Past the $200 shoes and $85 ties, Nordstrom offers a great lunch menu

Crab Macaroni & Cheese is one of the entrees at Bazille, a full-service restaurant serving bistro cuisine in the Nordstrom department store at Westfield Garden State Plaza, the biggest mall in New Jersey.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

My friend Arthur has a favorite lunch spot for nearly every day of the week.

On Mondays, you'll find him tucking into one of the imaginative specials at Seafood Gourmet, the fish market-restaurant in Maywood.

And on Tuesdays, Arthur takes to the streets to avoid having to fight traffic on Route 4, and enjoys one of the bistro dishes at Bazille, a restaurant on the lower level of the Nordstrom department store in Paramus.

That's where I met him for lunch this week, bringing along another friend, who, like Arthur, is a Korean War veteran.

Bazille's Prime Rib French Dip is made with sharp white cheddar cheese and a roasted parmesan baguette, and served with a light beef gravy.

Cage-free eggs, organic greens 

Bazille is among only a handful of restaurants in northern New Jersey that is "committed to bringing you local, sustainable, natural and organic foods and environmentally friendly products whenever and wherever we can," including cage-free eggs, organic greens and naturally fed and humanely raised poultry.

Arthur ordered the Crab Mac & Cheese entree ($15.50); I tried one of the salads, Nicoise with Wild Salmon, which was cooked to order ($16.95); and my friend Gene had one of the sandwiches, Prime Rib French Dip ($16.95).

Unsweetened iced tea was $2.50 with refills. Gene asked for a glass of water with no ice, and the waiter also set down an old-fashioned glass milk bottle filled with more. 

We really enjoyed our food. Arthur and Gene took home leftovers, but managed to find room for a shared dessert of chocolate mocha gelato.

Finding Bazille

I walked through the men's clothing department on the first floor of Nordstrom -- past $200 shoes and $85 ties -- and took an escalator to the lower level, where I found the entrance to Bazille on the other side of a display of baby strollers.

The restaurant has a full bar, but is too brightly lit. When the dining room is full, expect a lot of noise and slow service. 

Still, I'm looking forward to returning and trying other non-meat dishes, including Brick Oven Brussels Sprouts and Grilled Asparagus with Lemon Zest & Fleur de Sel ($6.95 each).

An entree of Shrimp Linguine with Spicy Tomato Sauce comes with organic spinach, petite tomatoes and fresh herbs ($2o.50).

My Nicoise Salad with Wild Salmon included organic greens, French green beans and Kalamata olives, with a Dijon mustard-and-herb coating on the roasted fish fillet.

Bazille is on the lower level of Nordstrom, 501 Garden State Plaza, Paramus; 1-201-712-5930. Closed Sundays. For holiday store hours, call 1-201-843-1122. 

A Costco with no parking problems, no crowds, no waiting to check out

Costco Wholesale members who fight for a parking space, then fight the crowds inside the store, fantasize about shopping in a near-empty warehouse, such as the one shown above and below.

This warehouse even has a food court with 18-inch pizzas and all of the other Costco favorites you find elsewhere.

Editor's note: We prepare most of our meals at home, so I'm still waiting for the one food store in northern New Jersey that has organics and everything else at great prices. Meanwhile, I continue to make the rounds of my favorites, including Costco Wholesale, H Mart and ShopRite.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

You died and went to Costco Wholesale shopping heaven in Hackensack, N.J.

That sums up the experience of walking into a Costco warehouse where you'll encounter only a handful of other customers and cashiers waiting to check out your purchases.

This warehouse closed in October 2015, when a bigger and far busier Costco, plus a gas station, opened in the Teterboro Landing Shopping Center off of busy Route 46.

Five months later, a renovated Hackensack warehouse opened as a Costco Business Center, where the focus is on such small businesses as restaurants and caterers, and delivers their orders.

That's why the parking lot and the store are such a pleasure.

The old food court also was renovated, but you won't find a pharmacy, optical services, photo department, tires, clothing or a separate store with wine.

True. The selection is limited. 

But you can pick up produce, eggs, milk, bread, water, snack bars, candy and many other items stocked by a regular Costco Wholesale.

