NJ Dining: Huong Viet

Huong Viet
358 Passaic Avenue, Nutley NJ

When your favorite restaurants close, there is always a mourning period. Sometimes, you know that they are going to be gone forever, but in other cases, you get a glimmer of hope, hearing rumors that they may open again somewhere else.

One such restaurant was Little Saigon in Montclair, a Vietnamese favorite with a loyal clientele. Little Saigon had closed before, due to a fire in its original Nutley location on Franklin Avenue in 2003. The restaurant  re-opened in 2005 in a much larger Montclair space on Elm Street. In October of 2009, Little Saigon closed suddenly and without any warning.

But late last year we heard rumors that the owners were going to re-open, and re-open it did, in the original town where it all started, in Nutley. However, “Little Saigon” is no longer — it has returned to business, with the same owners, as Huong Viet on Passaic Avenue, in a much more manageable space than its previous location.

Huong Viet is the new Pho King of Nutley. Click on the “Read the rest of this entry” link below for more.

Podcast #50: Chatham Fish Pier and Nickerson Fish and Lobsters

Nickerson Fish and Lobsters
Chatham Fish PR, Chatham MA 02633
(508)945-0145

May 22nd was the first day of the season for Nickerson Fish and Lobsters, the premier boutique seafood retailer and wholesaler in Chatham, Massachusetts, which resides on the famous Chatham Fish Pier, only 50 feet from the docks where the fishing boats bring in their catch. Over Memorial Day weekend we had the rare privilege of eating the best fresh seafood a single consumer will find anywhere on the Atlantic coast, and talking to Tom Riley, the proprietor of the business, as well as local Lobster and Scallop fishermen.

Click here to listen to the Chatham Fish Pier and Nickerson Fish and Lobster podcast (58 min running time).

Click here for a hi-res Slide Show.

Click here to watch a Flickr Video of how to properly crack a lobster.

Click here to watch a Flickr Video of some very aggressive seagulls.

Related News Article: 5/31/08 — 60,000 lbs of Lobsters destroyed in Boston Fire

Chatham, MA. The center of the universe for Lobster and Scallops on Cape Cod.

The Chatham Lighthouse.

Nickerson Fish and Lobsters, in Chatham, Cape Cod MA. One of the oldest and most reputable seafood purveyors in the entire country. Situated directly on the Fish Pier, it is only 50 feet away from where the Lobster Boats and the Scallop Trawlers leave and return from their daily fishing trips. Nickerson buys directly from the source (and in the case of scalloping, it has its own boat to fill some of the demand) and has a huge seawater tank with sand filtration system to keep shellfish at the absolute apex of freshness.

Scallop and Lobster boats on the Chatham Fish Pier, at around 7:30am, just before leaving for the day.

If you’re craving lobsters, you’d best not click on the “Read the rest of this entry” link below.