Coimbra Bar & Restaurant in Newark
At Coimbra, we were reminded of the local neighborhood restaurants in Portugal that we had dined at on our last vacation. Everyone, except the Safersteins, was speaking Portuguese and waiters were greeting customers by their names. The room was packed on a Tuesday, at lunchtime, and there was a pitcher of red house wine on most of the tables. The TVs were tuned to Portuguese stations.
Portions are big and prices low, so order accordingly and expect to bring home leftovers. One entrée can easily feed two people. Fish and pork options dominate the menu and roast suckling pig is offered Friday through Sunday. Specials are written out with their prices.
Photo courtesy of Lowell Saferstein
Heads and tentacles of grilled squid were served with a scrumptious garlic lemon sauce that was perfect for dipping the Portuguese bread into. Accompanied with broccoli, carrots, cabbage, string beans and three boiled potatoes, this dish was devoured and highly recommended. Equally enjoyable were pork cubes with shrimp and Spanish sausage flanked with a side of rice and French fries. A picturesque terra cotta dish was used to serve a rich traditional layered Portuguese pudding, (serradura aka sawdust) made with condensed milk, whipped cream and finely crumbled tea biscuits. Other interesting dessert options were cheeses from Portugal with quince jelly or banana and fruit cooked in red wine.
Open daily for lunch and dinner.
Coimbra, 637 Market Street, Newark; 973-491-9811
Dozo Sushi & Asian Cuisine in Livingston
Dozo is aptly named as in Japanese it means “welcome and please.” This new restaurant, in a strip mall in Livingston, was a delight with fresh tasting food, efficient service, and friendly staff. It was a pleasure to dine there.
The menu has no surprises except the quality of the dishes we tasted were excellent. Starters included rare black pepper tuna salad with soy onion dressing over romaine lettuce; al dente garlic steamed broccoli with a light brown garlic sauce which we finished in a flash as it was so delicious; and ethereal black cod with miso sauce which can be ordered as an appetizer or entrée. Sushi, sashimi and special, classic or hand rolls are available as well as omakase, made with fresh Japanese seafood flown from Tokyo’s Tsukiji Market, known as the world’s largest wholesale fish and seafood marketplace.
Photo courtesy of Lowell Saferstein
We opted for a Pink Lady Roll containing shrimp tempura, spicy salmon and avocado inside, wrapped with soybean paper and topped with eel and spicy mayo and an Out of Control special roll containing spicy crunchy tuna and avocado inside, topped with lobster tempura, eel and spicy mayo. On our next visit we want to try the sushi pizza, live scallop and udon.
Dozo Sushi & Asian Cuisine, 163 South Livingston Avenue, Livingston; 973-992-8881 (BYO)