jg70124

I seem to remember reading in the Bergen Record over the winter that the space has some tricky zoning because of its proximity to a residential neighborhood, and so Paramus had denied the construction permit pending a redesign of the store.

A friend who just moved back to her house on Hagan told me yesterday that Elizabeth's, Crepe Nanou, and Crabby Jack's are all now open. She also said she spoke to Angel Miranda, and he plans to reopen Lola's "soon".

Actually, I tried. The Maitre d' couldn't find my ticket - and since my wife was crying in his main dining room, and I was clearly upset, he just gave me back my card.

Ok, I just called the Edgewater police, and spoke to a Sargeant. He said they got "a lot of calls", that people reported the restaurant staff really "tuned that guy up", that people saw staffers kicking the guy in the head and that they almost threw him through a window. But unless the victim reports it, there's nothing they can do. There are plenty of ways to defuse a bad situation without brutally attacking someone in full view of your other patrons.

Of course he would say that. But I was sitting just a couple feet away, and what I wrote is what I saw. I would not make up something so grotesque. As I wrote earlier, I did not call the police because I could not identify who the people were, and because I was not directly involved, and because my primary concern was to get my wife out of there as quickly as possible. And because it would be my word against the word of the restaurant, whose staffers were the ones doing the kicking. Instead, I got myself home, cooled down a bit, and wrote about the experience here. Based on the response I've gotten here and in private messages, maybe that was the wrong thing to do.

Re: police - not sure what I would say. I couldn't describe any of the bad actors, and I can't really say for sure how the thing started. Re: welcome - thanks! I've been lurking around (and loving it) for months - ever since a friend who works at Mo Pho in Fort Lee told me Jason had been through there.

Ever notice that along the I-10 near New Orleans, street lights have break-away mounts? And that it's not uncommon to see a half dozen newly downed poles on the way to work Monday mornings...

Just a heads up: Elizabeth's changed hands after Jazz Fest, and closed August 1st for renovations. Target date for reopening is early September.

I've had Fascino's from the Fairway in Fort Lee (based on the recommendations from this board), Gelati's in Totowa (my mother-in-law lives near there), and Ciao Bella in Tenafly (random). None comes close to the gelato at Four Seasons on Market Street in Elmwood Park. Four Season's pistachio is every bit as good as the gelato I had in Palermo. And they even have brioche.

I heard it's going in the space that used to be the Macy's. Darned if I know where I heard it, though.

Hello folks. I'm a new eG Forums member, and sadly, my first post is about an awful experience. We have lived in Bergen County for 5 years, after 10 years in New Orleans. We've heard lots of good things about Le Jardin, a fine-dining continental restaurant in Edgewater with stunning views of the Hudson and of Manhattan, so tonight we went there for the first time. We arrived early, about 6:30, and the hostess was able to sit us outside on the patio, near the bar. But the view was nice, so we didn't mind the bar. My wife ordered the Lobster salad appetizer as her main course, and it was excellent. 1/2 a lobster, shelled, over greens, with just a drop of a creamy truffle oil dressing. I had the braised lamb shank in a red-wine reduction, with new potatos a selection of steamed vegetables. The shank was nice, very soft, although the reduction was a little rich for my taste. The vegetables were just right - not over done, good mouth feel. About halfway through our meal, two guys at the bar got in an argument. After a couple of minutes of shouting and shoving, the waiters separated the men, and it seemed as if things were cooling down. But then about 6-10 guys, some in suits and some in kitchen whites, ran out of the dining room and started beating on the larger of the two men. They ripped off his shirt and threw him to the ground (about a foot from our table). One of the kitchen guys kicked him in the head - hard, like you would kick a football - and then he did it again. We could clearly hear his boot hitting the guy's head. There was no blood, but the guy was obviously stunned. My wife burst into tears, and I got freaked out. We left without paying, although I did tip our waiter. We have been dining out for 25 years, at fine restaurants and dives, in good neighborhoods and bad. But never have I ever experienced anything so grotesque as what I saw tonight. We will never go back, and I urge the readers of this board to avoid Le Jardin.