Catching two lobsters and three jazz musicians in Newark

Twin Lobsters at Iberia Peninsula Restaurant in Newark's Ironbound section.

Even before you order, a waiter will bring you a salad and crusty Portuguese bread.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

I've been eating in Newark's Ironbound since the 1970s, and one thing I really appreciate in the densely populated neighborhood is a restaurant with good food and free parking.

On Sunday evening, we visited an old favorite, Iberia Peninsula on Ferry Street, before going to a jazz concert at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center.

The Portuguese restaurant offers unlimited barbecued meat (rodizio) and 24-ounce lobster tails, but we decided to take advantage of a special of simply broiled Twin Lobsters ($32), served with house-made potato chips or yellow rice or both.

We started with a complimentary salad made with dark-green romaine lettuce, not iceberg, and ordered an appetizer of Shrimp in Garlic Sauce ($11.50).

An appetizer of Shrimp in Garlic Sauce can be shared by two. The sauce is filled with thin slices of fresh garlic.

Our Twin Lobsters were served with addictive restaurant-made potato chips, above, and yellow rice.

Many temptations

I broke my diet twice, once with bread crusts dipped in olive oil and again with the addictive restaurant-made potato chips.

A glass of vinho verde, with a slight fizz, was $6, and a double espresso was $5.

Our bill totaled about $60, including the tax, and we couldn't finish all of the rice or potato chips.

The lobster meat and shrimp were delicious.

It's a short drive from the restaurant's free parking lots to the paid lots at NJPAC, where we enjoyed a concert by Keith Jarrett on piano, Gary Peacock on bass and Jack DeJohnette on drums.

In a brief introduction, Jarrett said they've been playing together for 32 years.

A double espresso came with two lemon peels.

I was surprised to see empty tables in the main dining room at Iberia Peninsula, above. A group of 20 were noisily celebrating a woman's birthday not far from where we sat.

Iberia Peninsula Restaurant, 63-69 Ferry St., Newark; 1-973-344-5611. Free parking.

Web site: Two restaurants named Iberia

Coffee in cardboard can be pricey

Hackensack's only Starbucks is on Essex Street, near the medical center.

After a great seafood dinner in Maywood on Saturday, I stopped at the only Starbucks in Hackensack for my usual: a small cardboard cup of the medium-roast coffee of the day.

When I looked at my credit-card receipt, I saw the cup of coffee cost $1.77, including tax.

The day before, I stopped for the same cup of coffee at a Starbucks in a service area of the New Jersey  Turnpike, and paid $2.09, including tax.

A food stand on the High Line in lower Manhattan offers hot dogs.

In late summer, I stood on line at a coffee stand on the High Line, an old elevated freight railroad in lower Manhattan that has been transformed into a park.

I couldn't figure out why the line was moving so slowly until I got close enough to see that each cup of coffee was made to order.

The beans from Guatemala were ground individually and the coffee was brewed using a drip method.

When I asked, I was told a cup was $2.90. I turned around and left. 

On Sunday, I attended a jazz vocal competition at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, and had coffee before the show.

A cardboard cup that looked like it held only 10 ounces set me back $3.

The smallest cup at Starbucks, called "Tall," holds 12 ounces.

The $3 cup of coffee at NJPAC in Newark.

 

On top of that, NJPAC soaks you for parking in its own lot: $16 or $14, if you buy a voucher online.

I found relatively inexpensive coffee, plus free parking, in Manhattan of all places.

On Monday, I stopped at a Greek diner at 11th Avenue and 43rd Street, parking in its small lot.

A cup of coffee and a free refill were $1.89, including tax.

Go figure.