Instead of fighting the crowds at the Teterboro Costco on Saturday afternoon, I dashed out to the Hackensack warehouse for:

One of the best salads in the world, Earthbound Farm Organic Spring Mix ($4.79 for a 1-pound package); incomparable Campari Tomatoes ($5.49 for 2 pounds), 6 pounds of large Bosc Pears ($6.99), 2.5 pounds of Starbucks French Roast Coffee Beans ($15.49 with an instant coupon), and KIND snack bars ($18.99).

The Costco Wholesale Business Center in Hackensack carries hothouse-grown Campari Tomatoes from both Canada and Mexico. They prove winter tomatoes don't have to be watery or mealy or both. For a real treat, pop one whole into you mouth and bite into it.

The Business Center also carries 22-ounce jars of Kirkland Signature Basil Pesto, a refrigerated product. Here, I dressed organic whole wheat pasta with pesto and organic pine nuts, and washed them down with a glass of Kirkland Signature Malbec, a red wine from Argentina.

After my pasta, I enjoyed a salad of triple-washed Earthbound Farm Organic Spring Mix, including peppery arugula, dressed with extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

 

The Costco Wholesale Business Center at 80 S. River St. in Hackensack is open until 6 p.m. on weekdays, 4 p.m. on Saturdays and closes on Sundays. It's also closer to my home than the new Teterboro warehouse.

Although the H Mart supermarket in Little Ferry is as shabby as ever, managers have added dividers in the fresh fish case, as well as new signs, above and below. On Sunday, the store had no heat, so a free sample of hot noodle soup with fish cakes was greatly appreciated.

An employee acknowledged the new signs are missing a required piece of information -- whether the fish is wild or farmed -- and said the store will be remedying that. I bought three whole wild-caught red snappers for pan frying at home, and munched on free seafood samples at a nearby counter while my fish was cleaned.

I also bought Organic Brown Shimeji Mushrooms.

At the Little Ferry H Mart, the price of a 5-pound box of Spanish Clementines has fluctuated -- from $7.99 on Nov. 6 to $3.99 on Dec. 4, above, and to $5.99 on Sunday.

At the ShopRite in Paramus this afternoon, 1-liter bottles of Alonia-brand Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Spain were only $3.99 each, an unusually low price for an EVOO that isn't a blend from several countries. I bought three bottles with a best-by date of January 2019 for dressing salads, adding to pasta sauces and eating with bread. 

The ShopRite in Paramus, at 224 Route 4 east, also is accessible from Forest Avenue.

Amid the widely publicized adulteration of some extra-virgin olive oils in Italy, the price of this heart-healthy oil has risen dramatically, and producers have been shrinking the traditional 1-liter bottle and 3-liter tin, and selling what are called Mediterranean blends of EVOOs from several countries, including Greece, Spain, Tunisia and Portugal. Above, Colavita "100% Certified Italian" Extra-Virgin Olive was $14.99 for less than a full liter at the Paramus ShopRite.

A blend of extra-virgin olive oils was $7.99 for a half-liter bottle. A full liter is 33.8 ounces.

ShopRite says it imports extra-virgin olive oil made from Italian-grown olives. Here, a 1-liter bottle was $8.99, but I've seen it on sale for $6.99.

Two lunches: Trip to the Middle East and exotic seafood close to home

Trip to the Middle East, a hot appetizer served in the cafe at Fattal's in Paterson, could feed two or three people for lunch.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

After picking up a menu at Fattal's in September, a hot appetizer called Trip to the Middle East stuck in my mind.

Dips, stuffed grape leaves, kibbeh, falafel, pies, pickles and more -- this one dish has many of the great Syrian comfort foods I enjoyed growing up in Brooklyn.

On Tuesday, I finally ordered one to eat in the specialty food store's small cafe, but took home plenty of leftovers, because there was enough to feed two or three people ($14.99).

As I ate, I realized my hunger was driven in part by the anniversary the next day, Dec. 7, of the death of my mother, Grace Ashkenazi Sasson, who was born in Aleppo, Syria.  

Substitutes

I don't eat meat or poultry, and had to work out substitutions for the deep-fried kibbeh stuffed with ground beef, lamb, onions and walnuts; the grape leaves with meat and the meat pies.

