Porterhouse, Filet Mignon, New York Strip – these juicy cuts of meat are always a winner with the fine-dining lunch and dinner crowd and lucky for Jersey City, there’s a new steak house offering prime cuts in an intimate, sophisticated setting.
 Liberty Prime Steakhouse on Montgomery Street in downtown Jersey City is in walking distance of both the Grove Street and Exchange Place PATH stations. The double-decker restaurant is fashioned with dark wood tables and chairs set in cozy nooks and crannies throughout and a roomy barroom that invites lively conversation as you kick back and relax.
 Rene Gonzalez Teaches Kids Healthy Cooking is Fun
By Sally Deering
Rene Gonzalez owner of Bambino Chef
Would your children eat a Spinach Brownie?  How about a Mac & Cheese Cupcake with Vegetable Puree or a Cauliflower Pizza? They might if they made it themselves.
Those crazy concoctions were created by Rene Gonzalez, founder of Bambino Chef, a cooking school for kids in Jersey City. Inside Bambino Chef’s storefront there’s a kitchen with brightly colored utensils where kids don aprons, create food they make themselves and in the process learn to be empowered in the kitchen. At Bambino Chef, Rene creates recipes for cookies, cupcakes, pizza – the sky’s the limit and the dishes she creates help give kids a good attitude toward their taste-buds’ nemesis, the vegetable. Continue reading Bambino Chef: Where Kids Learn to Shake ‘N Bake→
Jersey City Youth Foundation Joined  with Mayor Fulop for Annual Toy Drive; More than 600 Children Received Gifts, A Visit with the Cake Boss & Gelato from Tommy Two Scoops
Photos by Steve A. Mack- River View ObserverÂ
Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, Santa, and the Cake Boss Buddy Valastro team up to bring some Holiday Cheer to children at the Annual Toy Drive
JERSEY CITY – Mayor Steven M. Fulop and the Jersey City Youth Foundation have teamed up for the Mayor’s Annual Toy Drive to deliver holiday cheer and toys to more than 600 children, with the toys being distributed from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, December 20th, 2013, at City Hall, 280 Grove Street.
And this year, Santa’s elves had some extra helpers with Cake Boss Buddy Valastro on hand to treat kids to cupcakes and cookies and local business owner Tommy Two Scoops  was  serving up gelato.
“We wanted as many people as possible to join us and get in the holiday spirit as we help bring a little cheer to those in need,†said Mayor Fulop. “The holidays are a time to give to others and what better way that joining with your community to celebrate.â€
Toys  were  distributed by Santa to pre-registered families,  and residents who would like to join in and meet the Cake Boss and celebrate the holidays  were also invited to attend
More than 200 toys were also donated by the Hudson County Building Trades and Local 696.
“The outpouring of gifts has been tremendous and we thank all of the residents and businesses who again this year participated in the toy drive,†added Mayor Fulop.
The Resident Response Center has been registering families and collecting donations since early December and a number of local businesses helped by donating gift cards to the Jersey City Youth Foundation for the purchase of toys for children newborn to twelve years old.
About the Jersey City Youth Foundation
The JCYF strives to provide, enhance, expand and participate in the high-quality educational, recreational, cultural, and community enrichment programs. In 2013, our inaugural year, JCYF was able to provide backpacks to school children, Thanksgiving turkeys to families, and holiday toys to children. 2014 will be an exciting year as we continue to grow as an organization and expand our programming and impact on youth in Jersey City.
All media inquiries should be directed to Jennifer Morrill, Press Secretary for the City of Jersey City, at 201-547-4836 or 201-376-0699.///
Schnackenberg’s new owners Eugene and Joyce Flinn in front of their Hoboken luncheonette
If you’ve been in the Hoboken area for a while, it’s likely you’ve visited Schnackenberg’s Luncheonette and may even have a “Schnackie’s†story or two from back in the day. That’s what Eugene and Joyce Flinn have been learning ever since they took over “Schnackie’s†and gave the old-fashioned ice cream parlor a facelift that’s both retro and nouveau.
The Novak family, descendants of Henry Schnackenberg who opened the luncheonette in 1931, turned Schnackie’s over to the Finns in 2012. They, in turn, restored it and brought it up to code.
“They saw what we did with the Elysian and we knew them from town,†Joyce Flinn says. “We didn’t want to do anything untoward. It’s still their family name.â€
Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Art House Productions grew from a post-9/11 open mic night on the top floor of a church, to a respected company of artists performing, exhibiting, teaching and building a creative presence in Jersey City. As Founder and Executive Director of Art House Productions, Christine Goodman oversees INKubator, a play-development program; STAGES, a youth theater program; .JC FRIDAYS, a quarterly arts event held in 50 venues throughout Jersey City; Snow Ball, the non-profit’s annual fundraiser and “THE ART HOUSE TV SHOW†featuring performances by poets, musicians, comedians and performance artists that airs weekly on Jersey City Comcast Channel 51. Goodman’s efforts have been so successful the City of Jersey City gave her the Key to the City in 2007.
Art House Productions began its 13th season this past September and its fall JC Fridays event was just held the first week of December. These days, Goodman is busy getting LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, put on by Art House Productions’ youth company ready for opening night while she plans the upcoming fundraiser Snow Ball to be held January 25th. She recently took time out of her busy schedule to talk with Riverview Observer about her role as Executive Director of Art House Productions and the many projects she and her staff oversees.
