Where fish lovers eat breakfast, Argentine Red Shrimp a la plancha

When I ordered Two Eggs Any Style with Whiting at Golden Grill in Teaneck, I received two platters, a large portion of broiled fish in a tasty gravy, above, and two eggs over easy with home fries, below.

Cholula Hot Sauce from a bottle on the table gave on my eggs a Mexican accent.

Editor's note: Sunday began with a bountiful breakfast of eggs and fresh fish, and ended with a dinner of jumbo Argentine Red Shrimp grilled on the stove top at home.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

North Jersey is crowded with bigger and fancier places to have breakfast, but none equal Golden Grill in Teaneck.

That's especially the case, if you love fish and believe there's nothing lovelier than a delicious fillet with your eggs and home fries.

On Sunday morning, I took my wife and our guest from out-of-town for a filling breakfast in the modest storefront on Queen Anne Road.

This West Englewood section of Teaneck attracts food lovers with everything from the bustling Golden Grill to a French patisserie to several kosher places, including a bagelry and a coffee house.

More than fish

Besides whiting, you can order a homemade fish cake, sardines, chicken livers or other items with your platter of eggs or breakfast sandwich at Golden Grill.

Breakfasts are served with toast, terrific home fries or grits or both, and a small glass of juice.

When you order whiting, it will come fried unless you ask for it broiled, as I always do.

My breakfast of two eggs over easy, home fries, whiting fillets and juice was $7 (hold the toast). Tea was $1.40.

My eggs, whiting and home fries have been served on a large oval platter, but I got a bonus on Sunday -- two round plates, one with more fish than usual.

Golden Grill is known for generous portions at modest prices. Service is casual.

Breakfasts, such as this Spanish Omelet with hot sauce, usually are served on large oval platters ($8.95).

A vegetable omelet with added spinach and sausage ($9.95).

Most of the seating at Golden Grill is in booths.

Add a little heat to your breakfast with Cholula Hot Sauce from Mexico.

A portion of the menu.

Details

Golden Grill, 1379 Queen Anne Road, Teaneck; 201-837-1078. 

Open 7 days for breakfast and lunch until 3:30 p.m. Free street parking.

Previously frozen Argentine Red Shrimp, thawed and rubbed with fresh lime juice, extra-virgin olive oil and minced garlic, cooking on a stove-top grill. They were done after about 7 minutes on each side.

The grilled shrimp were delicious, shell and all. Inside, they couldn't have been more tender.

Long journey to my plate

Nearly 40 years after my first trip to Barcelona, I can still hear the gravelly voice of a cook in a casual lunch place open to the street shouting, "Gambas a la plancha."

Shrimp on the grill, whose aroma you could smell as you walked by, were always a treat when traveling in Spain.

They were usually cooked in the shell, and you could peel them or eat everything, including the juice from head.

On Sunday night, I thawed and grilled a dozen of the Argentine Red Shrimp I bought at Fish First Inc., which runs the seafood counter inside the International Food Warehouse on Essex Street in Lodi.

I was afraid the frozen jumbo shrimp would be tough after grilling them on the stove top, but they were as tender as could be.

I sprinkled them with sea salt as they coked after marinating them in fresh lime juice, extra-virgin olive oil and minced garlic.

Next time, I'll use granulated garlic to avoid the minced fresh garlic from burning on the grill pan, which straddled two burners turned to medium-high heat.

One Teaneck street thrives, another fades

A hearty breakfast of fried whiting, eggs and home fries at the Golden Grill.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

On the way to another great breakfast at the Golden Grill in Teaneck , I drove past the shuttered Bravo Supermarket, the third major business in the township to fail recently.

The Cedar Lane Cinemas closed late last month and, in September, the main business district lost the unusual BlAST Art Gallery and Coffee Bar.

Golden Grill is on Queen Anne Road in Teaneck's lively West Englewood section, where there is a mix of kosher and non-kosher food businesses.

Next to the Golden Grill are Gotham Burger Co., a kosher restaurant; a small grocery and deli selling halal meat; and St. Michel, a French patisserie.

Golden Grill calls itself "The Family Restaurant."

 
Golden Grill is one of the few places that serves fish for breakfast.

In the past, I've had the restaurant's fish cakes, but today, I chose fried whiting fillets with two eggs sunny side up and home fries ($6.50).