Fattal's makes wonderful grape leaves stuffed with vegetables, and terrific pies with vegetables, including sweet pepper, and olives. 

I also got two more falafels (made with chick peas, fava beans and spices) in place of the two kibbeh.

I loved everything, but thought the tabbouleh could have used more bulgur, and at least one more Syrian pocket bread should be included.

Then, I went into Fattal's grocery aisles for a dozen cans of Al-Shark brand Sardines in Tomato Sauce to take home (99 cents each).  

My next stop was Costco Wholesale in Wayne, where I picked up eight bottles of red wine, including Kirkland Signature Malbec from Argentina ($7.99), and a boxed set of four Bordeauxs from France ($29.99 or about $7.50 per bottle).

Kirkland Signature Prosecco, a sparkling wine from Italy, is an easy to swallow $6.99; and at only $19.99, the house label Champagne (Brut) from France is less than half the price of some other brands.

You'll find the cafe at Fattal's in the back of the store, past the pastries, spices, gold jewelry and bread racks.

I ate sandwiches of grape leaves and falafel stuffed with tomato, pickles, hummus and baba ghanoush.

Three-liter bottles of California red wine at Costco Wholesale in Wayne.

Details

Fattal's, 975-77 Main St., Paterson; 1-973-742-7125. Open 7 days. Large parking lot. Syrian bread, groceries, meat and poultry, gold jewelry, cafe.

Costco Wholesale, 149 Route 23, Wayne. Open 7 days. Members-only warehouse also sells wine, champagne and prosecco, including Costco's Kirkland Signature label.

A Seafood Trio --Char-Grilled Swordfish, Halibut and Octopus -- served over Stewed Lentils was one of the lunch specials on Monday at Seafood Gourmet, the fish market-restaurant in Maywood, below.

Exotic seafood

If you love seafood, don't miss the imaginative specials from Chef Dave Fuentes at Seafood Gourmet, the fish market-restaurant on Maywood's main street.

On Monday, I met a friend there for lunch and enjoyed two of the specials, a cup of Bahamian Conch Chowder ($3), and a Char-Grilled Seafood Trio swimming in a soupy stew of lentils and other vegetables ($16). 

The conch in the soup and the octopus in the Seafood Trio were unusually tender, and the latter was served with a spoon so I could enjoy all of the lentil-and-vegetable stew. 

After lunch, I stopped at Maywood's Marketplace for a large head of Romaine lettuce ($1.29) my wife wanted, and looked over the impressive selection of takeout food and wine.

Nearly all of the fresh fish in the market at Seafood Gourmet can be enjoyed in the small dining room or is prepared and available for takeout, below.

The produce section at Maywood's Marketplace, above, and takeout food, below.

Above the creamed spinach are mashed sweet potatoes.

Details

Seafood Gourmet, 103 W. Pleasant Ave., Maywood; 201-843-8558. BYO, free street parking, closed Sundays.

Maywood's Marketplace, 78 W. Pleasant Ave., Maywood; 201-843-8361. Open 7 days.

Keeping it healthy: Seafood doesn't need butter, bacon or brown sugar

This month, The Costco Connection, a magazine sent to Costco Wholesale members, is recommending a totally unnecessary addition to a luxurious meal of Red King Crab Legs and Dungeness Crab -- a half-cup of butter.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Fresh lime or lemon juice is all I need to enjoy lobster, king crab or plump sea scallops.

In the past few years, I've made a wonderful Red King Crab Leg salad with Dijon mustard, fresh lime juice, cumin and other seasonings.

But retailers like Costco Wholesale and Trader Joe's seem to think premium seafood shouldn't be served without butter, brown sugar or bacon.

Experts say lobster, crab and other shellfish contain levels of cholesterol comparable to land animals.

Where they have the edge is much lower levels of saturated fat, which is found in butter, bacon and other food.

Replacing saturated fats in your diet with sources of polyunsaturated fats -- such as ocean fish with omega-3 fatty acids -- can lower your risk of cardiovascular disease, according to the American Heart Association.

