At Seafood Gourmet in Maywood, fresh wild fish is everywhere you look

On the way to the dining room at Seafood Gourmet, the fish market and restaurant in Maywood, customers on Saturday passed a display of wild-caught coho salmon and other fresh fish on a bed of ice, above; and shelves of prepared seafood, including Penne with Shrimp, Broccoli and Garlic & Oil, and Hickory Smoked Trout, below.

Editor's note: This post was revised to correct the day I visited Seafood Gourmet. It was Saturday, not Thursday, as I wrote originally.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

If you love fresh wild-caught seafood, you'll find a home at Seafood Gourmet, the fish market and restaurant on Maywood's bustling main street.

For our late lunch on Saturday, both me and my wife chose dishes with wild shrimp -- the only kind served in the 38-seat dining room behind the market.

I was in the mood for pasta, but got pulled this way and that by the lunch specials, including day boat sea scallops, a fritto misto; and a char-grilled trio of wild salmon, shrimp and octopus.

I picked a fourth special, Shrimp Santorini -- crunchy sauteed jumbo shrimp finished in a light plum tomato sauce, served over whole-wheat pasta and topped with feta cheese ($15).

A side salad, normally $3, was included.

My wife had Ceasar Salad with Shrimp ($12),  from the regular menu, and there was no charge for her cup of Lobster Bisque.

We also ordered takeout, Sole Stuffed with Lobster, an entree that came with rice and steamed vegetables ($16).

Fresh wild seafood, imaginative preparation, moderate prices and good service make every meal there a pleasure.

In northern New Jersey, only the sinfully expensive Legal Sea Foods in Paramus can match the quality of Seafood Gourmet. 

The whole-wheat pasta used in Shrimp Santorini was good, but organic whole-wheat pasta from Italy, such as the Luigi Vitelli brand sold at ShopRite, would be better.

Caesar Salad with Shrimp.

We shared a side of Sauteed Spinach ($5).

A side salad and a cup of Lobster Bisque were included.

The Lunch Specials menu on Saturday.

Seating is at tables for two or four, and when we walked into the dining room at 3:30 on Saturday afternoon with a half-bottle of red wine, most of them were occupied.

Seafood Gourmet is a BYO.

Details

Seafood Gourmet Fish Market & Restaurant, 103 W. Pleasant Ave., Maywood; 1-201-843-8558. Closed Sundays.

BYO, free street parking, reservations recommended for dinner, especially on weekends.

Website: The Restaurant at Seafood Gourmet

My day boat comes in at Giulia's Kitchen in Cliffside Park

Four plump Day Boat Scallops served over broccoli rabe and polenta at Giulia's Kitchen in Cliffside Park ($24). Scallops harvested by day boats are the freshest around.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

I wanted to have an early dinner at Giulia's Kitchen in Cliffside Park on Friday to make sure the chef didn't run out of fat sea scallops, one of my favorite shellfish.

Photos of the scallop entree were seared in my memory from a newspaper story and on the Living Social site, where I bought a $35 voucher for $70 worth of food.

The dish didn't disappoint: Perfectly grilled, medium-rare scallops perched on top of pleasantly bitter broccoli rabe, a bit of pesto and a cheesy cake of polenta ($24).

But I couldn't help notice my entree had only four scallops, compared to the five I saw in the photos. A great dish, nevertheless.

The Lobster Roll appetizer is served on a much larger roll than elsewhere, meaning a lot more lightly dressed lobster meat ($20). 

Hearts of Romaine is an interesting take on Caesar's Salad, with shaved Manchego Cheese, white anchovies, nuggets of delicious fried eggplant and grape tomato halves, but it could have used more dressing ($8).

Another great salad

My wife ordered Hearts of Romaine ($8) followed by a Lobster Roll appetizer ($20).

I started with another terrific salad, a Beet Stack, which was served with goat cheese on a bed of peppery arugula ($9), and I finished my meal with Day Boat Scallops ($24).

I ordered a glass of Five Rivers Pinot Noir, which cost a reasonable $7.

A salad of peppery arugula surrounds the Beet Stack ($9).

The spacious dining room is in a brick building at Anderson and Grant avenues in Cliffside Park, opposite an enormous hole in the ground that has been under development for more than five years smack in the middle of the shopping district.

"Contemporary Comfort Food" is the phrase that appears with the restaurant's name on the large plate-glass windows.

A Bob Marley soundtrack welcomed us when we arrived for an early dinner on Saturday. Large blackboards list charcuterie and desserts.

First to arrive

We made a reservation for 5 p.m., and got a table in the window.

After a while, Chef Michael Ostros came out of the kitchen to greet us, and I told him I was looking forward to the Day Boat Scallops.

I wanted to make sure they were on the menu. He said he got them from the Hunts Point Market, and I mentioned day boaters from Viking Village in Barnegat Light, on the Jersey shore, are famous for their sea scallops.

Ostros said he would look them up.

Minor complaints

I plan to return to Giulia's Kitchen to try other seafood dishes on the menu, but have two minor complaints:

The bread served with olive oil isn't a match for the high level of food preparation, but that would be easily remedied by ordering crusty dinner rolls from Balthazar Bakery in Englewood.

And some staffers seem inexperienced.

We called the restaurant a few times, and the man who answered the phone asked, "How can I direct your call," as if he had worked in a hotel for many years.

And on Saturday evening, around 5:45, I got a call from the restaurant, asking if I planed to keep my 5 p.m. reservation.

I explained I did -- the night before. 

Details

Giulia's Kitchen, 696 Anderson Ave., Cliffside Park; 201-945-1680. Open for dinner and, starting Wednesday, for lunch. Full bar. Closed Sundays. Free parking on side streets.