Awesome News. I love the new candy store next store. Its like a slice of small town america in JC. All we need is a soda jerk. It will be good to have a local pharmacy in the hood.

I have to throw an entry in for Rumi's Turkish Grill. The core kabobs are awesome. Plus their rice, I could bathe in it. And the shepard's salad I could go swimming in it. Awesome food. And it deliver's pretty well.

Good to have a range of options. IMO, Ibby's has always been lack-luster. The meat is poor quality, stringy and overly fatty. It is nothing close to Mamoons. Just sayin....

Agreed. I liked the innovative menu. The little salami sandwiches as well as the crustini were great. The chef is classically trained and its great for him to show off his skills and challenge mediocrity. Simple tasty food, does not all need to come out of the freezer and then right into the deep fryer.

I love that they are trying to do something different. Beer selection was great, without being overwhelming. It was also nice playing some old school Contra.

The crowd was a bit mixed, kind of mash up of vibes. Once it finds it's sea legs it will be great. Kind of reminded me of DBA with video games. Maybe its the chalk boards.

I was there in the afternoon. Could be a solid spot for Funday Sunday, once their is seating outside. Have to check it out at night.

I think its a great addition and hope it might inspire other local innovative businesses on the block. Would love a solid gastro pub, that has just a few tvs to watch the game. Don't want it to be frat-tastic, just adventurous simple food. Good beers and bourbons.

This calls for a FlashMob. 10 cars. 6 people per car, dressed like clowns. Park and scatter. We tape it and we mess with the spotters and tow trucks.

I may take an entire week off of work just to supervise this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQ3d3KigPQM

I think you have to take a look at the competition in your location and determine what the needs are. At this point and time JC is a downtown of disperate neighborhoods. Paulus Hook, Hamilton Park, Grove Street and Van Vorst.

For the most part people frequent those places closest to their homes. Their are very few "destination" restaurants I would say. There are a few but not really.

Things we have plenty of --- Asian Fusion and sushi. There are quite a few good pubish places --- Hamilton Inn, Light Horse, Skinners Loft, The Merchant.

I would love a great spanish/Portuguese tapas restaurants, with a solid wine selection. Perhaps some of the up and coming peruvian and or chilean wines.

I also would love something like Satis, but more focused. A salumeri, with small hot dishes (micro plates of veal meatballs) and solid cheeses and panini. Kind of like a small cafe you might see in Florence.

Finally, the new american gastro pub with a solid brunch and solid vegetarian options. You dont need to be a pure play vegan restaurant to sell an awesome tofu scramble. Something farm to table would be interesting. Especially given the desire for sustainability and organic ingredients. You already have places like the downtown food co-op stepping up to meet that demand, so perhaps a restaurant.

Just some ideas. I am local foodie and would be happy to bounce around some ideas with you if you are looking for a bit of creative bantor.

I think its about fit a niche, delivering on it well from a solid and innovative menu and top notch service. You have in JC, a growing creative class in downtown, but a city that also has deep roots beyond its newest residents. Their are the moms and dads of Paulus Hook and other surrounding areas.

It would be an ideal marketing plan to reach all those folks, but can you? Create something unique and distinctive, that all can appreciate and grow it so its not just your local go to, but a destination for folks outside of its immediate proximity.

Awesome will do. That is probably part of the difference. Downtown is really a series of sub-neighborhoods, which thanks to the geniuses that widened Grand and Columbus even further contributes to this disparity.

Paulus Hook, Groove, Hamilton Park, VVP, all see a bit isolated from each-other.

Will definitely check out the 4th street fest.

I can't say why, but it does not feel the same. Maybe its scale. All those events feel like there is 10% of the downtown community participating. The same people. Something is missing. I can't quite define it. But those events lack something.

Like the arts and music fest in HBK for all its nonsense, creates a sense of community like people truly care. I have never seen that in a JC event. Its like its the same 5 people, banging their heads against a wall.

Maybe Fulop as mayor would change things. But our citizenry lacks passion to really drive things forward.

Asbury Park does it the first saturday of every month. Its a good time and brings local people to local restaurants, shops and galleries.

Seems like something like this would benefit downtown local merchants.

Also, we should take one of the empty park lots downtown and turn it into a trailer park for food trucks and local merchants on saturday's in the summer.