I told the waitress to hold the toast. I drank tea ($1.30 with free refills), and used plenty of hot sauce from the bottle on the table. 

It was a great breakfast.

Sardines and chicken livers are other breakfast choices.

 

Not long after this photo was taken, the Golden Grill filled up.

Golden Grill, 1379 Queen Anne Road, Teaneck; 201-837-1078.

Part of the produce section at H Mart in Little Ferry.

H Mart sales

After breakfast at the Golden Grill in Teaneck, I drove to H Mart in Little Ferry to pick up fresh fish for dinner and see what was on sale.

A 15-pound bag of Kokuho Yellow Label White Rice, grown in California, was $9.99, a discount of $5.

A large Kabucha squash was 59 cents a pound, a savings of 40 cents a pound; 2 6-ounce packages of Driscoll's Blackberries were $3; and large seedless cucumbers were 99 cents each.

Fresh whole porgy were only $1.49 a pound.

I also found small Japanese-made plates I can use as spoon rests ($3.99 each).

The Little Ferry H Mart is badly in need of a renovation, but it is the only North Jersey store in the Korean chain to give customers 10 cents back for each reusable bag.

H Mart, 260 Bergen Turnpike, Little Ferry; 201-814-0400. Open 7 days.

They're kosher, but are they any good?

In a kosher restaurant, no dish mixes meat and dairy.

After another good breakfast at The Golden Grill in Teaneck, I took a stroll and discovered a neighborhood of ethnic restaurants with a surprising diversity.

Most of the restaurants in the township's West Englewood section are found on Queen Anne Road and West Englewood Avenue -- all within several blocks.

And most are kosher, catering to a large number of Orthodox Jews and offering barbecue, pizza, sushi and Iranian or Mediterranean fare. They are supplemented by a kosher bagel shop, delicatessens and cafes.

Non-kosher places

But you'll also find non-kosher Chinese and soul-food takeout places, and the Golden Grill, which serves breakfast and lunch. 

And Patisserie St. Michele, a French bakery on Queen Anne Road, is not to be missed.

Restaurant row

Arrayed along one side of West Englewood Avenue are Chopstix Glatt Kosher Chinese Takeout, Dougie's BBQ, Rabica Mediterranean Cafe, Royal Grill (Mediterranean & Persian Cuisine) and Sushi Metsuyan.

Dougie's serves pasture-fed Black Angus beef raised without antibiotics and growth hormones. Rabica's menu lists salads, pasta and fish, with an appetizer and entree costing $20 to $30.

The newest place on Queen Anne Road is Schnitzel+, a restaurant with a bright, modern orange-and-white interior that specializes in Israeli-style breaded chicken cutlets.

$16 family pizza

Sammy's New York Pizzeria has family-size pies starting at $16, and offers  gluten-free dough. 

Non-kosher options include Zen Kitchen, the Chinese takeout shop we've been using for more than five years, and Mom & Pop's Southern Kitchen on State Street.

At The Golden Grill, a breakfast of two eggs, fried whiting or a large fishcake made from canned salmon, home fries and a small glass of juice is $6.50.

Kosher dos and donts

If you plan to visit a kosher restaurant, keep in mind they usually are more expensive than their non-kosher counterparts. They also close on Friday afternoons or evenings, in observance of the Jewish Sabbath, and reopen on Saturday nights.

They also close the night before Jewish holidays.

If you love seafood, don't expect to find lobster or other shellfish, squid or shrimp, all of which are not "kosher."

And you cannot bring a bottle to a kosher BYO unless the wine is kosher.

Are they any good?

When I still ate meat, I might have tried the naturally raised beef at Dougie's BBQ, but now I have no interest in paying more for kosher food that is about the same quality as non-kosher food, especially because I couldn't find a wide range of seafood when dining out.

Please use Google for addresses and phone numbers.

Here are a few Web sites: 

Schnitzel+ 

Chinese, Japanese and Thai food 

Home of the 24-ounce burger 

Vegan kimchi, breakfast fish, beef update

Image via Wikipedia
Vegan Kimchi is now available in Englewood.

With its heavy reliance on beef, you wouldn't think Korean cuisine attracts any vegans, though vegetarians who eat fish and eggs can find plenty to eat.


Now, an Englewood-based company has introduced a vegan cabbage kimchi that is made without the usual salted shrimp and anchovy sauce.


