ME Casa (Su Casa) Shining a Spotlight on Fine Puerto Rican Cuisine in Jersey City
 By Sally Deering
 Eighteen months ago Chef Ed Cotto, Jr., and his wife Maria discovered a little nook on Varick Street in Jersey City and turned it into ME Casa, a divine little restaurant where the star is traditional Puerto Rican cuisine served in grand style. Cotto, who was born and raised in Brooklyn and spent much of his childhood in his family’s native Puerto Rico, has a special ingredient he adds to all his dishes: he calls it heart and soul.
“I’m a little disturbed Latin cuisine hasn’t elevated,†Cotto says on a recent afternoon as he prepares for the evening dinner crowd. “I went to Puerto Rico a couple years ago and not only didn’t they change their physical décor, it was the same dishes I had 20 years ago. Puerto Ricans have been content selling Puerto Rican food to Puerto Ricans. My challenge is to sell it to people of other cultures. Roast pork is roast pork, how do you make it differently? â€
The dining room, red-bricked lined with tables covered in white linens, is intimate and warm with Latin music
playing softly in the background. It’s a BYOB restaurant and Cotto encourages his guests to bring their own wine or beer to complement his menu, which offers select traditional Puerto Rican dishes by Cotto.
“My boss is the people who sit here in these chairs,†Cotto says. “Good food and hospitality, it has to go hand in hand. I want my customers to connect.â€
Cotto offered a visitor a few ME Casa signature dishes to taste like the Mofongo Al Pilon, mashed green plantains and garlic topped with beef (shrimp or chicken) stew which was very tasty. The beef in the stew was tender and the gravy had some really nice flavors. Another delicious house specialty is the Pernil Asado, traditional marinated pulled pork. A real standout is the Alcapurias, fried mashed green banana and plantain Continue reading ME Casa (Su Casa) Shining a Spotlight on Fine Puerto Rican Cuisine in Jersey City
Did You Know? Nine of New Jersey’s 20 Largest Office Buildings Are Located in Jersey City
Listed by  NJ BIZ Rankings Based on Square Footage of Office BuildingsJersey City residents have something else to be proud of according to a NJ BIZ ranking announced today by  Mayor Steven M. Fulop- that  nine of the twenty largest office buildings in New Jersey – based on square footage – are located in Jersey City.
“Jersey City has the largest down town skyline in New Jersey and this list proves the point,†said Mayor Fulop. “Some of our larger new commercial tenants include the Depository, Trust and Clearing Corporation (DTCC) and Fidelity Investments. Our proximity to New York, our lower operating costs, the relative newness of our office buildings, and our diverse and highly-skilled workforce are all factors in why more and more businesses are choosing Jersey City.â€
From NJ BIZ:
#2 – Goldman Sachs – 30 Hudson Street
#4 – 101 Hudson Street – 101 Hudson Street
#5 – Newport Office Center 7 – 480 Washington Boulevard
#9 – Newport Tower – 525 Washington Boulevard
#11 – Harborside Plaza 5 – Harborside Plaza 5
#12 – Harborsize Plaza 2 – Harborside Plaza 2
#14 – Harborside Plaza 3 – Harborside Plaza 3
#17 – Newport Office Center 4 – 545 Washington Boulevard
#20 – Newport Office Center 5 – 575 Washington Boulevard
Photo source: City Data
Turkey Ring Toss Competition in Bayonne to be moved indoors on 11/27/13
Due to the forecast for heavy rain on Wednesday, November 27th, the City of Bayonne Division of Recreation will hold the Turkey Ring Toss Competition indoors at the Recreation Senior Center, located at 597 Broadway (between 27th & 28th Street).
The Toss will start at 3:15pm.
Boys and girls will toss rings onto a turkey cut-out wooden board.
There will be 4 age groups: 4 and under; 5 to 6 years of age; 7 to 9 years of age; and 10 to 12 years of age.  Prizes will be awarded for 1st place, 2nd place, and 3rd place in each division.&# 160;
For more information, call the Division of Recreation at 201-858-6127.
