Dining

Breakfast at Midnight-You Can Get Anything You Want at the Coach House Diner/Restaurant 24/7

 

By Sally Deering –

 Coach house diner sign river view observer jan 30 2013Maybe it’s the shiny chrome and vinyl-covered stools at the counters that lure us in? It might be the stacks of luscious layer cakes slathered in icing in the pastry cases? Or maybe it’s the bountiful menus that offer flavor-fests of choices that you can mix and match – like chocolate chip pancakes with a side of spaghetti – and the waiter doesn’t question your sanity. I’m talking about the All American Diner. And each one has its own mystique, a noir-esque appeal that draws us in like an Edward Hopper painting.

 Diners and Jerseyians go together like a burger with fries and here in Hudson, we have some of the best diners in the state including The Coach House on Kennedy Boulevard in North Bergen which opened in 1939 and stays open 24/7. Coach House Owner Nicholas Pappas and General Manager Constantine “Gus” Tountas don’t even have a key to the front door.

 The Coach house exterior touched upWhen Clem Pappas opened his diner back then it was a train car-sized eatery where the grill was behind the counter and a cube steak sandwich cost 5 cents. More than 70 years and several renovations and expansions later, the Coach House is a sprawling diner/restaurant and popular go-to destination that features a bar and lounge area that’s a “Happy Hour” hotspot with HD TVs and cozy nooks.

 “It’s a neat place to have a drink,” Pappas says.

Bar at Coach House Restaurant in North Bergen Riveer View Observer Jan 30th, 2013
The Coach House Bar

The diner area features a counter with stools, rows of roomy booths, two pastry cases and a terrific salad bar that’s a customer favorite and an expanded dining room for those who like that restaurant feel. The menu offers old diner standbys like burgers, sandwiches; eggs, omelets. pancakes; steaks, chops, pastas; and for a change of pace, all sorts of daily specials where old recipes sometimes become new again.

 Recently Pappas had the idea to go back in time and view older Coach House menus to see what dishes were popular. He remembered a German chef at Coach House who, Pappas says, made “the best sauerbraten” and other traditional German dishes like loin of pork. Customers seem to have nostalgia for these dishes, Pappas says.    photo by Sally Deering Continue reading Breakfast at Midnight-You Can Get Anything You Want at the Coach House Diner/Restaurant 24/7 →

Cover Story, General

COVER STORY -JERSEY CITY TO SUNDANCE- Local Filmmaker Sells First Feature Film at Sundance Film Fest

 

By Sally Deering  

Writer and Producer of Concussion
Stacie Passon and Anthony Cupo

Anthony Cupo grew up in Jersey City a few blocks from Journal Square and thousands of miles from the Sundance Resort in Park City, Utah, a small ski village that Robert Redford turned into a famous film festival location back in 1978. The 2013 Sundance Film Festival was in full-swing the week of Jan. 17 and Cupo, who is the Executive Producer and Editor of his first feature film “Concussion” saw his dream come true when he received a seven-figure offer from RADIUS-TWC to distribute “Concussion” in the fall. Of course, Cupo said yes.

 The Sundance Film Festival attracts thousands of producers, directors, writers, actors, critics and studio ‘heads’ who turn the small ski village into a Hollywood event where films are screened in theaters and other venues and prizes are given out to the top contenders. Cupo’s film, “Concussion,” written and directed by his friend Stacie Passon tells the story of what happens when a suburban wife and mother gets a concussion that fractures her perspective on her marriage and more importantly, her life. Critics like Jim Dobson, President of Indie PR in Studio City, California, who attended a screening, gave “Concussion” 3-1/2 stars.  