Maybe I just want a slice of Austin.

Just sayin'

I am in fact Anthony Bourdain. Well no not really, but I am his cousin Jean Claude. But unfortunately, I do not have an interest in Satis other then the fact that I think it is a unique gem in the sea of southern italian, pub fare, and asian fusion food that is jersey city.

I never said Lighthouse was pub food. I said it was a pub, which it is. I do think its food is simple. And there by its core definition, Light Horse food is pedestrian. Its not overlay complicated or imaginative, and it fits that niche. There is nothing wrong with that but in its genesis that is safe.

Also, although their are some variations in the menu - Light Horse, Merchant, The Hamilton Inn, Edwards, and Skinners Loft all feel like a very similar restaurant concept. Verging on the marriage of Gastro and Pub. Nothing wrong with that. But not as adventurous or different then what I have seen in Satis.

And given that, yes The Light Horse is Pedestrian.

And that is what I like about Satis. Its not safe and that is what contrasts it from the rest of the restaurants in the area. I am enamored by someone that has the guts to do something different. To challenge convention and not apologize for it.

Fact is you cant please everyone. Some people love basic chicken parm (as do I) but that is all they want at of life. Because its good and it rarely disappoints you. There is nothing wrong with choosing that. But I admire someone that takes risks and up until this point Satis is the most risky thing in restaurants to come to area.

I admire them for that. That is all I am saying. Some people like Hemingway and Renoir. Others like Pollack and Bukowski.

And neither is right or wrong. But I admire the latter.

Its not so much the menu, per se. But the whole vibe of the place.

In the words of Kerouac....the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes "Awww!"

And no I dont wear a fadora or skinny jeans. Peace out.

I love how people say their are "lots" of options in the neighborhood and DTJC as a whole. There are like 6-8 decent restaurants in all of downtown JC. If you slice that down to Paulus Hook you have less then that.

Lighthorse is pedestrian. Its a pub. Its a place for a good burger and a beer. Anything else on the menu could be made by a 22 yr old grad of the CIA. Presto is an upgrade to the Olive Garden. Yes its good. But that is it, its not pushing the boundaries of Italian Cuisine in any way.

When many people say italian is good, they are usually just saying americanized southern family style italian fare. Its like when Old people call a restaurant good - Really they are just saying its cheap and there are big portions. The flavors are not dramatically impressive or sophisticated. They are just good.

Spirt if Laximi is great indian. I dig it and its worth going in for.

Johns pizza is ok. Not impressive. Paulus Hook Brick oven is a good slice, but is not going to make me compare it to the pizza of Naples.

Now Satis. Satis takes balls. Satis is a place that reminds me of Babo or Lupa its in design. But makes me feel comfortable, like as if I was at a Trattoria in a back street in Florence. Its a balance of design and atmosphere. That is what I expect from a restaurant especially when I am paying for that experience.

I love a good burger from Corner Bistro, and its plebeian decor is what adds to my love for it. But Satis, clearly has nailed the experience. But experience without heart and soul is nothing. Kind of like like driving a Ferarri with a 4 cylinder engine.

Satis has heart. It has soul. It has spirit and that is delivered in the form of a plate of love. Satis in the end has balls. And there is nothing like it in JC and maybe not all of Hudson County. It reminds me in its own way of Culinariane in Montclair. Same level of sophistication, atmosphere, taste and top notch service.

Mike keep up the great work and continue to have the guts to do what you do. Envy and Jealousy are transparent and they will nip at your hells, but overtime, they will come to shine your shoes and you bask in your glory.

Ducky's is donkey. As in redonculous. That's right I gave them redonc status. And that is a treat.

I think the must try is the duck low mein. Clearly its duck so its going to be rich, but surprisingly this was not overly greasy.

The dumplings and soup were amazing too. The veggies uber fresh.

Ducky for Mayor! Ducky for Mayor! Ducky for Mayor!

Damn. I loved Pretty in Pink. Where is my adderral.

TED is one of my favorite websites. This is a link to a great video about work being done across the country where suburban spaces (i.e. old shopping malls) are being converted into more usable and pedestrian friendly spaces.

Perhaps we can dream that a visionary will come to our city and transform what we have and make it even better.

http://www.ted.com/talks/ellen_dunham ... etrofitting_suburbia.html

They should just make the extension coble stone. That is a bitch to drive on.

