I can say now with all honesty that I loathe this place. As a Newport resident, I am disappointed Michael Anthony's couldn't improve over the last couple of years. We are in need of a good Italian restaurant. But Michael Anthony's doesn't know what it is -- huge identity crisis. Menu still makes no sense. Bartenders ignore you. No one ever smiles. Food rates mediocre to okay, and the service still rates from bad to bad. And the night crowd it draws on the weekends is horrible...cops are there at least once each weekend. I don't know how they get away with blasting music until 1 a.m. either. Isn't there a noise ordinance in Jersey City????!! Oh - -and the driver of the little golf cart tram thing that they run back and forth across Washington Ave almost ran me over on the sidewalk the other day. That guy has to be going about 30 mph.

I've been ordering in kebabs and other middle eastern food from this place, and it's been great. They should just stick with what they know. Last week I had family visiting and we went to 'dine in' for the first time for lunch. NEVER AGAIN. The service was non-existent in between the server's personal texting and cell phone calls. My little cousin ordered a burger and it was a dried out HOCKEY PUCK. We sent it back. And, the server forgot my sister's entree completely. I was so embarrassed and angry.

Did I mention we were the ONLY ones in there?? How would they handle it if more than one table of customers actually came in for a meal?? Terrible.

They put bacon in too many things -- it's cheating, I think. Show me what the chef can really do with his/her ingredients. If I cooked my shoe with bacon, it would taste good.

As for service -- I arrived 10 minutes before the 'dinner menu' was available. I told the server I was craving pasta (which wasn't on the lunch menu). Instead of suggesting I wait a few minutes until it was 5:00, when I could order a pasta dish, he told me I could probably find some somewhere else. SERIOUSLY.

Can anyone recommend a GOOD home inspector for a downtown JC brownstone?

Definitely report it to the Park, if you haven't already.

That was really beyond acceptable for a Sunday night. With all my windows closed at 11 pm I could still hear the freakin' BOOM BOOM BOOM.

It's about that time for me to stop renting and buy a place downtown. I know the neighborhoods, but I think experience as a renter differs from that of an owner. I'd like to stay away from high rises, too. Any input on neighborhoods of Hamilton Park, Van Vorst, or the new construction near Liberty Harbor around Grand Street? All comments welcome!

I used to love everything about this place when I moved here. So much has changed in the last couple of years. These meters are horrible...the latest thing to convince me to move from Newport. The Management even made a metered parking spot out of a corner outside the Riverside building where the curb dips for wheelchairs, strollers, etc. So a car can park there and block a disabled person from getting down from the curb. Terrible.

Seems like you hit most of the good spots! Marco and Pepe's on Grove is good. Very small and casual...cozy. Or Bar Majestic on Grove?

Very cute place. They need to get better help, though. Was there one night last week and the very young girls behind the counter didn't know which cone was which, they were slow, and when my boyfriend and I ordered two small cups of gelato, he had about twice as much in his cup than I had in mine. Not rocket science, really, to know how much gelato should go into a 'small' cup. At least put the same amount in the two cups for one customer! But it tasted good. And we bought a small bag of cookies which were good too.

Okay, I gave the place another shot for dinner. Forget about it. Wednesday is a ridiculous karaoke night, by the way. Get this -- at the table next to us were two couples. They got their drinks, and ordered their dinner. Not long after, a bus boy comes to their table with a bag and a pizza box. Apparently their order was put in as a 'take-out', and the bus boy brought their entire order in takeout containers. The customers were speechless. I was laughing my butt off. Did any of the managers know about this??? They were all at the bar drinking it up. Sheesh.

Ugh. I shudder to think it was the same bird there since Tuesday. Then again I shudder to think it was yet another one. Sometimes it's a pigeon, but also I've seen blackbirds there. What can be done? I have no idea who to complain to about this. I did bring it up to the restaurant, but the management there is just a rat's nest...I have no idea who is running the show.