 

Screen Shot 2012-01-25 at 11.53.36 AM | Jan 25Robin Weigert stars in Concussion

“There is a real concussion at the beginning of the antiseptically beautiful “Concussion,” but it’s also a metaphor that’s no less jarring. When Abby (Robin Weigert), a suburban lesbian married to Kay (Julie Fain Lawrence), gets hit by a baseball thrown by one of their children, it sets off a need for change in her routine existence. She works on renovating a downtown loft with a contractor, Justin (Jonathan Tchaikovsky), who also pimps on the side — and Abby decides to take female clients as a high-end hooker, using the professional name Eleanor. Writer-director Stacie Passion’s sexually charged premise becomes a vehicle for an emotional exploration of a stagnant relationship and the struggle between desire and stability. Weigert (best known for her work on “Deadwood”) gives a performance that’s revelatory in more ways than one, as Abby sheds inhibitions and clothes. The slick look (by production designer Lisa Myers and art director Kevin P. O’Donnell) highlights the split between Abby’s suburban oppression and her urban freedom.”

 

Terrific reviews like that keep pouring in for “Concussion” and Cupo, 42, is thrilled about his Sundance experience. An alumnus of the School of Visual Arts in New York, Cupo has been involved in film since he was a kid playing hooky to catch the movies playing in the Journal Square movie theaters close to home. He has worked on commercials and videos with all the major networks and in 2006 Cupo partnered with friend and colleague R. Jamie Mamalis to open The Rust Company in Manhattan, a lab, of sorts, that offers the latest cutting-edge technology for filmmakers to edit film and video and perform other creative tasks to see their films and videos realized.

 At Sundance, Cupo took a break before his film’s screening on Thursday to share with Riverview Observer what it’s like showing his film at the Sundance Film Festival and making a deal that may change the course of his life and career.

 scene from concussion

 

 

 

RVO:  Congratulations on the success of “Concussion” at Sundance.

AC:  Thank you. People here are digging it. It all goes to Stacie Passon, the writer and director.

Continue reading COVER STORY -JERSEY CITY TO SUNDANCE- Local Filmmaker Sells First Feature Film at Sundance Film Fest →

General

SANDY RELIEF FOR HUDSON COUNTY BUSINESSES

HudsonCountySandyRelief

hcedc logo

Access to Capital for Recovery

Homeowner, business owner or resident affected by Sandy?

Event Details Tuesday, February 12, 2013 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM Relief Clinic 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM Access to Capital Workshop The Westin Jersey City Newport 479 Washington Blvd Jersey City, NJ 07310

Register Online http://www.newyorkfed.org/njclinic/

Free …

http://hudsonedc.org/hudson-county-sandy-relief/

Hudson Then...Again

Hudson Then . . . Again-1906 Disasters and Charity

by:  Maureen Wlodarczyk

 

After San Fransisco Earthquake
After San Fransisco Earthquake

Three months after Hurricane Sandy, at a time of year when the Jersey Shore is normally taking a long winter’s nap and the rest of us are hunkered down counting the days until spring, the daily efforts and daunting struggles of recovery and rebuilding go on. The holiday season was anything but “merry” for so many people but acts of random (and not so random) kindness and the continuing charitable generosity of the people of New Jersey said a lot about who we are and the likelihood that we will not lose interest in our neighbors or the challenges they continue to face. In fact, there is a history of Jersey people rallying to the aid of others stricken by natural disasters.

As we ponder global warming, rising ocean levels, and weather phenomena with names we vaguely (if at all) knew a few years ago including “tsunami” and “derecho,” it turns out that multiple tantrums by Mother Nature occurring in a short period of time are not unprecedented. In April 1906, Italian volcano Mount Vesuvius erupted, killing scores of people in Naples just 11 days before the massive San Francisco earthquake killed thousands.

 

Mt. Vesuvius erupting
Mt. Vesuvius erupting

The citizens of Hudson County were quick to respond to both of those tragedies. Local Italian-Americans organized relief collections to provide financial aid to those affected by Vesuvius. A wide array of disaster relief fundraising was mobilized to raise funds for the devastated people and institutions of San Francisco.

