Zeppelin Hall and Beer Garden. 50 - 70 different beers, all draft. From 4 to 7 they do happy hour with all beers selling for 50% off. At happy hour prices, some brews are cheaper to drink there than to buy them at the store!

Also, there is Azucar, which I think is the best-kept secret in terms of low-price happy hour: Monday through Thursday (or, Friday, not sure) all their draft beers are $2. Ambiance can be hit or miss, and their beer selection is limited, but getting an icy cold Palm for $2 is a steal.

I stopped in a week ago. As usual, very friendly staff and great food. I asked about the construction, because it actually makes the place look like it is closed. They explained that they are doing remodeling work, and (maybe) some remediation of some sort (this last part wasn't entirely clear) but they are doing the work in phases in order to be able to remain open. I am glad, because (as far as I know) they are the only Turkish option in town, and their food is very good, and reasonably priced.

Have you read the article linked below? Or, the Facebook threads? The organizer may have sent out an email telling people to contact him for refunds but, apparently, no one has been successful in getting in touch with him. Quite a shame, really. The race could have been a great showcase for the area. Lots of runners on this side of the river find ourselves having to trek into NYC for our road race fix.

It's NOT called Mi Casa. It is called M.E. Casa, and there is a reason for that. Obviously, it is a "play on words" so it sounds like the possessive pronoun "mi" (mine, in Spanish) but it is actually the initials of the owner (Eddie) and his wife (Maria?) As Eddie tells the story, the M comes first because she comes first in his life, or something along those lines.

In any case, the place is still as great as ever. Took some friends a while ago and they can't wait to go back. Good food, and cheap prices. And, it is BYOB, so you can save on your bill by bringing your own wine.

What are you waiting for? These aren't just quality of life issues! What you describe are issues that could affect what is likely your biggest financial investment, your health, and possibly your safety. Some people can not be reasoned with. Don't be a victim, or passive. Contact the city and maybe even an attorney.

JustJames asked:
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Well, maybe the owner (Jonathan Webb Scanlon) can chime in, as he did earlier in this thread. But, based on his other endeavor (Seminomadic) that could very well be right.

I can see that this guy is making an attempt to make it big, and obviously he must be passionate about what he is doing (clothing line, modeling, restaurant, etc) so I really hope he can accept all this feedback and make the most of it. Based on the pictures of the food, I *want* to try out this place. I just won't do so until this BYOB corkage fee nonsense is addressed.

81905: I think YOU are missing the point. It is ILLEGAL to charge a corkage fee. It is not a gray area. It is not discretionary. IT IS ILLEGAL.

I am all for always trying to resolve disputes and concerns with neighbors in the most amicable way possible, but sometimes some people can not be reasoned with, as they refuse to acknowledge a problem, or address it. In those instances, remove yourself from the situation, don't let it escalate to the point of it becoming violent or highly confrontational, and simply put to use the resources available to you: the HOA, the City, etc.

And, seriously, don't let things get out of hand before reporting them. That will only embolden them. You didn't provide details about the issue, so it is hard for anyone to suggest who to call. If it is noise, call the non-emergency police line. If it is trash strewn on their yard/patio, I think you call the City Department of Health. if it is unruly dogs, call Animal Control.

I am often surprised at what people will endure unnecessarily.

It's not about it being right, or wrong, or a turn-off. Simply put, it is ILLEGAL. Let's see how the owners react to the feedback.

Gotta say that I agree with the general sentiment that the Dopeness response, as stated (all caps, confrontational tone, etc.) was rather off-putting. I am all for supporting local businesses, and go out of my way to spend a decent amount of money every month eating at local places, but I will not be supporting this business anytime soon.

You've got some major stones to come in here with a surly attitude while trying to get a new business off the ground. Very uncool, and unprofessional. Some would say not dope, at all.

Could someone else elaborate/clarify this "setup" fee? In the state of New Jersey, it is illegal for a restaurant to impose a cover, corkage or service charge when it lacks a liquor license.

Is it fair to the restaurant? No, as they do incur some expenses, such as providing stemware, service, clean up, etc., but it is the law.

In their (possible) defense, they may not even be aware of the law, as I recall something similar happening with another local restaurant some time ago. Once they were made aware of the law, they stopped charging the corkage fee. There was a thread on that here in JCLIST, but I am too lazy to look it up right now.