Children are little petri dishes. This is why teachers are always sick. I generally don't like them, they ask questions that I rather not answer. Questions that usually begin with Why and How Come.

Children should be seen and not heard. I still believe that. Leave your kids at home so I can eat and drink in peace. I find it strange that they are near me. I think they are pretty much up to no good. I still remember when I was 11 in Disney Land on line for the Tea Cup ride and small child was kicking my ankles. He was about 7. Since then, I pretty much determined these kids are up to no good.

My dog however, cleans up after itself, talks to me about Chaucer. Debates the merits of smooth vs electric jazz and never kicks me in the ankles. My dog is also cheaper then your kid. And my dog, does not take the car on the weekend so he can bang his girlfriend in the park. My dog also does not go to spring break in Cancun where he dives in the pool from the 10th floor and dies. In a sense, my dog is 100% more times reliable then your kid.

Honestly your best option may be PATH to WTC, then just walk over to the 4/5. Express to UES.

A simple Wet Stone works on My Global Knives. For the straight razor, generally its leather hide that I see the old school shops use.

The art of shaving sells them as well.

http://www.theartofshaving.com/shop/product/68010/10

In my opinion nothing better then the good old simple French Press. Simple yet effective.

Realistically, It probably has to do with a combination of customers and employees. Both can ruin the experience.

Customers who don't respect said shopping establishment, certainly have a marked effect on how said employees like working there and in combination create a pretty miserable shopping experience.


I guess I have just come to terms with what to expect. I mean if I go to Wal-Mart, I am going there because I am going for the cheapest price and ultimately that is the ROI on what Wal-mart is. Their entire business model is based on that. Therefore, I would not be surprised to see a small child on fire running down aisle 4.

"Look out he is going to set my Oreos on fire"

Target, to me - was a brand that took the value message of Wal-Mart and created a more positive experience to it. Top Fashion "Names" making products at a more reasonable price point. But that said - it is still a big box retailer selling mass market goods to mass america.

Its a damn shame that we can not have both - great service, at a moderate price point. Arguably Home Depot and Lowes do a good job at that. But that said, I would not compare that "experience" to the customer service I see at Nordstrom, Whole Foods, or another high end retailer.

Good customer service in a brick and mortar world costs money and training and when you are competing purely on price - you are generally going to choose to invest your corporate capital in other things.

However, when you go to whole foods or Nordstrom you are going to a store that turns a higher margin, and can therefore invest that money in other places.

Yes, Target or Best Buy is not Wal Mart. But in some ways they are - so it will routinely be a challenge for them to deliver superior customer service at the store level.

This is why best buy has started the twiitter feed - which claims to provide superior digital customer service. As great customer service is the best advertising one can ever do. Just look at Zappos.

But at the end of the day, even though Target is a step above the bottom of the barrel retailers, I go there with measured expectations. They could not compete dollar for dollar with Wal Mart on price (no one can BTW). Hence why they tried to re-invent themselves in terms of their product offering and overall image. But still they sell similar products to wal-mart - so its not surprising the experience is not all that better.

Funny the shelves are never empty when I go....but i am usually distracted when I am sipping my cappuccino.

You people need to take a little dose of reality. Its Target.

Do you expect blowjobs and cappuccino when you walk in the door?

You go to buy things that have very slim margins. Like Soap and a mop bucket. I have never seen so many little whiney cupcakes complain more then the posters on this list.

I understand you may expect foot massages and a river of gold running through the front entrance, but alas you probably will not see that.

Everyone needs to seriosly lower their expectations.

I mean have you ever gone to a store where you were like "Holy shit, I have to call my friends about this place! Its so amazing!. I can't shop until I call them for fear that I may actually soil myself!"

I doubt it. I was close when I visited Fairway Market, but then I realized I was still in NJ and not in Nirvana.

Big - we were not arguing the validity or lack there of his arguments. We were discussing the effect his opinions had on the perception of the brand by some --- which at the end of the day when measured, was close to nil.

WAIT! BOBS BIG BOY IS COMING! AWESOME!!!!

Honestly, I would not know whether to shit or go blind if a Wegmans opened in JC. In my opinion they are competive in terms of local/organic/natural with WF, but at a more reasonable price point.

