An ethnic-food run for fish tacos, ceviche, yuca, spinach pies and stuffed grape leaves

An order of Fish Tacos at Taqueria Los Gueros on Main Avenue and Jefferson Street in the city of Passaic. The grilled fish, on two warm corn tortillas, was topped with Pico de Gallo (chopped tomatoes, onions, cilantro, chile pepper and lime juice) and avocado ($8.49).

Two salsas, lime sections and a tangle of spicy onions came with the tacos. The green salsa, bottom, is mildly spicy, but the red is tongue-searing hot and obliterates the taste of the taco.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

HACKENSACK, N.J. -- Northern New Jersey is a rich stew of ethnic groups.

And each one of them offers an array of specialities that lure food lovers into their cars for an ethnic-food run to one or more towns or cities in Passaic,  Bergen and Hudson counties.

This past Saturday we stopped for Fish Tacos on Main Avenue in Passaic, then walked a block or so to a Peruvian restaurant on Washington Street for rotisserie chicken, ceviche, empanadas and other takeout.

On the trip home -- when we found ourselves taking local streets to avoid Route 20 traffic congestion -- we made a quick stop in Paterson to pick up Syrian food at Fattal's.

Driving and parking

Driving in Passaic and Paterson has always been a challenge, and you'll find drivers on side streets with stop signs like to play chicken with you, if you are on the main street and have the right of way.

You can find parking in Passaic on Main Avenue's median, where you pay at a central meter, and then walk to Taqueria Los Gueros and Pollos El Chevere.

Fattal's, an emporium of Syrian food and spices at 975 Main St. in Paterson, has its own parking lot.

At Taqueria Los Gueros, my wife loved the taste of her Tacos al Pastor, but we had to send them back for pieces of fresh pineapple. And for some reason, they were made with only one corn tortilla instead of two, as they are in Mexico City ($6.49).

The pork for her Tacos al Pastor was roasted on a vertical spit, which was inspired by Lebanese Christian immigrants to Mexico. At one taqueria in Mexico City, a whole peeled pineapple is placed on top of the skewered pork, and the taco maker shaves the meat and fruit onto tortillas in one motion.

Taqueria Los Gueros is at 692 Main Ave. (Jefferson Street) in Passaic; 1-973-377-0755. Open 7 days.

A folksy saying appears on the Jefferson Street side of Taqueria Los Gueros: "A taco a day brings pure happiness."

A second Taqueria Los Gueros is at 231 Monroe St. in Passaic, but doesn't look as welcoming as the one on Main Avenue. You can also find a Taqueria Los Gueros at 46 W. Palisade Ave. in Englewood. The chain's website: Taqueria Los Gueros

See: Lost and found: A great Taco al Pastor

Pollos El Chevere

When we walked into Pollos El Chevere on Washington Street in Passaic, the Peruvian restaurant appeared much the same as it did on our last visit 5 long years ago.

We grabbed a takeout menu and ordered a Pollo Entero Solo, a whole rotisserie chicken, which comes with either french fries, rice, tostones, maduros or yuca ($12, only $2 more than in 2013).

Our choice, the tostones -- twice-smashed and fried green plantain sections -- were enormous. 

You also get a surprisingly spicy, pale-green chili-cheese sauce to use as a dip or to pour over everything.

We also ordered two Empanadas de Carne, patties stuffed with ground beef and half of a hard-boiled egg ($3 each); Yuca a la Huancaina, a starchy root vegetable with a milder chili-cheese sauce ($7); and Ceviche Mixto, a lime-marinated fish and seafood medley ($16).

Pollos El Chevere has a full menu of soups, pork chops and steaks, spaghettis, and rice and seafood dishes at moderate prices.

The Tallarin Verde I've had in the past reminded me of spaghetti dressed with basil pesto.

The restaurant was opened more than a dozen year ago by two Japanese-Peruvian men, but I don't know whether they still own and operate this and another El Chevere on Monroe Street in Passaic.

The counter where you order and pay for takeout was unchanged from our visit 5 years ago, but the wooden benches where customers wait have been replaced by metal seating. 