The ingredient list for Arirang-brand Vegan Kimchi is short: Napa cabbage, daikon redish, salt, red pepper, garlic, ginger, water, sugar and scallion. No additives or preservatives are used.


The nutritional label on Arirang's standard cabbage kimchi, called mahk kimchi, says there are 160 milligrams of sodium in 1 ounce of the traditional, fermented product or about 7% of the daily recommended amount.


Without salted shrimp and anchovy sauce, the peppery Vegan Kimchi probably has even less sodium. It is available in 19-ounce jars where it is made:


Gaboh Inc., 191 W. Englewood Ave., Englewood; 201-503-1314.


Fish for breakfast, dinner


I had another terrific egg-and-fish breakfast at The Golden Grill in Teaneck.


Last time, I ordered the restaurant's fish cakes with my eggs, but this time, I asked for whiting, two eggs over easy and hash browns, but no toast. 


There were two hot, crispy fillets of fried whiting on top of my potatoes, and I could break off pieces and soak them in the wonderful yolks. Everything was even better with a liberal amount of Cholula Mexican hot sauce from a bottle on the table.


The breakfast special is $6.95, and tea was an extra $1.25. A great, meatless breakfast.


Last night, I had one of the great, meatless Meals To Go from Jerry's Gourmet in Englewood -- a multi-course, restaurant-quality dinner for sensible appetites.


The centerpiece was a small, wild-caught grouper fillet in roasted-pepper sauce, served with a thick artichoke frittata, five or six shrimp, roasted potatoes and a big, stuffed mushroom -- a total of 12 ounces.


Even though I gave my wife the penne with pancetta in cream sauce that came with my meal in exchange for a tangle of cooked thin, white asparagus from her meal, I was pleasantly full with the addition of a small salad I made.


Our other meals from Jerry's were barbecued chicken wings and roasted tilapia.


For years, the Meals To Go were only $6.99. But now Jerry's has raised them to $7.99, still a good deal and one of the best takeout values in North Jersey. 


The prepared meals are in a refrigerated case in the main part of Jerry's, though they are usually gone by early afternoon. Don't reheat the food in the plastic container; plate it first before popping it into the microwave.


The Golden Grill, 1379 Queen Anne Road, Teaneck; 201-837-1078.


Jerry's Gourmet and More, 410 S. Dean St., Englewood; 201-871-7108.


Australian beef update


After I published my last post, O say can you taste the grass?, I was contacted by Meat and Livestock Australia Ltd. (MLA) with corrected information on how beef is raised Down Under.


MLA said cattle raised for Nature's Reserve beef, a brand sold at ShopRite supermarkets in North Jersey, receive some growth hormones, even though they are free range and grass fed.


Originally, MLA said neither the beef or the lamb I wrote about contained growth hormones. Now, it says only the grass-fed lamb is hormone-free. 


Related posts

• Beef isn't the only choice for Korean BBQ (doyoureallyknowwhatyoureeating.blogspot.com)
• Kimchi is the star of a Korean meal for 10 (doyoureallyknowwhatyoureeating.blogspot.com)
• When meat divides a family (doyoureallyknowwhatyoureeating.blogspot.com)

Breakfast with a soul-food accent

Image via Wikipedia

Big demographic changes haven't obliterated the flavor of Teaneck. 

Editor's note: The bill of fare today includes an eye-opening breakfast in Teaneck, a strong contender in the battle of Korean soft-tofu houses and a visit to Whole Foods Market that didn't break the bank.

The Golden Grill is one of those places that have been there "forever."


It's a lively spot on a stretch of Queen Anne Road that is filled with glatt kosher food businesses -- a restaurant that reflects an older Teaneck, as does the French patisserie down the block.


When I walked in a little before 10 on Friday morning, the place was nearly full, and the two waitresses were overwhelmed, serving predominately African-American men. 


Looking over the menu, I immediately realized this is my kind of breakfast place, with combinations of two eggs and home fries or grits accompanied by whiting, a homemade fish cake or sardines. Toast and a small glass of juice are  included.


I made the mistake of ordering an egg-white omelet and a fish cake, and I was charged the a la carte price for each, a total of $10.95. Combo breakfasts are about $7.


I loved the tasty fish cake, especially with a splash or two of hot sauce from the bottle on the table, and the potatoes were the best home fries I've ever had. I told the waitress to hold the toast.