RVO:Can you tell our readershow Art House Productions came about?
CG: I founded it 2001in response to ‘9/11’.  I wanted to have an event that brought people in Jersey City together that were artistic, I had no idea where to find them, so I held an ‘open mic’ in late September 2001 and that was the first event. In January 2002, we launched our monthly open mic series at Victory Hall, connecting with writers and poets like Reg E. Gaines. (Reg E. Gaines, a Jersey City resident, wrote the libretto and lyrics for the Broadway musical BRING IN DA NOISE; BRING IN DA FUNK.) And in 2007 we moved into our space on Hamilton Park. It started with an open mic and a handful of people; now we have things happening year round and we serve over 16,000 people a year through our programs. Continue reading Behind the Scenes at Art House Productions Executive Director Christine Goodman gives Artists a Place to Shine→
 The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has advised the City of Bayonne that the Bayonne Bridge will have a “hold and pull†traffic operation on Thursday, December 19, and Friday, December 20, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on both days.  “Hold and pull†means that the Port Authority will stop traffic in each direction for fifteen minutes.  The Port Authority is using this alternating traffic pattern for those two days, in order to install delineators, which were knocked out. Delineators are rubber devices that separate traffic into lanes. Â
Hoboken-Based Artist Returns for Second Show at the Museum
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Hoboken, NJ – Dec. 9, 2013 – At first glance, his works appear to be delicately painted in saturated colors and fine lines. The lights of New York City twinkle across the Hudson, a fine tracery of fireworks showers down over the river, tree branches twist in the wind. But step closer to the pictures and you just might be able to detect the sliced paper. In some cases, there might be four or five layers, but he uses fine origami paper, so the surface is virtually flat. It’s a technique known as “kirigama,†in Japan, but is practiced in many forms, including much of Matisse’s late work.
Meet the artist and learn more about kirigama at the opening reception onSaturday, December 15, from 2 – 5 p.m.,forSlices of Beauty on the Hudson, Cut-Paper Works by Hiro Takeshita, in the Upper Gallery. The event is free. The works will be on view through January 19.
“I always enjoy sketching scenes on the Hoboken waterfront, of people enjoying the outdoors, walking, kids playing, the happy moments,†he says. “Art is communication; I like to share the joy and beauty with other people.â€
Hiro Takeshita was born in Nagasaki, Japan, and from an early age was interested in art and American culture. Born two years after the atomic bomb blast in his native city, he can still recall his mother’s searing memories of that day. However, he also recalls the kindness of American soldiers and being captivated by American television shows on television, which ultimately motivated him to move to the U.S. in 1977 after studying art and print-making in Tokyo.
High-Visibility Patrols Also Targeted Disorderly Groups and Holiday Shopping Areas
  JERSEY CITY – Mayor Steven M. Fulop announced today that the Jersey City Police Department arrested 17 individuals on a variety of charges, including various narcotics offenses, and issued nearly 150 motor vehicle summonses during a large-scale, joint law enforcement operation.
The operation, which was led by the JCPD, began at 2 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 6th and went through the early morning hours on Saturday, Dec. 7th. A total of 50 undercover officers from the JCPD, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office, and the federal Drug Enforcement Agency participated in the operation.
A key success of the operation was the execution of a search warrant at a home on Orient, which has been a source of community complaints as a known drug distribution site. The home was heavily fortified, however, the JCPD Emergency Services Unit breached the front door. As suspects with known prior weapons offenses were believed to be inside, a flash bang was deployed upon entry. Three individuals were arrested at this location. Earlier in the day, police recovered two bricks of heroin which had been sold from the house. Continue reading Jersey City Police Arrest 17 Individuals As Part of Large-Scale, Joint Law Enforcement Operation→
Hoboken, NJ (December 5, 2013) - McLoone’s Restaurants is thrilled to announce that they will be opening a new “Pier House” restaurant at The Shipyard, a mixed-use community of luxury residences and upscale retail space located on Hoboken’s northern waterfront facing midtown Manhattan.  This McLoone’s restaurant will expand the very successful “Pier House” concept to three locations; adding to the original in Long Branch (2005) and National Harbor, Maryland (2010). The Hoboken location will offer McLoone’s “upscale dining for the entire family” with New American cuisine, neighborhood signature dishes, an extensive wine list and specialty drinks. Renovations are planned for the 7,000 square-foot venue, owned by Ironstate Development Company, since it is an existing restaurant space with many interior architectural accents. McLoone’s Pier House boasts soaring ceilings, vibrant features, and spectacular views of the Manhattan skyline that will debut in Spring 2014. Pier House will be added to an impressive list of ten restaurants owned by McLoone’s hospitality company. Visit www.mcloones.com for all restaurant locations.
“We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to create a new restaurant located in the iconic city of Hoboken. The Shipyard is a great community”, cheers Tim McLoone, president of McLoone’s Restaurants. “With an exceptional waterfront location just steps from a New York Waterway Ferry Terminal and convenient Valet Service, we expect to attract patrons from throughout New Jersey and Manhattan”. Tim is known throughout New York and New Jersey as a celebrated musician, entertainer, athlete, restaurateur, entrepreneur, humanitarian and renaissance man. His interests and core values have cultivated a unique company brand that has been a successful formula for over twenty years. Continue reading McLoone’s Restaurants Announces a Spring 2014 Opening of “Pier House” in Hoboken, NJ→
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