Pollos El Chevere is at 228 Washington Place, steps from Main Avenue, in Passaic; 1-973-249-6330. Open 7 days.

We loved the mildly spicy chili-cheese sauce with the Yuca a la Huancaina, but the we prefer the yuca much softer than it was.

A whole rotisserie chicken with tostones is $12, only $2 more than 5 years ago. The bonus is a pale green but spicy chili-cheese sauce that comes with the chicken. Photos below, plating the Mixed Seafood Ceviche with sweet potato, red onion and popped corn kernels, and Fattal's Vegetable Grape Leaves for a light dinner at home.

Fattal's

Fattal's -- a baker, grocer and butcher with a cafe serving the Syrian specialties I ate growing up in Brooklyn -- makes it easy to stop for takeout by having a parking lot right in front of the building, which is set back from Main Street.

I picked up eight fat Grape Leaves, stuffed with rice and vegetables ($7.99 a pound); and 6 Spinach & Cheese Pies wrapped in dough ($10.19 for 2 pounds).

Ingredients in the latter include spinach, feta cheese, onions, lemon juice, sumac and sesame seeds. 

See: 

From June 2013: 

The ethnic-food run

 is alive and well

Store-made items at Fatal's include both savory and sweet items. Besides Spinach & Cheese Pies, you can get Date Bread, Fig & Walnut Roll and Mini Vegetable Pies.

At Fattal's you'll also find jewelry, including 24-karat gold; a wide array of spices and such store-made pastry as baklava. The store is at 975-77 Main St., Paterson, in the heart of the city's bustling Middle Eastern shopping district, and not far from the Farmers Market on the border with Clifton.

Food matters: A $50 lunch in Hackensack; Syrian food + the Great Falls in Paterson

The Sashimi Tuna Salad dressed in a Cilantro Ginger Vinaigrette ($22) at Houston's in The Shops at Riverside, an upscale mall near Route 4 in Hackensack.

A appetizer special of Char-Grilled Artichokes with a Remoulade Sauce ($15).

-- HACKENSACK, N.J.

By VICTOR E. SASSON

EDITOR

Houston's, a fine-dining restaurant in an upscale mall, is crowded, noisy and expensive.

But my lunch there last week was one of the best I've ever had, even though I over-ordered and my bill topped $50, including tax and a 20% tip.

The three char-grilled artichokes in an appetizer special were enormous, and I took home two of them.

And the fork-tender seared ahi tuna chunks in the Sashimi Salad, dressed in a delicious Cilantro Ginger Vinaigrette, were all a fish lover could hope for. 

Portions were generous.

I've worked or lived in Hackensack for decades, yet this was my first visit to Houston's, which says it prepares American classics from scratch.

Servers wear white shirts, striped ties and big aprons, and there is a dress code for customers, too, as a card on the table informed me (collared shirts for men, no tank tops or flip-flops for women).

I met a friend there at 1:30 last Thursday afternoon, and we were seated in 5 minutes, but the noise level at the height of the lunch hour was annoying.

My Sashimi Salad would have been perfect with ripe instead of hard pieces of mango and avocado, and I also didn't like Campari tomato halves that were still cold from being refrigerated.

My friend ordered his favorite dish at Houston's, the Grilled Chicken Salad dressed in a Honey Lime Vinaigrette and peanut sauce.

Houston's Grilled Chicken Salad ($18). Burgers and sandwiches are $18 to $22, and House Specialties range from $23 to $47.

The dining room -- all brick, dark-red leather, booths, armchairs and butcher-block tables-- was dimly lit at lunch.

When I stepped inside the dining room from the mall entrance, I snapped a photo of the open kitchen, and an employee barked, "No photos!"

DETAILS: Houston's Bergen County in The Shops at Riverside is open 7 days for lunch, dinner and wine. The Hackensack restaurant is one of 16 Houston's in California, Texas, Louisiana (New Orleans), Georgia and Florida. You can make a reservation using a link on the website: American Classics Made From Scratch

To Silk City for Syrian food

We dashed out on Saturday to pick up a few things at Fattal's in the South Paterson section of Paterson, but stopped first at the roaring Great Falls, said to be second only to Niagara Falls east of the Mississippi River.

