PrintJersey Dispatch: Churrasqueira, Garden State Style
Cuisines have a way of redefining themselves when they're transplanted. Local factors make a difference. Can a Portuguese place that sits next to a Chinese takeout retain all its original Portuguese-ness? This is the question I ask myself when I'm visiting one of central New Jersey's more unique budget restaurant types, the Churrasqueira.
These places feature down-to-earth Portuguese cooking in an environment that's just a bit nicer than their nearest competitor; the Chinese takeout. Churrasquerias offer something that most Chinese takeouts don't though; a modest attempt at eat-in civility, drinks served in real glasses, china plates, nice placemats, and maybe even some fancy water from Portugal.
Most of the business is takeout though (and many offer free delivery) and on a recent night, my local, the Luso BBQ in Colonia, offered a whole barbecue chicken, fries and rice, for ten bucks. I ordered one, took it home, and after photographing it for this blog, went about the task of describing it. Over a bed of fries and mildly seasoned rice, was a whole chicken, hacked apart. Clearly marinated and then grilled, it had a crisp skin and meat that was tender from its treatment. The meat here bears no resemblance to American, Chinese, or any other barbecue. Its combination of marinating and grilling makes it uniquely Portuguese.
Chicken isn't the only thing that these places serve. At the Chop Spot in Linden, my wife and I have ordered beef and pork as well. There (and at most of the others too), fourteen or fifteen bucks will buy you a large platter of barbecue beef or pork over a bed of rice and fries. A few dollars more will get you soup, salad, or—if you're lucky—steamed vegetables.
At the Clark BBQ on Raritan Road in Clark, there was one twist; you could substitute the rice or fries for a salad or vegetable, and we did just that. We went for a grilled sausage appetizer too. It became obvious that trying to decide if one was better than the other was a futile effort. One place had the best pork, another great rice and soggy fries, and yet another might have perfect chicken when you discuss them in retrospect, but together, the differences are far more subtle.
Sometimes there's more variation from day to day than restaurant to restaurant.
When I asked one owner if these restaurants were really authentic, he told me that "back home, we'd serve more fish. Here the price would be too high." That doesn't stop them from offering fancier items. T-Bone steaks, Portuguese-style shell steaks (with ham, eggs, and gravy), and one or two dishes with salt cod, none for more than the price of a meal at a diner—but with a whole different vibe.
More than one person has told me that you can find these inexpensive, informal barbecues wherever there are Portuguese immigrants, and in the New York area, that's central New Jersey. In a belt that runs roughly from Newark south to Long Branch, they dot the landscape, offering grilled chicken, pork, and beef along with that wonderful, soulful combination of rice and fries. Kung Pao Chicken has serious competition.
By the way, while this wonderful combination of Portuguese/American thrives, I've never seen a Chinese/Portuguese or Chinese/Brazilian place. Where are they hidden?
Luso BBQ
330 Inman Avenue, Colonia NJ 07067 (map)
732-499-0455
lusobbq.com
Chop Spot
889 N Stiles Street, Linden NJ 07036 (map)
908-486-1050
chopspotbbq.com
Clark BBQ
1419 Raritan Road, Clark, NJ 07066 (map)
732-396-4600
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3 Comments:
I've often wondered why there aren't more real Asian/Brasilian restaurants, too, restaurants featuring the cuisine of Macau. Of course, you've got "Sushisamba" which claims to offer Asian/Brasilian/Peruvian, but eating there and expecting something that's authentic (or even good, for that matter!) is like going to Epcot Center and expecting that it will be just like going to France or Mexico.
The "Liberdade" neighborhood in Sao Paulo is Chinatown/Japantown/Koreatown all rolled into one, and there is absolutely wonderful eating and food shopping to be done there, but I've yet to see much of an impact here. Sao Paulo is a great city for food, that's for sure.
LadyMarmalade at 1:24PM on 11/14/08
Hi:
There is no rule about this. No assurance that a large immigrant community will reproduce quality versions of what those people ate back home.
I am hoping that upcoming my upcoming dispatches will include Chinese/Peruvian, Chinese/Indian, and with a bit more luck than I'm having right now, Chinese/Jamaican.
Stay tuned.
BrianYarvin at 3:05PM on 11/14/08
My parents live (and I grew up) right off Inman Ave. down the street from Luso BBQ and just noticed it this past week when I was visiting. For years it was a Chicken Holiday. Clark BBQ is a few blocks down from my mail route on Raritan Rd. in Clark. About a 30 second drive from the White Diamond which is on my route. I'd like to try one of these places for lunch. In your opinion, which place has the better chicken?
There is also a Churrasqueira on the corner of Madison Hill Rd. and Westfield Ave. in Rahway on the Clark border. Haven't been there, but 2 friends from work said it wasn't that good.
I live in Union where there is a place called the Burnet Bar B Que. They have 2 locations; one on Burnet Ave. and one on Stuyvesant Ave. I've been to the Stuyvesant Ave. location and enjoyed it very much. Portuguese chicken simialr to what is pictured. They serve it with rice and beans and another side. I think you have a choice of 2 sides that you can choose from. I think I like this chicken better than fried. And Union has some of the best fried chicken in the state. Church's (not the chain) Chicken, owned by Judy Church, was named the best chicken in the state by the Munchmobile a few years back. Friends of my wife who live in the area tell her that Mama's is even better. Both are located on Springfield Ave. in Union a few blocks from each other.
Elizabeth, near Tommy's Italian Hot Dogs and Jerry's Famous Frankfurters (2 of my top 6 or 7 favorite eateries) has a slew of Portuguese restaurants and currasqueiras that you might want to try. My brother dated a girl from the area who took him out to eat at many of these restaurants. He told me they are all very good and inexpensive as well.
hotdoglover at 7:34AM on 11/15/08