In New Orleans, French Bread can easily be your downfall on a 5-day eating spree

TOP LOAF: The best loaf of French Bread I had in New Orleans was in this 10-inch Po Boy Sandwich stuffed with fried Gulf Oysters and fried Gulf Shrimp, dressed Vietnamese style with cilantro, cucumbers, carrots and sriracha sauce ($10 at Banh Mi Boys). The crust was crispy, too.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

HACKENSACK, N.J. -- I blame French Bread for my 5-pound weight gain on a 5-day trip to New Orleans.

Yes. We enjoyed enormous buffet breakfasts at two of the big hotels, as well as lavish restaurant meals, but we also walked many miles, marveling at the architecture in the Big Easy's historic Central Business District (see photos below).

New Orleans is a magnet for seafood lovers like me, offering incomparable Gulf Oysters, fresh (not previously frozen) Gulf Shrimp, Crawfish, Crab and a large variety of fish.

But New Orleanians also love French Bread, a doughy, carb-filled loaf used for the local Po Boy and Vietnamese Banh Mi sandwiches, and served in many restaurants, usually in a bag or wrapped in paper.

It bears little resemblance to the original Baguette, a slim, crusty loaf you could eat all by itself or dipped in extra-virgin olive oil. 

French Bread has gained a lot of weight, is doughier and usually doesn't have much of a crust. 

For hunger pangs

Still, the bread comes in handy to quiet your hunger pangs after you've ordered a meal in a restaurant.

For example, at the Red Fish Grill  on Bourbon Street, I forget to ask the waiter to bring a dozen Gulf Oysters before that huge fried Redfish with vegetables we ordered, and everything came at once, but not until 15 or 20 minutes after we sat down.

While my wife and I and our friend Dwight waited, we downed big pieces of bread -- no butter needed.

A couple of nights later, we also welcomed a loaf of French Bread at the Bon Ton Cafe, the oldest Cajun restaurant in New Orleans, to dip into the dressing of a seafood salad.

Since we've returned home on April 15, I've managed to lose all but one of the 5 pounds I put on, but this bread lover is still haunted by the memory of a crispy loaf of French Bread used to make a terrific shrimp-and-oyster Po Boy from Banh Mi Boys, which dressed my sandwich Vietnamese-style.

Read: I've always hated flying United Airlines ...

A WHOPPER: We love whole fish, but we've never seen anything quite as big as this Crispy Whole Redfish with crab-boiled vegetables and roasted corn aioli that we ordered at the Red Fish Grill, a seafood-centric restaurant on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter. This generous serving of fish and vegetables was easily enough for 3, and it was a bargain at $32.75.

INCOMPARABLE OYSTERS: After finishing the whole redfish and two side dishes, Potato Salad and Spinach, I didn't think my friend Dwight and I would have room for a dozen Gulf Oysters at the Red Fish Grill ($15.95). But they went down easy (my wife doesn't eat oysters).

GREAT SEAFOOD: We had our best meal at the Red Fish Grill during a 2017 vacation so we made sure the French Quarter seafood restaurant was the first place we had dinner on the day we arrived in New Orleans. Reservations are recommended.

MORE BREAD: A Roasted Eggplant Banh Mi with onions at Magasin Kitchen, a Vietnamese restaurant ($5.50). I also enjoyed a Grilled Shrimp Spring Roll ($6.50), but my wife didn't finish her Pho Combo ($10), and complained glasses, plates, bowls, and forks and knives didn't look clean. We won't return there.

BEST SALAD: My wife and I shared Debbie's Salad, made with lump crabmeat and fresh shrimp ($19 for small), at the Bon Ton Cafe, said to be the oldest Cajun restaurant in New Orleans.

FRESH GULF SHRIMP: At Bon Ton Cafe, my wife's entree was Grilled Shrimp with Cajun Spices, served with a dipping sauce spiked with horseradish ($25). I had a small bowl of Gumbo with shrimp, crab and okra ($8.50).

OLD NEW ORLEANS: The Bon Ton Cafe at 401 Magazine St. is housed in a building dating to the 1840s, and gaslights flank the entrance. The restaurant is closed on weekends.

MADE TO ORDER: One morning, we tackled the $22.95 all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet at the Hyatt Regency New Orleans, where we stayed in 2017. Using a form I gave to the server, I placed an order for an omelet with vegetables, fresh shrimp and a sinful Goat Cheese center, above.

SMOKED SALMON: The breakfast buffet in the Hyatt Regency's 8 Block Kitchen & Bar also includes two kinds of smoked salmon with capers and other garnishes. 