The Powerhouse Lounge in Jersey City-A Classy Treat
By Martin Ramone Delossantos
The Powerhouse Lounge is a Jersey City nightclub with food service, mostly loved for their incredible pizza, and sushi. It opened three years ago in 2010 and now you don’t have to journey into New York City for a classy trendy club because it’s here.
There is a doorman so always dress to impress – bring your corporate I.D., and wear business attire to get in – especially if you are interested in the corporate happy hour from 5-to-8 pm. It’s a deal offering food and drinks for just $20. Continue reading The Powerhouse Lounge in Jersey City-A Classy Treat
OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD-KINDEGARTEN CLASSES FILL SHOEBOXES FOR UNDERPRIVILEGED CHIDREN
Pictured:
Kindergarten students from All Saint’s Catholic Academy in Bayonne from Mrs. Cronin and Mrs. Olvesen classes KA and KB filled shoeboxes as part of Operation Christmas Child as stated by Michelle Mandaro a Bayonne mother who along with her two children have been filling shoeboxes with items for underprivileged children for the past 5 years.
“The kindegarten children were excited  to help with the project, they understood the purpose and decorated and filled the boxes with goodies and wrote notes to the children who will be receiving the boxes.” stated Mrs. Mandaro
“Last year Operation Christmas Chld  filled 22,000 shoeboxes and this year we filled 29,000 shoeboxes added Mrs. Mandaro.
Pictured with the children far left Michelle Mandaro. Mrs. Cronin and Mrs. Ovlesen holding the sign “Power of a Simple Gift.
To read more about Operation Christmas Child or to help out next year please read OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILDÂ
Mayor Fulop Denounces Port Authority Moving Forward With Toll & Fare Increases
Jersey City Mayor  Says Profitable Agency Continues to Punish New Jerseyans During a Time of Economic Hardship
 
JERSEY CITY – Mayor Steven M. Fulop today denounced planned toll increases set to take effect December 1st by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, an agency that continues to enjoy strong profits while New Jerseyans struggle to recover from the recession.
“By moving forward with toll and fare hikes, the Port Authority continues to punish New Jerseyans – and especially Jersey City residents – at a time of continued economic hardship,†said Mayor Fulop.   “The Port Authority dumps a heavy burden on Jersey City taxpayers in three ways — from the costs of municipal services provided to the Port Authority, from the increasing tolls and PATH fares, and from a staggering underpayment by the Port Authority to the City for its property here.†Continue reading Mayor Fulop Denounces Port Authority Moving Forward With Toll & Fare Increases
Odd Teen Out -Joe Montaperto suffers an Identity Crisis in his new Memoir THE EDGE OF WHITENESS
By Sally Deering
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Joe Montaperto grew up in the 1970s, a time of race riots, culture-clashes and mash-ups. Born and raised in an Italian Brooklyn neighborhood, Montaperto’s parents moved him and the family to Roselle, New Jersey, with the hope of getting away from the racially-charged clashes playing out on Brooklyn’s streets. Instead, the teenage Montaperto enrolled in a high school where African-American teenagers were bussed in from the inner-city and Montaperto, who is of Italian dissent, how to find a way to cope in this unexpected and sometimes violent culture clash.
This all happens on the first page of THE EDGE OF WHITENESS, Montaperto’s memoir published by Oak Tree Press and available on Amazon.com and Montaperto’s website (www.JoeMontaperto.com). On Thurs, Jan.9that 6:30 pm, Montaperto will read excerpts of THE EDGE OF WHITENESS at the Heights branch of the Jersey City Free Public Library on Zabriskie Street.