The lower viewing area and statue of Alexander Hamilton is closed during construction of an amphitheater.

So, we parked in the small lot outside Mary Ellen Kramer Park overlooking the falls, which is part of a national historical park.

The large number of silk mills powered by the falls transformed Paterson into America's Silk City.

And many Syrian immigrants owned or worked in the city's silk mills in the early 1900s, according to the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn, Mich.

At Fattal's -- a Syrian baker, butcher and grocer at 975 Main St. -- we bought a dozen made-to-order falafel, $4.99; grape leaves stuffed with rice and vegetables, $7.99 a pound; crushed red Aleppo pepper, $6.99 a pound; and pickled turnip slices, $2.99 a pound.

To see a video of the falls, click on this link: 

Stopping at the Great Falls in Paterson

On Saturday, Paterson's Great Falls were full of water and literally roaring. A plaque in the park noted that 190 million years ago (Mesozoic Era) molten lava formed the basaltic ridge where the falls are today.

Grape leaves stuffed with rice and vegetables, fried falafel and hummus made from a can, all from Fattal's in Paterson. The Syrian baker, butcher and grocer is open 7 days. Parking is in a lot in front of the store.

Eating In: A wide world of flavors dress up homemade meals, sandwiches and snacks

A pinch or two of a crushed red pepper named after the embattled city of Aleppo, Syria, where my parents were born, can elevate fish and egg dishes, such as this breakfast of organic eggs with Chinese broccoli, and leftover organic whole-wheat pasta with a ragu of sardines and anchovies.

Kirkland Signature Basil Pesto from Costco Wholesale brings the flavors of Italy (imported basil, grated cheese, extra virgin olive oil and pine nuts) to fresh wild cod from Iceland, served here with organic quinoa and a medley of vegetables. The refrigerated pesto also is terrific as a sandwich spread.

-- HACKENSACK, N.J.

By VICTOR E. SASSON

EDITOR

Crushed red Aleppo pepper, a fragrant pesto made from basil or mint, a fiery Mexican hot sauce; and za'atar, a dried thyme mixture, are some of the flavors from around the world I love to use in my meatless cooking, sandwiches and snacks.

A pinch or two of the mildly spicy Aleppo pepper can elevate any fish or egg dish, and you can sprinkle it over a hummus made with plenty of lemon and garlic. 

My source for Aleppo pepper and canned hummus from Lebanon is Fattal's at 975 Main St. in Paterson, a Syrian bakery, grocery and butcher shop with its own parking lot.

See this video for a falafel sandwich that reveals multiple layers of flavor as you eat more and more of it:

I've been on a no-bread, no-pizza diet for years, but an occasional guilty pleasure is the toasted end of a loaf of Dave's Killer Bread, an organic loaf with 21 grains or seeds sold at Costco, spread with a homemade mint pesto.

A small Za'atar Bread from Fattal's Cafe is another guilty pleasure. I had the bread in the freezer, but warmed it up in the oven and drizzled olive oil over the dried mixture: thyme, sour-tasting sumac, sesame seeds and salt.

Kimbap (seaweed-and-rice rolls) and Cabbage Kimchi add a spicy Korean accent to a simple egg-white omelet.

My wife rubbed a Jamaican Jerk Sauce into antibiotic-free, vegetarian-fed chicken wings from ShopRite, and roasted them until they were a golden brown. The chicken is sold under the Wholesome Pantry label.

Greek extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar from Italy are all the dressing I need on my almost nightly salad of Earthbound Farm Organic Spring Mix with hothouse cucumbers and Campari Tomatoes, all from Costco.

Valentina Mexican Hot Sauce from Guadalajara, Mexico, is a modestly priced sauce that doesn't obliterate the taste of your food, if used sparingly (the "extra hot" version has a black label).

I like to use Valentina with the Jamaican national dish, Ackee and Salt Fish, which combines salted cod with hot and sweet peppers, a bland fruit called ackee and a side of boiled and mashed green bananas.