SAY CHEESE: The Hyatt's breakfast buffet also includes an array of full-fat cheeses and crusty bread. Hyatt's buffet was far superior to the pricier $24-per-person breakfast buffet we tried a day earlier at the New Orleans Marriott on Canal Street.

BEST BREAKFAST: My wife declared the a la carte morning meal we had at Couvant on the day we left for home the best breakfast she had in New Orleans, and I agree, though it wasn't the best value. I loved the salad served with our entrees, Oeufs a la Royale ($14) and Omelette Fines ($16), above and below. I asked for sides of smoked salmon ($7) and hash browns ($4).

FRESH FRUIT AND BERRIES: I clearly ordered too much at Couvant, starting with this Yogurt Parfait ($9) with Greek Yogurt, Vanilla-Pecan Granola and premium fruit. The restaurant is in The Eliza Jane Hotel, where we stayed.

FULL POT: When you order hot tea at Couvant ($4), you get a full pot of brewed tea, above, a nice change from having to ask for more hot water.

NO POCKET BREAD: My eyes also were bigger than my stomach at Little Fig, one of the vendors in Pythian Market, a New Orleans "food hall for all" with more than a dozen food stands and a craft bar. Unfortunately, neither the delicious Falafel Platter ($11) or the side of Baba Ghanouj ($5) came with Middle Eastern pocket bread, which would have had less carbs than the focaccia or French Bread.

FIRST WOMAN PUBLISHER OF A MAJOR PAPER: The Eliza Jane Hotel on Magazine Street, named for the former publisher of The Picayune daily newspaper in the late 1800s, was built within 9 historic warehouses, which housed the newspaper and other businesses.

WWII MUSEUM: Don't miss the hour-long documentary film on World War II, including sound effects, vibrating seats and more, in the theater of The National WWII Museum.

HISTORIC DISTRICT: New Orleans' rich architectural heritage is on display outside the French Quarter in the city's historic Central Business District, including courthouses, former banks and quaint hotels, above the below.

NO A.C.: The historic cars used on the St. Charles Avenue Streetcar Line have no air conditioning, unlike the newer trolleys, which are painted red.

GREEN COFFEE: The New Orleans Board of Trade, which dates to 1880, was renovated in 1993 into an events space. The board traded green coffee, and three clocks showed the time in New Orleans, New York and Rio de Janeiro, said to have been the major players.

HAUNTING: The H.W. Johns-Manville Co. had a large factory in New Orleans, but in 1982, facing unprecedented liability for asbestos injury claims, the company filed for bankruptcy. The word "ASBESTOS" is visible today on this building at 441 Gravier St. Johns Manville, based in Denver, Co., is still in business today.

TARNISHED FACADE, TARNISHED REPUTATION: City Hall in New Orleans isn't very distinctive architecturally, but its drab, faded exterior fits in a city and state whose reputation has been tarnished by corrupt politicians.

Our mail-in ballots helped defeat Hoffman bid for a new term on Board of Education

Provisional and mail-in ballots provided the margin of victory in last Tuesday's election to fill 3 three-year seats on the Hackensack Board of Education.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

HACKENSACK -- In elections big and small, every  vote counts.

That is the valuable lesson in last Tuesday's Board of Education election in Hackensack, where 17 provisional and 32 mail-in ballots allowed Ira G. Goodman to pull ahead of Vice President Timothy Hoffman.

That gave a clean sweep to the Hackensack Smart Schools team led by board President Lara Rodriguez.

Besides Goodman, Michael Scott James-Vickery also was elected to a 3-year term on the 9-member board.

New tally

The new tally provided by the Bergen County Board of Elections on Monday gave Goodman 892 votes and Hoffman 887.

The margin of victory was only 5 votes.

My wife and I mailed in 2 ballots for the entire Smart Schools team, helping defeat Hoffman, who had favored a grandiose $170 million school construction and renovation plan that was shot down by voters in January.

Rodriguez and Scott-Vickery placed first and second in the election, edging out Hoffman's team of Yvette Washington-Irving and Basim Ahmad.

Last Wednesday, the Hackensack City Clerk said Hoffman led Goodman, 867-856 (an 11-vote margin), but that was before provisional and mail-in ballots were counted.

Apathy still reigns

As usual, the turnout for the school election was pathetic, even though nearly half of every property tax bill goes to support the city's schools, and voters could accept or reject the proposed $84.5 million tax levy.

Only 8.53% of the 22,447 registered voters or 1,915 people cast ballots, according to the Board of Elections (that includes provisional and mail-in votes).

Voters approved the annual school budget by a vote of 800 to 718, but the Board of Elections noted that voters who mailed in their ballots said no, 172-155.

Board of Education President Lara Rodriguez led her Hackensack Smart Schools team to a clean sweep in last Tuesday's election.