“It was a story I had to tell,†Montaperto says. “I was born in Brooklyn and we moved to Roselle New Jersey. It was an insidious town – it looked pretty nice, but it was kind of a dangerous place. We were from Brooklyn. We lived in an Italian neighborhood and we moved to Roselle. It was very white and the high school was mostly black. It was kind of a weird cultural shock, like Jackie Robinson in reverse. I remember feeling totally on the outside from everybody. It was pretty rough until when I turned 15. I suddenly looked Puerto Rican and I learned how to box and that probably saved me, those two things.â€
Jersey City’s New Mayor Steven M. Fulop Envisions the City’s Cultural Future
  BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY-
By Sally Deering
Photo By Steve A. Mack
 Relatively unknown before he took office as the Mayor of Jersey City on July 1, 2013, Steven M. Fulop now has his own page on Wikipedia. Gaining in popularity, a local paper put him 4th on a list of Hudson’s 50 most influential people.
 Mayor Fulop, 36, seems to have a vision for Jersey City’s cultural scene with plans to bring the city to greater heights that reflect its stature as the second largest city in New Jersey. By raising the standards of the arts scene, Fulop envisions Jersey City as an arts mecca similar to New York City that will attract visitors in huge numbers and big name acts to its performance venues while providing public spaces for resident artists, filmmakers, dancers, actors and musicians.
 Moving forward, in the short time he’s been in office, Mayor Fulop has already been in meetings with Cordish Companies of Baltimore, the prospective developers of the Powerhouse building in downtown Jersey City. He has supported legislation to reinstate the tax credits to filmmakers who want to shoot on location in Jersey City; and, he has approved projects by mural artists to paint designated buildings in Jersey City. Mayor Fulop also has plans to turn the old movie palace, the Loew’s Jersey City in Journal Square into a performing arts center like NJPAC.
 On a recent November morning, Mayor Fulop took time out of his busy schedule to speak with Riverview Observer about some of his plans and projects for Jersey City’s cultural scene.
 
RVO: Mayor Fulop do you have any personal association with the arts – did you play the trumpet in high school, that sort of thing?
MSF: I have a great appreciation for music and I have friends in the arts community, thus I’ve been engaged in it. I took piano lessons during my childhood and up until last year. I play classical music and I started studying Jazz. Classical is straight-forward, you’re reading notes and I could do that very well, but I couldn’t improvise. It’s a totally different skillset. My piano teacher moved, though, and now I’m looking for a new one, so if you know anybody,..
 RVO: Do you have any interest in a specific area of the arts in Jersey City?
MSF: I’ve realized in order to make Jersey City really shine it needs a thriving arts community. That’s what attracts people here. Transportation won’t just do it, you need culture and art. We’re working with Senator (Steve) Lesniak to reinstate the film tax credit; legislation will be introduced next week. We’re looking to see how to put more money into the Loew’s and bring in professional management. You’ll see that on the Council agenda coming forward. That’s a big step. From a city standpoint, I can’t put $10-$15 million dollars into something that has the “potential†for success. The Loew’s is the size of NJPAC and across from the Journal Square PATH. You could get big names, and people coming from all over for art, music, restaurants. The Loew’s is really a key component of what we’re trying to do.
  Continue reading Jersey City’s New Mayor Steven M. Fulop Envisions the City’s Cultural Future
GRAMMY NOMINATED SALSA SENSATION AND JERSEY BOY FRANKIE NEGRON RETURNS TO NJ
 TO  PERFORM LIVE AT THE BLUE MOON CAFÉ
New Jersey’s own Grammy nominated Salsa singing sensation, Frankie Negron, is returning to New Jersey on Nov. 22, 2013 to perform live at Jersey City’s Blue Moon Café, 117 Montgomery St.
Raised in Newark, NJ, Negron has had Gold albums; numerous #one hits and remains a dominant figure in the world of Latin music in America and around the world.
Negron will arrive in Jersey City Friday, Nov 22, after performing at the Maya in Las Vegas.
The Blue Moon Café promises to be the number one spot in Jersey City for live celebrity performances, and being a Jersey Boy, Frankie was asked to be the first artist in what is expected to be monthly stellar line-ups.
Doors will open for the performance at 10pm. Four hours free parking with validation is available. For ticket information or, a reservation call 201-779-0700. Seating is limited so get on board quick. Lunch and dinner will be served as normal throughout the day and early evening.
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