Eating In + Eating Out: Victor's Healthy Kitchen on YouTube; Fattal's, Lotus Cafe

-- HACKENSACK, N.J.

By VICTOR E. SASSON

EDITOR

After I gave up meat and poultry more than 5 years ago, I had to come up with recipes for fish, eggs and pasta for the nights my wife prepared a chicken, pork, beef, lamb or goat dish.

I've described the preparation of these meatless dishes in my blogs, The Sasson Report and Do You Really Know What You're Eating?

Now, I've started to post videos on a YouTube channel called Victor's Healthy Kitchen, showing how easy it is to assemble meatless meals at home.

I cook in large quantities, using leftovers to cut down on meal-preparation times in the next several days, but all of my recipes can be adjusted for one or two people.



I am also posting videos from the stores where I shop, including Costco Wholesale, Whole Foods Market, ShopRite, Trader Joe's, H Mart and H&Y Marketplace.



I am trying to buy as much organic or non-GMO food as I can to cut down on the pesticides, chemicals and harmful antibiotics that we ingest.

My visits to the Whole Foods Market in Paramus have increased to take advantage of lower prices for organics, fish and shrimp after the merger with Amazon, and Costco seems to be adding organics every day.

ShopRite also has christened a new line of organic and non-organic food, as well as antibiotic-free poultry, called Wholesome Pantry.

On Monday, on the way home from doing an errand in Bernardsville, we stopped in Paterson to shop at Fattal's, and pick up takeout from Aleppo Restaurant, at Main and Thomas streets (falafel, muhammara, salad and bread).

During our one dinner out last week, we saw the first women servers at Lotus Cafe in Hackensack in the nearly 30 years I've been going to the Chinese restaurant.

Spinach & Cheese Pies are among the savory baked goods offered at Fattal's, a bakery, grocery, butcher shop and cafe that also sells gold jewelry at 975 Main St., Paterson, in the Middle Eastern Shopping District called South Paterson.

At Fattal's, I picked up a half-gallon of Merve Ayran Yogurt Drink flavored with mint ($5.49).

Al Shark-brand Moroccan Sardines in tomato sauce, in red boxes, are 99 cents each, compared to skinless-and-boneless sardines in soya oil for $1.69 a can.

Some of the offerings in Fattal's small cafe, below.

On the way home from Fattal's and Aleppo Restaurant on Monday afternoon, we stopped at the Aldi Supermarket on Main Street in Hackensack to take advantage of a sale on a 1-pound package of triple-washed Organic Spring Mix ($3.49), a great salad with extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

See Victor's Healthy Kitchen for a video on how to prepare organic sunny side up eggs and smoked wild salmon, which I served over leftover organic whole wheat spaghetti with sardines and anchovies.

Homemade Tuna and Sardine Salad with diced onion, sweet peppers and celery dressed in Dijon mustard, lemon juice and cumin, plus a non-fat Greek yogurt sauce with cucumber, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil called tzatziki.

We had dinner last Saturday night at Lotus Cafe in the Home Depot Shopping Center, 450 Hackensack Ave., Hackensack (201-488-7070). Our whole butterflied Striped Bass with Scallion & Ginger was enough for two with leftovers, but took 20 minutes to steam ($28.95).

A seasonal item, Sauteed Chinese Star Squash ($11.95), above, and brown rice, below, completed our delicious meal.

This hot chili pepper paste is available on request.

Eating In: Preparing delicious side dishes, other leftovers; plus, first soft-shell crabs

A POUND GOES A LONG WAY: When I prepare a pound of organic whole wheat fusilli pasta with bottled sauce, chopped garlic and organic diced tomatoes, the leftovers provide a ready side dish for a breakfast of organic eggs or dinner, above and below.

DINNER OF LEFTOVERS: Both the fusilli and the Icelandic cod with spinach, tomatoes, capers, black olives and Greek yogurt were leftovers.

-- HACKENSACK, N.J.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

"Cooking ahead" means preparing larger quantities than we'd consume at a single meal, yielding leftovers that cut the time it takes to put future meals on the table.