I've always hated flying United Airlines, but in New Orleans, not flying is the ordeal

Passengers on United Airlines' Flight 711 to Newark board the aircraft at Gate D9 of Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.

Editor's note: This post desperately needed a new headline to replace the tortured syntax of the original, so here it is.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

KENNER, LA. -- United Airlines' Flight 711 to Newark appears cursed.

Every time we've taken it at the end of a vacation in New Orleans, we've experienced delays.

On Friday, we waited at Louis Armstrong International Airport's Gate D9 for more than 4 hours after the scheduled 3:10 p.m departure before we were allowed to board the flight.

First, we were told our departure had been rolled back to 5 p.m., then to a little after 8 p.m.

Our 737-700 aircraft and the crew also sat there all that time.

What storms?

We were told thunderstorms in northern New Jersey would prevent the plane from landing.

At Newark Liberty International Airport, the Air Brook driver who picked us up on Friday night after 11 said there had been scattered rain, but nothing he'd describe as a thunderstorm.

The phantom thunderstorms also prevented the departure of New Orleans flights to La Guardia Airport in New York and to Washington, D.C.

By arriving late at Newark airport, I also incurred a $15 night rate surcharge on our Air Brook ride home.

2017 vacation

After we attended the French Quarter Festival in New Orleans in 2017, our flight to Newark was delayed 2 hours.

The explanation: Too few air traffic controllers had reported to work.

I've always hated flying United. Now, I hate it for delays that have me not flying the airline.

On Friday, I was able to get earphones from one of the cabin attendants to watch a free movie, "Widows."

But the Economy Plus seat I paid extra for was so narrow, it was difficult to prevent my forearm from hitting the entertainment controls on the armrest, and blacking out the video or switching to another channel.

Instead of making do with a small bag of salty pretzels United Airlines serves on Flight 711, I stopped on the way to the airport for takeout from Banh Mi Boys in Metairie, La. I ordered a 10-inch Po Boy Sandwich stuffed with fried oysters and fried shrimp, dressed Vietnamese style with fresh cilantro, cucumbers, shredded carrots, sriracha sauce and other ingredients, above and below. 

Conveniently, Banh Mi Boys is part of a gas station, where I was able to fill up our rental car before returning it, instead of making a second stop. The sandwich shop is about 5 miles away from the airport.

Our first stop on the way to the airport was Manchu Food Store, a Vietnamese-owned business that lays claim to serving the best chicken wings in New Orleans, above and below. Tip: Order the regular fried wings to avoid what my wife said is excessive salt in the BBQ wings. The tasty side of fried rice contains small shrimp.

Humans dress up as lobsters but real thing takes a powder at Littoral Society's 5K Run

COLORFUL CRUSTACEANS: Runners who completed the 4th annual American Littoral Society Lobster Run on Saturday in Asbury Park were dressed colorfully, above and below.

CARE FOR THE COAST: The 5K Run/Walk was a fundraiser to support the Highlands-based Littoral Society's efforts to protect and preserve the ocean and coast.

HUMAN LOBSTER: Although runners dressed as lobsters, the real thing wasn't served in the buffet at the Langosta Lounge, a boardwalk restaurant I feel is a poor choice for the event. I eat there once a year only to support the Littoral Society.

PILING ON: For $45, my Lobster 5K Walk Ticket included the meal and some of the ugliest oysters I have ever seen, above. We were expected to pile all of the food, including fruit, granola and flavored yogurt, on one smallish disposable oval plate. You may not be able to find the Lobster Mac and Cheese (with hardly any lobster). Last year, each meal ticket included a chilled half Maine lobster from The Lusty Lobster in Highlands. That wasn't repeated on Saturday, unfortunately.

BACON, TOO: Not all of the food was healthy. Sausage and bacon also were served. When the restaurant ran out of disposable plates before the food ran out, two employees didn't budge to bring out real ones. In 2018, there was plenty of lobster in the mac and cheese, plus a half chilled Maine Lobster. See link and photos from last year's event below.

Read: In 2018, I headed straight for the buffet

    

 -- VICTOR E. SASSON

Opponents say Hoffman, running mates are 'using our cold kids as political pawns'

A flier sent to Hackensack homes this week shows an elementary school student trying to keep warm. The illustration dramatizes the loss of heat at the Fanny Hillers Elementary School, where "kids and teachers had to bundle up in coats, hats and gloves during some classes" this past winter.

Opponents blame Vice President Timothy J. Hoffman, who is seeking a new 3-year term on the Board of Education, for failing to include $1.7 million in the proposed school budget for a new boiler at the Hillers School to avoid a repeat of what happened this winter.