Personally, I am a big fan of KitchenAid. Their appliances (both large, and small) have done well by me in the past, but declining results more recently. They do have some great warranties on the larger appliances. I bought a stainless steel fridge from them around February 2002, and it is still going, without issues (other than the freezer ice box sensor acted "funny" for a few months, then correcting itself). I am now renting a unit fitted with KA oven/range, fridge, microwave and dishwasher and have had a few interesting issues. A resistor in the oven/range blew up after using the self cleaning function for the oven (simple, cheap fix) and the radiator grills inside the freezer area froze up, which resulted in the water line freezing. The solution/fix was very simple, but messy (unscrew internal, back panel of freezer, pour boiling water on the radiator grills, unfreeze water line with hair dryer.) The biggest disappointment has been the microwave, which stopped working after 5 or 6 years, and was impossible to fix. Overall, it seems like quality has declined in recent years. From what I have read, some (all?) of their large appliances are no longer made in the USA. I know Whirlpool makes their fridges, and perhaps some of the other ones.

What!? How would that work? Those already overworked conductors will need to add to their workload by warning people to not be in the last two cars if they want to get off at Grove. That's asking too much of them!!! You KNOW that inserting keys into a panel, and opening and closing doors, is a very hard job. Which is why they can NOT be expected to fully know or understand their own PATH rules/regulations.

(For those who lack a sarcasm radar, please understand that the above is exactly that: sarcasm)

It was a pretty good joke, for those of us who are/were fans of The Wire.

I have to say that, anytime I watch an old episode in which Carcetti is featured, something about the character reminds me of Fulop: young, energetic, up-and-coming politician in a corrupt city of entrenched machine politics. And, there is somewhat of a passing resemblance.

Definitely glad that Fulop got elected. Let's all hope for some real, meaningful change in the coming years!

Fully agree with Bill!!! Their lamb pilaf is INSANELY good, with a heavenly earthy aroma to it.

75K for personal property seems rather high, unless you are ensuring a lot of valuable jewelry. If you were to do an inventory of all your material possessions inside your unit, do you really get up to 75K?

If you are handy, and a little adventurous, and if you are sure that what is broken is the digital control board, you could try to fix it yourself. I replaced the electronic control board on a Kitchen Aid gas stove, and it was pretty simple. The hard part was unscrewing what seemed like 100 screws and moving the behemoth out of (and, back into) its space. Similarly, I have also fixed some other issues with other household appliances. My experience with household appliance repair people (and, companies) has been very underwhelming, with subpar service, over inflated costs and very poor customer service.

This will sound terrible, but here it goes anyway: remember that most household appliances are made so a very low skilled person can work on them, and (possibly) fix them. As such, you don't need any advanced knowledge, although experience helps tremendously.

PS
AFAIK, no one fixes a control panel. They get replaced. Also, depending on the brand/company, parts may be covered under warranty, but not the labor associated with installing them. As a point of reference, Kitchen Aid major household appliances are warrantied 10 years (some might be less, and the warranty terms may have changed recently) so grab the serial number from your washer and call the company. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Timely thread! I was about to come on here to issue a similar warning. After walking my guy early Sunday morning, I discovered a tick lodged inside his ear. I got rid of it immediately but was surprised to find another one after a long romp in LSP in the afternoon. Two ticks in one day, whereas before we had never had any issues!

Definitely keep an eye on your pooches for uninvited guests! And, if you let your cats roam outside, beware.

Honestly, that video doesn't show anything rude. You can argue that motorcycle exhausts are loud (inherently, some of them are) but there is a difference between a loud pipe, and a guy being a rude a-hole. From your video, I see nothing wrong. What do you expect them to do? Push their bikes down the block until they hit a main road?

I am not saying that there aren't valid complaints against rude, obnoxious bikers, but I have to say that I am starting to think that some people are expecting complete peace and quiet, and that's just not going to happen in the downtown neighborhood when you have so many bars and restaurants that attract both locals and out-of-towners.

And, honestly, if you have a beef with motorcycles, you better buy some noise cancelling headphones, or spend money sound proofing your place, because the bike riding season is JUST getting started. And, from what I have seen so far, there are more bikers than ever in this area, so you are in for a hellish few months.

+1 on the well-earned kudos. Brought my guy back to renew his license, as well as a kitty I rescued off the streets, and everything was smoother and faster than last year. Great city program, and I am very grateful for this.

My only quibble, and it is rather minor, is that the two first tables (one to review paperwork and payment, the other to take the payment and write out receipts) were a bit slow and could have been combined. Splitting the tables seems inefficient.

The vets on hand were great (as always) and it was all very smooth. THANK YOU.

Ahab: As VA2015 points out, you can find "adult play ground equipment" in LSP. Each "station" has placards explaining how to use the equipment, and the proper form, etc. The equipment doesn't seem to get much use during the week, but I always someone there on weekends. Instead of going out to Tompkins, you could run down to LSP, turn into Freedom Way and, about a mile in, you will find the equipment.