The ladies of St. Mark’s Church, Van Vorst Square, sent the rector of St. Mary’s Church in San Francisco, destroyed in the quake, a complete set of vestments embroidered in white and gold thread in a design of roses and vines. These ladies, members of St. Mark’s Senior Embroidery Class, had done the stunning handiwork themselves, making their generous gift all the more significant.  Continue reading Hudson Then . . . Again-1906 Disasters and Charity →

Celebrity Interviews, General

The Dead Celebrity Cookbook – Bringing Oscar Favorites To Your Very Own Party

Eat like a celebrity with the Dead Celebrity's CookbookNew York, NY, January 30, 2013 – For anyone who loves Hollywood memorabilia, is an entertainment junkie, and loves to eat and cook – they will treasure Frank DeCaro’s The Dead Celebrity Cookbook: A Resurrection of Recipes from More Than 145 Stars of Stage and Screen (HCI Books). Frank compiled favorite recipes from some of Hollywood’s biggest names; including Lucille Ball, Elizabeth Taylor, Sonny Bono, Liberace, Michael Jackson, John Denver, Frank Sinatra, Rock Hudson, Humphrey Bogart, and Peter Falk, just to name a few.
“Flip on a movie channel and get cooking! Required reading.” – Billy Heller, New York Post.
“We hear Rock Hudson’s Cannoli is delicious!” – Entertainment Weekly.
“In The Dead Celebrity Cookbook, author Frank DeCaro has collected and presented an array of recipes by beloved (and dead) stars….” – people.com
“Celebrities like Elizabeth Taylor and Andy Warhol may be gone, but their favorite dishes will never be forgotten. Try one tonight!” – oprah.com
“While Halloween might come only once a year, there’s never a bad time for The Dead Celebrity Cookbook.” – bonappetit.com Continue reading The Dead Celebrity Cookbook – Bringing Oscar Favorites To Your Very Own Party →

Bayonne Observer insidebayonne.com

Bayonne Starts Amnesty Program for Certain Illegal Apartments and Unregistered Dwelling Units

City of Bayonne begins amnesty program for illegal apartments Mayor Mark A. Smith announced that applications are available for the City of Bayonne’s amnesty program for certain illegal apartments and unregistered dwelling units.  Those documents are available from the Building Department in Room 13 at City Hall, 630 Avenue C.  Mayor Smith said, “In recent years, illegal apartments and unregistered housing units have become a problem in many urban communities.  These types of dwellings raise a variety of concerns about safety and the quality of life in our neighborhoods. My Administration has taken the lead in addressing this serious issue in our community.” Continue reading Bayonne Starts Amnesty Program for Certain Illegal Apartments and Unregistered Dwelling Units →

General

WEEKDAY PATH SERVICE FROM WTC TO NEWARK RESTORED

PATH TRAINCommuters riding the PATH trains from Newark to the World Trade Center (WTC) in NYC have cause to celebrate: The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced yesterday that weekday PATH Service between Newark and the WTC has been restored, although PATH service is still unavailable on weekends. Through February, from Fridays at 10 p.m. through Mondays at 5 a.m., crews will use this stretch of time to repair damages caused by Hurricane Sandy.

 With Hoboken PATH service to WTC still under construction, Hoboken commuters must continue to find alternate routes to downtown NYC. According to a press release put out by the Port Authority of NY and NJ, “Crews continue to work around-the-clock to return weekday Hoboken to World Trade Center service and weekend service between Newark and the World Trade Center. Those are the final segments of service yet to be restored.”

PATH Train photo: Source- Bing.com

General

Bayonne Residents:Payment for Building Permits Moved to Tax Collector’s Office

            Mayor Mark A. Smith announced that payments for building permits are being moved from the Building Department in Room 13 in City Hall to the Tax Collector’s Office/City Cashier in Room 7, effective Monday, January 28.

  Those seeking building permits will still file their applications and pick up their permits in at the Building Department in Room 13.

  Mayor Smith said, “By moving permit payments to the Tax Collector’s Office/City Cashier, we are beginning the process of centralizing payments for various fees and permits.

  This move is part of my Administration’s drive to create a more efficient municipal government.”

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