialty of the house; my son chose the House Noodle Soup with Ribs, which has thicker noodles ($12 each); and my mother-in-law-enjoyed Garlic Beef ($17).

The two simply decorated dining rooms have walls painted a deep red. 

Unfortunately, like too many restaurants in North Jersey, the menu doesn't tell you much about the origin of the poultry, meat and seafood served here.

Still, once you've eaten at the Vietnamese BYO, it likely will be the only reason to dine out in Tenafly.

Korean restaurants

Down the street from Simply Vietnamese is a Korean-style Chinese restaurant with an unusually large, fish-shaped window, and on Washington Street, you'll find a Korean fried-chicken restaurant, Unidentified Flying Chicken.

Washington Street also has a kosher deli, a pizzeria; Chez Cheese, a gourmet shop with homemade soups for takeout, and other food businesses.

Simply Vietnamese, 1 Highwood Ave., Tenafly; 201-568-7770. BYO, free street parking. 

Hong Bo Suk is a Korean-Chinese restaurant in Tenafly.