But alas, I can only dream. I have to say I went to that little spanish butcher on grove, that some people may be scared of, but the quality of the meat was quite good. Fresh. Quality.

Felt like a butcher too. I love that. Like they have the specials where if you buy Special #3, you get a free gallon of milk and a dozen eggs.

Remined me of the italian butchers I went to as a child with my mother. If only they had sawdust on the floor.

All good points T-bird. I think whole foods - although maybe not what one may call 100% organic, local, natural, all the time. They understand the power of that as a marketing vehicle.

Like chances are if I went to a small local butcher - there is a good chance that meat would be "organic, local and natural" at least to a degree. Also, Kosher meat - is also in many ways of better quality, then regular mass super-market quality.

But what whole foods understands is creating the experience. When you first walk in they create a feeling of a local market - with the exposed ceilings and usage of tin. But its a place that "Betty Draper" is pleased to go in the new 5-series.

But alas this thread is about best buy. I am happy to rant on the quality of food purveyors at anytime though.

Oh, and the reason you pay $30 dollars for that USB cable at Best Buy vs whatever you pay somewhere else - just add up their overhead, staff costs, benefits, global marketing - and thats where you get a $30 dollar USB cable.

But people pay, because for some reason, they think the $30 dollar USB cable is better then the $5 dollar version.

Is it time for a beer yet...

But of course. If your a business, profitability is paramount. I think some people were surprised that this brand which has an "organic and natural" slant - and seems to be known for the good corporate citizenship MUST be behind universal health care. As thats what is good for everyone! (mild sarcasm)

But in the end business must look out what is good for them. Why are all the big pharma companies collectively spending 150 Billion in advertising to support health care reform? Its not because the are all of a sudden great corporate citizens that want to help save health care disparity...its because more insured folks, means more supscriptions, which means more profits.

That said, whole foods not only produces a decent product, but they understand how to market that product. They understand marketing is about emotional connection, and its a whole lot easier to charge $12 dollars for 4 chicken breasts when its organic, free range, because people feel good about spending that. Soccer mom - feels good because she thinks she is doing something good for her family.

But at the end of the day - its just chicken. Sure not all companies are evil - I mean on the level of evil Exxon is certainly more evil then Whole Foods. But still they both exist to make money. And that means not just break even revenue, but maximize profit.

There are certainly entities out there that are out there that don't make a lot of profit - or any at all. There called charities and non-profits - but I bet their chicken is not as good as whole foods - just sayin.

CEO wrote an op-ed a few weeks ago, outlining his policy on health care and how whole foods approaches. Basically outlining why he is opposed to universal healthcare and how there are other issues which could and should be addressed first.

Has many left leaning whole foods loyalists a bit perturbed.

The Edison Parking lot on Montgomery which is not too far a walk you can park for $10/day, but that usually means you have to leave by 9am and be back by 4pm. Obviously that is the premium window of time for most people commuting into NYC.

That is probably the best you are going to do.

I lived in the Paulus Hook area for 5 years, and was a weekly visitor to La Rustique and it was my favorite. Now I live over in VVP and recently visited Johns.

I was underwhelmed - too much cheese, not enough basil and too greasy. There is this fine line and dichotomy I must deal with in my exploration of the perfect slice.

On one side is that sentimental perfect Jersey slice. Its not thin crust - its cheesy and it is made for the perfect fold. I love that in a slice.

Then on the other hand - you have La Rustique. Not really traditional NJ pizza as I would classify it - but remarkably good.

I have yet to go to the new Paulus Hook Pizza, but my full evaluation will follow. But for some reason the balance of basil cheese and sauce is optimal for me at La Rustique. Call it a maturation of my pizza sensibilities - but I like it. The more and more I go back the less and less I desire that traditional pizza.

Its like when you think your mother's red sauce is the best on earth and then you go to a restaurant and your perspective is completely changed. You deny it - because of the emotional connection you have to the original - but after a while you realize, much to your dismay. It's true.

I think it may be physically impossible to finish a fat burger, fries and a shake without napping after. Thanksgiving dinner pales in comparison.

In N Out needs an East Coast Expansion Plan. Will save me all those flights to Vegas.

Just take Erie. Less Traffic anyway.