Wow. Talk about painting with a broad brush.

I'll bite. Bergen Lafayette might not be the nicest neighborhood, and it may not look like much at first, but it is definitely improving, and it feels pretty safe. The neighbors can be very nice and welcoming; I have randomly met a lot of friendly, neighborly people just by walking around and engaging people in friendly banter.

In addition to close proximity to LSP, there is the LSP Light Rail station and, from the corner of Johnston and Pacific, you are a 15 - 20 minute walk to the Grove PATH station.

The much maligned corner stores (the so-called bodegas) stay open until around 10 PM, so the areas around the south-half of Pacific, and Communipaw, are not desolate and, if you need some basic necessities in a pinch, they are there. In general, most of Pacific is clean and mostly litter free, and there is new development around that area (closest is the new condos a block North of Johnston/Pacific). I see single women, kids and families walking around the area you mention, so it must be safe enough for them. I certainly feel safe, and have walked the area at all times (early mornings, during the day, and late at night.)

I have been in Bergen Lafayette since 2006, and I like the area. And, no, I am not an owner (I rent) so I gain nothing by "lying" or "pumping up" the neighborhood. Other JC Listers live in the area and can chime in. Goetz, in particular, seems to be very supportive of the neighborhood and could provide additional insight. Otherwise, do a search in the site.

I guess I will add my vote for Bergen Lafayette. Relatively safe, and very close to downtown. Also, super easy access to the turnpike, making it easy for the person heading to New Brunswick.

As jcmiles pointed out, off street parking is super easy too.

Many areas in BeLa are slowly improving, with several new developments and many gut renovations. As far as amenities, there are really none, other than a few bodegas/corner stores, and the ever present laundromats, with a few small food establishments sprinkled around.

That's an interesting possibility! As already demonstrated across the Hudson, they could build residential towers on top of the mall (if they indeed hold rights to add additional residential space and towers) and that could provide enough incentive to redesign a pedestrian access path (and, maybe even a new PATH entrance) and, overall, could provide a way to integrate Newport into the rest of JC.

EVERYTHING is true... depends on who you ask.

Perhaps so, but it is definitely true that the crime drop in NYC was even more radical/marked than in other cities. One basic theory is that the vigilant enforcement of "qualify of life" crimes was a key reason for that. Or, as some people refer to it, the "broken windows" theory.

I happen to agree with that. If the JCPD were to start enforcing basic laws (no double parking blocking traffic, leash and curbing of dogs, loitering, noise and curfew laws) that would have the consequence of putting people on notice that the police is not going to sit idly by and let people misbehave. I think people start to modify their behavior enough to lead to a more civilized environment. One thing is certain, doing nothing, or continuing to do the same as now, will not lead to a better result. As the broken windows theory has been proven: when people assess their surroundings, and determine that they do not need to follow certain rules or behavior, they will do just that.

The basic example, and the one studied over and over, is that of littering. In many studies, when a subject is faced with a choice to litter, or not, that person was significantly more likely to litter when he found himself in an area that was already littered. I think that is part of the endemic problem in JC: many people have already "learned" that littering is OK. I think a massive public campaign targeting quality of life issues, couple with heightened enforcement by the JCPD, is what we need.

Personally, I think the light rail is already over priced as it is when compared to the PATH, or other regional mass transit options.

And, yes, I realize we are not paying full fare because it is already subsidized and blah, blah, blah. At the end of the day, the LR costs as much as the PATH (which gets me to ANOTHER state, and under water!) and it is just a tad less than the NYC subway, which can get me a trip that is as short as a few minutes, or as long as two hours, and take me to all kinds of interesting, fun, world-class destinations.

I hardly ever ride the light rail, as I refuse to pay that fare. In all of 2012, I probably rode it 8 times, or less. So far in 2013, I think I have been on it 3 times. I rather walk, or ride my bicycle.

Ha ha ha! OK, in that case, I *was* missing something.
The site and the menu look pretty slick, in a good way, so I am definitely looking forward to trying out this place. And, pork belly tacos? I am SO there for that.

mwa7368 said:
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JackieCruise said:
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What am I missing!? Tequila menu? Quality tequila "go to" place? When did Herradura become quality stuff??? I must be a snob, or something.

You want "go to" tequila place with a TRUE, QUALITY tequila menu? Go here: La Biblioteca and here is a direct link to their tequila menu (with HUNDREDS of options): Tequila (and, mezcal) Menu.