P.F. Seafood Market W. Caldwell's Fresh Catch

The restaurant business can be tough. The food—quality and kind—is super- important. Decor and atmosphere are paramount, as evidenced by the rash of eateries both new and old in The Caldwells going the extra mile in this area.

Then there's location: Is the place easy to get in and out of, with a good amount of parking?

The challenges are many, the victors few—but if that food is good, everything usually falls into place.

P.F. Seafood Market and Restaurant  in West Caldwell recently opened to accolades for it's menu of seafood selections.

Located at 1090 Bloomfield Ave., it's in an interesting spot that I've often referred to as "no-man's land" of The Caldwells.

The commercial area just past The Gardens neighborhood has contained longtime area staples like the West Caldwell Car Wash and Samm Sound, and yet many restaurants in the exact same building have come and gone in the last decade alone. One was called "Colors," which faded fast.

The nth time might be the charm for the location, as P.F. Seafood Market and Restaurant is definitely worth the trip—and one many have already taken.

Down By The Sea

Inside, the restaurant is clean and simple, spacious and comfortable. Wooden tables and chairs take up most of the dining room area. The walls and seat cushions are done up in cool blues.

Some fun seashore paraphernalia is scattered around, too—such as nets with lobsters and crabs caught in them.

The centerpiece of the room just may be a stack of tanks with live lobsters inside, rolling and pinching around.

There's a long glass case on the far wall (i.e. the "market"). Fresh monk, fish, tilapia and swordfish are on one side; stuffed clams, crab cakes and lobster salad are on the other. Finally, there are oysters, king crab legs, clams and mussels, all ready for you to take home.

The back of the waitstaff shirts add a touch of humor with the advice: "Eat fish, live longer. Eat oysters, love longer. Eat salmon, look younger."

Out of the regular and special lunch menus, I decided to sample a mixed-greens salad with tuna ($8.95) and also chose the rock shrimp ($9.95).

As is my custom, my beverage of choice was sparkling water—here it was the S. Pellegrino brand ($1.75).

While I waited, I overheard customer Ryan Booth point out "this place is way better than the last one."

He stopped in with Tom Coco—both are employees at Atlantic Zeiser, which is located in the nearby corporate area on Patton Drive. They certainly know their way around local eateries, and P.F. earned a thumbs-up from both of them.

"This is our third or fourth time here," Booth pointed out.

My salad arrived quickly. It was fresh and colorful, served on a dinner-sized plate. Some oil and vinegar added flavor to the bed of lettuce, underneath a heaping amount of tuna salad.

Often, the ingredients of tuna salad are used in wrong amounts, not allowing for the sum to be greater than it's parts. Here it was done perfectly, with neither the tuna or mayo overpowering each other or the overall dish. It was good stuff—and is a full meal on it's own.

In a few minutes, waiter Rafael Aguilar asked if I was finished (indeed I was), and brought out my rock shrimp.

The tender shrimp were combined in a hearty risotto and cream-based sauce, which was tangy and tasted almost like lobster bisque. The whole thing was tastefully accented with some arugula leaves in the middle (drizzled with vinegar) and paprika sprinkled along the sides. It was very different, delicious and very filling.

Insights from the Sea Side

After eating, I met with chef Joe Farina, who said the "P.F." stands for "Pacific Fish."

"We have been open for exactly two months," he said, "and it's been going pretty well."

The veteran chef has logged some impressive time in the local restaurant business; he cooked at Mezzanotte in Caldwell and manned the stove for 12 years at The Cage, the famed former restaurant and bar that was above Tiger Tennis and Fitness in West Caldwell.

Pointing at tbe lobster tank, the Verona native remarks at the huge size of some of them—"one is nine pounds," he said.

Throughout our conversation his enthusiasm for being at  P.F. Seafood is clear. He also likes a challenge: "this is the first time I cooked all seafood."

He's infusing his Italian and continental cuisine background with the seafood to create dishes that others simply aren't doing.

He cited my rock shrimp as an example—"the risotto is combined with a little mix of lobster bisque (ah-ha!) and a scampi-esque sauce," he said.

The regular lunch and dinner menus seem varied enough to satisfy any seafood lover in you, but Farina noted that the specials are well, special.

"We change the specials every day," he said. "Some places have the same ones for a month."

He doesn't yet have an exact favorite dish, but points out a lobster special: "A pound and a quarter of lobster, right out of the tank, steamed and smothered in a white clam sauce, with mussels and clams for 19.95 ... you can't beat that," Farina said.

Before heading back to the kitchen (as more customers were arriving) he said, "everything here is fresh—the cocktail sauces, soups ... I'm old school."

And head of his class.

P.F. Seafood Market and Restaurant

Address: 1090 Bloomfield Ave., West Caldwell

Serving: Lunch and dinner, dine-in or take-out; BYO

Phone: 973-227-1007

Bottom line: P.F. Seafood Market and Restaurant is off to a good start with a seafood-based menu containing classics and unique creations. Fish fans will not be disappointed.