When I emailed a photo of my Red King Crab Salad to Tim Talevich, editorial director of The Costco Connection, he replied the dish looked delicious and the magazine would consider "healthier options" next time.

Trader Joe's Fearless Flyer, which is sent to customers' homes, raves about Scallops Wrapped in Uncured Bacon with Brown Sugar Glaze.

The Costco Connection's Recipe for Shrimp Fettuccine (misspelled in the magazine with one "c") includes two tablespoons of butter.

Trader Joe's Crab Cakes, right, are made with both a Mayo Dressing and Worcestershire Sauce, according to the ingredients label, below. They also are more expensive than the Phillips Seafood Restaurants' 3-ounce crab cakes sold at Costco Wholesale.

A good buy at Trader Joe's in Paramus on Saturday was a large stalk of Brussels Sprouts for $3.99. Ignore the recipe on the tag for roasting the whole stalk with 3/4 cup of maple syrup. Another problem is the recommended wrapping of the stalk in plastic wrap, and heating it in a microwave on high for 4 minutes or 5 minutes. That could lead to the transfer of chemicals to the Brussels Sprouts from the cling wrap.

I found a recipe online for oven roasting the Brussels Sprouts with olive oil, salt and pepper, though I used a lower temperature to avoid burning the outer leaves. I should have followed the recipe and trimmed the hard, fibrous stem after removing the sprouts from the stalk and washing them. I also recommend cutting the larger sprouts in half.

Trader Joe's most flavorful pasta sauce, Puttanesca, contains no added sugar. Ingredients include Italian tomatoes, capers, olives and anchovies.

I boost the flavor of skinless-and-boneless Icelandic Haddock ($8.99 a pound at Costco Wholesale in Teterboro) by coating serving pieces in Asian-Indian Spices from a box of Fish Masala, which you find in an Indian grocery.

I start with fresh spinach drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil, above, then add spice-coated fish, chopped pitted olives, fresh tomato slices and reduced-fat grated cheese, below.

The haddock was ready after about 12 minutes in a preheated 400-degree oven.

On Thanksgiving, I served a Red King Crab Salad with chopped celery, carrot, onion, and sweet pepper dressed in Dijon mustard, fresh lime juice, cumin and other spices.

Kirkland Signature Basil Pesto from Costco is as rich as butter, but made with extra-virgin olive oil and reduced-fat grated cheese. Pesto nicely complemented two Maryland-style jumbo lump crab cakes sold at Costco under the Phillips Seafood Restaurants label.

At ShopRite: Spanish cider, organic pasta, grass-fed beef from Australia

SWEET DEAL: At the ShopRite in Englewood on Tuesday, I bought four 25.4-ounce bottles of Sparkling Cider from Spain at $1.88 each, the lowest sale price I've seen in the many years I've enjoyed this non-alcoholic beverage, which is made with 100% apple juice, but has no added sugar. There was a limit of four with store card.

PALE IMITATION: Not far away, but at a higher price, was Goya-brand Sparkling Cider, labeled as an authentic Spanish import, but a check of the label showed this non-alcoholic beverage contains only 35% apple juice. Other ingredients include sugar, apple vinegar, preservatives and caramel color.

ORGANIC IS BETTER: A 1-pound box of Gia Russa-brand 100% Whole Wheat Roman Rigatoni or Penne Rigate from Italy were reduced to $1.39 from $3.29, but at the same ShopRite you can buy Luigi Vitelli-brand Organic Whole Wheat Spaghetti and other shapes for $1.29 a pound.

SEAFOOD SHELLS: Whole Foods Market in Paramus also carries imported Organic Whole Wheat Shells and other shapes for $1.49 a pound. Here, I prepared the shells with anchovies and sardines in Victoria Marinara, adding red wine and seasonings to the sauce. Victoria Marinara and Vodka Sauce also were on sale at ShopRite ($3.49 for a 40-ounce jar).

FROM AUSTRALIA: At ShopRites in Rochelle Park and Englewood last Friday and Saturday, Nature's Reserve Grass Fed Beef from Australia was on sale for $2.99 a pound with a $10 additional purchase and a store card. A roast or strip steaks were available with a limit of two packages.

-- VICTOR E. SASSON