If you have a tasty preparation of whole wheat fusilli in the refrigerator, you can enjoy a breakfast of pasta and eggs in about 7 minutes (the time it takes to reheat the pasta and prepare an omelet or two eggs sunny side up).

The same goes with preparing other whole grains, such as 2 cups of organic quinoa or organic brown rice with chickpeas and organic diced tomatoes, either as side dishes or as a light dinner topped with salad.

If that package of fresh, wild-caught Icelandic cod at Costco Wholesale is close to 2 pounds, you can prepare it all at once, providing that night's dinner and a couple of lunches or snacks.

Kinara in Tenafly, The Fish Dock in Closter

A Korean shrimp-and-beef feast

A pan of skinless-and-boneless Icelandic Cod with fresh organic spinach, tomato, black olives, capers, fresh lemon juice and salt-free all-purpose seasoning is ready after 15 minutes in a preheated 400-degree oven. I add Greek yogurt just before serving the fish.

You can find fresh wild Atlantic Cod from Iceland for $7.99 a pound at Costco Wholesale in Teterboro.

Sweet potatoes mashed with extra-virgin olive oil and seasonings is a favorite side dish. Here, I heated up leftovers to eat with the Jamaican national dish, Ackee and Salt Fish, that my wife prepared with salted cod, canned ackee fruit, and sweet and hot peppers.

Before Easter, the ShopRite in Paramus was selling 5-pound boxes of Sweet Potatoes for $2.99 each. I baked some of the potatoes, and mashed the rest.

A pound package of organic whole wheat linguine and other shapes are available at ShopRite, Whole Foods Market and Trader Joe's for about $1.50.

I poached two organic eggs from Costco (2 dozen for $5.99) in leftover pasta sauce, and sauteed fresh spinach in organic chicken stock, sesame oil, sake and organic no-salt seasoning, above and below.

I ate the eggs over leftover organic whole wheat pasta shells in a spicy bottled Fra Diavolo sauce with canned sardines and anchovies.

Warm organic brown rice with chickpeas and organic diced tomatoes topped with organic spring mix, which I dressed with extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

For another quick preparation of Icelandic cod fillets, poach the fish in a 16-ounce jar of 365 Everyday Value Roasted Chipotle Salsa from Whole Foods Market with added lemon juice. You can also add onions, chopped fresh garlic and chopped olives, above and below. The side dish is leftover mashed sweet potatoes.

Add the sliced onion, garlic, olives and lemon juice to the salsa, cover, bring to a boil and cook for a few minutes. Then, add serving portions of the fish, seasoned with a little sea salt, cover again and cook for about 7 minutes for fillets up to a half-inch thick.

An egg-white omelet with leftover fusilli pasta and chopped callaloo, a collard-like green available in cans.

Here is a stuffed egg-white omelet with salted cod fish, smoked wild salmon, reduced-fat Swiss cheese, Mexican-style salsa and Greek yogurt laced with wasabi. The finishing accent is crushed red Aleppo pepper from Fattal's, a Syrian baker, butcher and grocer at 975 Main St. in Paterson.

Soft-shell crabs

Every spring, seafood lovers eagerly anticipate the appearance of soft-shell crabs in markets and on menus.

This week, I met my friend Arthur at Seafood Gourmet, the fish market-restaurant at 103 W. Pleasant Ave. in Maywood that is his go-to place for lunch on Mondays.

Unfortunately, when we were seated at about 1 p.m., the kitchen had only two soft-shell crabs left, so we split a special, Gingered Soft Shell Crabs served with Jasmine Rice and Vegetables (Market Price).

The lunch entree was delicious, but came with a little heartburn: 

We were charged $24 for two crabs -- that's $12 bucks each. 

Explore: Do You Really Know What You're Eating?

A half-portion of Gingered Soft Shell Crabs with Jasmine Rice and Vegetables at Seafood Gourmet in Maywood.

We also split Seafood Gourmet's Coconut Shrimp ($8).

On Easter Sunday, I paid $13.99 a pound for two live lobsters at the ShopRite in Paramus -- more than double the price when they are on sale.