Still, the servers couldn't handle the crowd or change gears for the tea me and a friend had ordered; they kept on coming over with a coffee pot to refill our cups instead of a pot of hot water. 


The Golden Grill also serves lunch.


The Golden Grill Family Restaurant, 1379 Queen Anne Road, 
Teaneck; 201-837-1078. Free street parking, credit cards accepted.


More information: The Golden Grill


Organic soft tofu


We found a Korean soft-tofu stew restaurant with a difference -- actually, a few things that set it apart from the places that sling soondooboo jigae in Palisades Park and Fort Lee.


The Organic Tofu House in Ridgewood has an unusually large menu of soft-tofu stews and other Korean specialties, including hot stone-bowl bibimbap, barbecue and stir-fried vermicelli noodles, as well as slightly lower prices.


This is a great place for people who want Korean comfort food and don't eat meat. 


The tofu-stew broth is vegetarian, and the stir-fried, yam-flour noodles are made with vegetables, not meat. Vegetable dumplings and vegetable-and-seafood pancakes also are available.


Unfortunately, service is weak, especially when compared to other Korean restaurants. 


The small restaurant wasn't busy on Saturday evening, but the waitresses were in no rush to refill our tea glasses or to replace the free side dishes we finished before our stews were ready.


Four of us received the standard set of four small side dishes, and the quality was good -- cabbage kimchi, crunchy bean sprouts, fried tofu slices with onion and a small iceberg-lettuce salad. We also got an extra salad.


At our favorite soft-tofu house, So Gong Dong in Palisades Park, the four side dishes are replaced without prompting, and glasses are kept filled. In Ridgewood, I had to ask for more kimchi and more hot tea. Other side dishes weren't replaced.


The Ridgewood menu lists 19 soft-tofu stews, including some you don't see elsewhere, such  as curry, cheese, dumpling, tuna, "real" crab meat and chicken, and they can be made plain to very spicy.


Almost all are priced at $8.99, compared to $9.99 at So Gong Dong, but the latter price includes tax. Portions in Ridgewood are smaller.


In addition to organic soft tofu, the restaurant uses "alkaline water," which has health benefits, according to the menu. 


My wonderful, very spicy oyster stew was bubbling furiously in its stone bowl, so I could crack a fresh egg into it and cook the yolk softly, breaking it deliciously over steamed white rice.


I was pleasantly full from the side dishes, tofu stew and white rice. I split a second white rice with my son at no extra charge.


We also ordered sliced, marinated prime beef short ribs or kalbi, which came with wonderful grilled onions ($14.99). I tried the onions, not the meat.


Organic Tofu Stew House, 88 Godwin Ave., Ridgewood 
(in a strip mall near Whole Foods Market);
 201-251-7734. Closed Sundays.


Whole Foods in Paramus


On Saturday afternoon, we stopped at Whole Foods Market in Paramus to pick up some fruit for me and steaks for the rest of the family's Sunday dinner.


I was happy to find conventional Macoun apples and a 5.33-pound tote bag of Bosc pears, the latter from Red Apple Orchards in Geneva, N.Y. Both were a reasonable 99 cents a pound.


My wife picked up three naturally raised beef chuck shoulder steaks for $10.14 ($6.99 a pound), and the store brand of uncured, preservative-free and antibiotic-free sliced bacon ($3.99 for 12 ounces).


Sardine crisis


Ten cans of those plump Moroccan sardines (99 cents a can) lasted only about 10 days.


I know I used four cans to make a pound of whole-wheat spaghetti with sardines in a red sauce last week, but I'm not sure what happened to the rest. 


All I know is I wanted to make canned fish salad the other night and could find only yellow-fin tuna and pink salmon in the cupboard.


So, I dashed out to Paterson today and picked up another two dozen cans of Sultan-brand sardines at Brothers Produce, 327 E. Railway Ave., in the Farmers' Market.


While I was there, I bought yellow, red and green peppers (99 cents a pound) and three romaine hearts, also 99 cents.


At Fattal's Syrian Bakery, 975-77 Main St., I picked up a package of fresh Syrian bread ($1.50); a half-dozen store-made, 6-inch meat pies ($8.99) and a 15.8-ounce jar of fig marmalade with anise from Lebanon ($2.39).


Related article

• Driving here and there for my weekly fix (doyoureallyknowwhatyoureeating.blogspot.com)