Tag Archives: waterfront dining in Jersey City

City Diner in Jersey City Never Sleeps

City Diner Offers Tasty Dishes in a Hip Décor with Free Wi-Fi: 24/7

By Sally Deering

Front of City Diner Jersey City A short walk from Exchange Place on the Jersey City Waterfront, City Diner (formerly the Flamingo) offers tasty dishes in a hip décor, key ingredients for success according to its owners Nicholas, “Lefty” and Mike Giakoumatos. The three brothers from Queens, New York, bought the old Flamingo and in three months turned it into a trendy corner bistro. With its contemporary décor, free Wi-Fi and a bar that looks right out of a James Bond film – the only thing ‘diner-esque’ about City Diner is its hours — open 24/7 – and that it serves breakfast all day. Continue reading City Diner in Jersey City Never Sleeps

RESTAURANT VIEWS- EXECUTIVE CHEF MICHAEL COLETTI- VB3 RESTAURANT, JERSEY CITY

As part of our Ten Ingreditent series where Sally Deering our Senior Writer  interviews  the Chef’s that oversee the kitchens of some of the finest restaurants in Hudson County -we present Chef Michael Coletti of VB3 Restaurant

Ten Ingredients

By Sally Deering

VB3 on Washington Boulevard in downtown Jersey City features theVB3 Pizzeria where office workers and neighborhood residents dash in for a slice or a pie; and the VB3 dining room and lounge with the sexiest bar in Jersey City. It’s an eye-catching island of dark wood with a surface of “orange liquid lava” and bar stools with bright-orange backs and faux leopard print seats.  No detail in this beautiful restaurant has been overlooked by Owner and Executive Chef Michael Colletti, General Managers Giuseppi “Little Joe” Russo and Giuseppi “Big Joe” Russo; and business partners Gary Leff and Ricky Leff. This team put heart and soul into the place and it shows.

Chef Colletti, 29, attended the Culinary Education Center in Asbury Park and after graduation worked at the prestigious Le Cirque and then Chef de Cuisine at Mai House. After five years in New York, Chef Colletti joined his friend and celebrity chef Spike Mendelsohn at the Sunnyside Group and helped him open Good Stuff Eatery in Washington D.C. In 2010, Colletti and Mendelsohn appeared in “Iron Chef” competing in “Battle Proscuitto” against world famous chef Michael Symon. Chef Colletti also cooked for President Barack Obama and his staff at The White House.

Let’s meet Chef Colletti!

RVO:  Chef Colletti, can you tell our readers a little about your background?

CC:  My family is from Sicily. My father moved here at 14 and I was raised in Elizabeth. My grandfather would be in the garden all day and my grandmother would cook in the kitchen. There would be 20 of us in the kitchen – we’re a big Italian family. Continue reading RESTAURANT VIEWS- EXECUTIVE CHEF MICHAEL COLETTI- VB3 RESTAURANT, JERSEY CITY

Porto Leggero Restaurant in Jersey City

A Wonderful Addition to the Jersey City Waterfront

Beyond the glass facade of Porto Leggero, the bright newcomer to the waterfront-dining scene in Jersey City, there are two restaurants.

One has the undercurrent of an electric charge that moves through the restaurant when the power lunch crowd fills the place with finance types on weekdays. The other is the relaxed hum of families and friends enjoying an evening out in the neighborhood.

Continue reading Porto Leggero Restaurant in Jersey City