Newark Portuguese Festival

[Rachel Perlow]

This started on another thread, but I thought it deserves its own...

I could swear I saw an egullet post about the Portuguese food festival that's happening in Newark this weekend, but now I can't find it.  Anybody know anything?  What's it called - is there a website?

I contacted a former office mate who lives in Newark. Here's her response to my email (I asked her to post on eGullet, but I guess she hasn't had the time yet.):

Yes it's this Saturday and Sunday....Ferry Street gets blocked off and it's all weekend. I believe on Saturday it only starts later on during the day...towards evening. Sunday they have a Parade and the feast after the parade. On Friday they have something in Iberia parking lot at night. That's about it. Let me know if there are any other questions!

Marta

What do you define as "evening?" If we're coming from the city on public transportation, where would we meet and is that feasible?  How can we get more detailed information on when the best time to go is?

Well what I got from my coworker is what I quoted above. I don't know anything more than that. I suppose there must be an article in The Star Ledger or something. I'll have to do some more research...

More research:

OK - there are some pictures from last year's Portuguese Festival here: http://www.gonewark.com/photos_sub_9.htm

For example: Looks like some good grilling going on.

Actually it looks a lot like the 9th Ave Food Festival in NYC.

I think I saw this guy there.

And finally, from GoNewark.com:

Portuguese Feast - The Festival runs this Saturday (6/8) 12 noon to midnight and Sunday (6/9) 12 noon to 10 pm on Ferry Street from Penn Station east. A parade will be held on Sunday from 3 to 6 pm. Ferry Street will be closed to traffic and lined with merchandise, food, drinks, and live music. The crowds should be very large.

That's all I know. I think we'll probably go tomorrow. But I don't know about meeting up with anyone else. We'll have some friends with us and I have no idea where we'll end up parking. As for public transportation, check with NJ Transit.

[=Mark]

I might take a ride up tomorrow.  Am hitting the Belmar Seafood Festival today.

Think you can lose me again?  

[La Niña]

Turns out I can't go today/this evening, but please report back - we might go tomorrow and I'd love to know what you thought.

Thanks.

[Rachel Perlow]

Here's the latest email from my coworker responding to my request for more details:

I know a lot of resteraunts have tables set up outside where you can get food from them. Iberia has the whole parking lot set up with tables and stages for people performing. I don't know if there is anywhere you can call. There are a lot of stands. Some have shish kabobs, Chicken, stuff like that. They also have stands with music, alcohol, people selling things and so on. It's covered on all of Ferry Street (a block up from Penn Station all the way by Wilson Avenue, and it goes up E. Ferry Street as well). That's about it...It's just one big Feast. Tomorrow..it starts earlier because of the Portugal Day Parade. Then after the parade it will be the same scenerio as Saturday.

Hope that helps! I will talk to you later...if anyone goes I hope they have a great time!

We are leaving the house in a few minutes, along with jhlurie and another couple. Will report back later.

[John Whiting]

Enthusiasts will find a fine Provincetown Portugese Cookbook at http://www.capecodaccess.com/cookbook/index.html

And you'll find a familiar face on the I Am Provincetown site: http://www.iamprovincetown.com/index.html

[Jason Perlow]

Here are the pictures we took today at the Portuguese festival in Newark:

Portuguese Festival Pictures (click here)

[Rachel Perlow]

We went to the Festival this afternoon. It was fun, loud and delicious. It reminded us a lot of the NYC 9th Ave Festival, but while there was a similar number of food vendors, there seemed to be less variety. They were all variations on a grilled meat theme. But that is not to say it wasn't good.

We parked near Penn Station, where Raymond Blvd and Market Street converge, then walked up Union Street towards the noise and smokey smell.  This was a pretty good place to start, as the Festival begins about a city block from Penn Station (so mass transit is a convenient way to go, just ask a cop in the station to point you in the right direction).

 Ferry Street at Union

I hadn't had any breakfast and right between Union & McWhorter was a juice vendor. This one had Mango and Passionfruit juices. Other drink vendors had big glass barrels full of icy coconut, tamarind, lime/lemonade, and fruit punch. The juice was a nice and refreshing way to start. Right across the street was a pulled pork stand, I only had a little sample, but it was good.

 Pulling Pork from the whole roasted pig

A block down just off Ferry on a side street is this big grill area. They had whole butterflied chickens, pork steak, chorizo, and these small whole fish. We tried everything but the fish, the meats were a little dry, but tasty, and they were served with good bread. My favorite was the chicken. The same vendor also had shrimp cocktail and steamed lobsters available. Everything ranged from $5-10 if I remember correctly.

           

 Grilling area           Sardines              Chorizo

Up the next block and across the street was the Iberia Restaurant parking lot. This was set up, if you'll excuse the expression, like a huge beergarten. Lots of picnic tables, similar food offered as from those barbecues, and quart sized sangria (see below). They also had a stage and a bands playing, the entertainment seemed much better than it was at the 9th Ave festival. Later on there was a parade of drummers down Ferry.

 Iberia's Beer Garden in the parking lot

Speaking of sangria, this brings us to the main difference between this Feast and the one in NYC is the alcohol. In NYC there was some beer available, but it seemed few and far between and they wanted you to sit at their bar while you drank it. That is not the case at the Portuguese Feast. There was plenty of alcohol, be it beer, wine, sangria or hard liquor. I picked up my sangria at the Iberia parking lot, where there was a big stage set up. It came in a quart sized deli container (or like what you get soup in from a chinese take out). The lid had a hole burned out to insert the straw. It was quite strong, but as the ice melted and stirred around with the fruit it was a pleasant drink to carry with me.

Other alcoholic drinks available included Caipirinhas, pina colada served in hollowed out pineapples, and we also had a round of jello shots. Jason's comment? "I can't taste the alcohol!" That's the point, silly.

  Caipirinhas!!!

Some other food we sampled included Ecuadorian Carne Asada and Hanger Steak. See Jason's post above for a link to more pictures. My favorite is of the little dog in sunglasses.

 Stay cool man!

[jhlurie]

I love Jason's shadow in that dog picture!  It's almost like a Hitchcock thing.