Smart Schools team allege board VP

lied about budgeting for new boiler

VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

HACKENSACK, N.J. -- Opponents of Board of Education Vice President Timothy J. Hoffman in Tuesday's election say he still is angry "his prized $170 million referendum was crushed by voters in January."

The Smarts Schools team led by board President Lara Rodriguez want to take $1.7 million from "new school construction funds" in the proposed budget, and use it to buy a new boiler for the Fanny Hillers Elementary School "in time for next winter."

But they claim the Hoffman team "flat out lied and said money for the new boiler was in the budget, then ... admitted that it's not."

6 candidates, 3 seats

Rodriguez, Michael Scott James-Vickery and Ira Goodman are running under the banner of Hackensack Smart Schools, the residents group that allied with the City Council to defeat the grandiose $170 million school construction and renovation plan, which was on a special election ballot Jan. 22.

To pay for the work, taxpayers would have been hit with a tax hike of $308 to $650 and more a year for 30 years.

Hoffman's running mates are Yvette Washington Irving and Basim Assad. 

Voters can choose 3 candidates to serve 3-year terms on the 9-member board.

Reject $126.5M budget

Residents also will be able to vote "yes" or "no" on the proposed $84.5 million tax levy to support a budget of $126.5 million for the 2019-20 school year.

If the budget is rejected, the City Council can make cuts in the plan.

About 45% of every property tax bill in Hackensack goes to support the schools.

Polls will be open on Tuesday from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Read: Taxpayers can reject $126.5 budget plan

Board of Education President Lara Rodriguez, left; Michael Scott James-Vickery, center, and Ira Goodman are running under the banner of Hackensack Smart Schools, a group of residents that mobilized to defeat a $170 million school construction and renovation proposal in January. See their ballot positions, below. 

Lara Rodriguez, president of the Board of Education, is at the top of the column of candidates, and her running mates are at the bottom. Voters also can vote "yes" or "no" on the proposed $84.5 million tax levy to support the proposed $126.5 million budget. That portion of the ballot isn't shown.

Attention Hackensack taxpayers, you can reject a proposed $126.5M school budget

In next Tuesday's election, the City Council is backing Board of Education President Lara Rodriguez, Michael Scott James-Vickery and Ira G. Goodman. James-Vickery and Goodman are members of Hackensack Smart Schools, the taxpayers group that defeated the irresponsible $170 million school construction and renovation plan (and 30-year tax hike needed to pay for it) that were on the ballot in January.

Next Tuesday, voters also can fill

 3 seats on the Board of Education

Editor's note: I corrected the name of the Hackensack school where the boiler stopped working this winter.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

HACKENSACK, N.J. -- In next Tuesday's school election, Mayor John Labrosse and other members of the City Council are hoping to take control of the Board of Education and cut the bloated $126.5 million school budget plan.

Voters can say "no" to the proposed $84.5 million tax levy to support the 2019-20 school budget, sending the plan to the council for cuts.

But sadly, legions of Hackensack residents don't know that, and in past April elections, the budget has been approved by a margin of a few hundred voters.

More than 23,000 residents are registered to vote in Hackensack, and about 45% of every property tax bill goes to support the schools.

Whether through ignorance, apathy or laziness, residents have allowed the Zisa family political dynasty to control their schools, which are known for high salaries and low test scores.

In the 2018 school election, the proposed tax levy proposition was approved 695-447.

Read: School board challengers elected,

 budget approved

Candidates

"We don't agree on everything, but we do agree on the most important issues," Board of Education President Lara Rodriguez was quoted as saying about her running mates, Michael Scott James-Vickery and Ira G. Goodman.

"We know that our schools are in need of major physical and technology upgrades. We know that our children deserve better ... in a manner that has the least impact on taxpayers," she told TAPIntoHackensack.

Rodriguez, Michael Scott James-Vickery and Ira G. Goodman are running under the banner of Hackensack Smart Schools, a taxpayers group that mobilized to defeat the all-or-nothing $170 million school referendum in January.

James-Vickery brought his family to Hackensack seven years ago from Mississippi, where he taught for 10 years. A strong advocate of special education, he has 3 children in city schools.

Goodman is a 17-year resident with a strong technology background.

The mail-in ballot I received shows candidates for three open seats on the Board of Education, and the budget proposition that $84,522,752 in property taxes be used to support an overall school budget of $126.5 million, above and below. Every voter can say "yes" or "no" to the budget.

A "no" vote on the school tax levy next Tuesday would send the proposed budget to the City Council, which can cut the plan or leave it intact. In addition to property taxes, the schools are supported by tuition from other districts, aid and grants.

High salaries, low scores

Zisa-backed Board of Education members have rewarded administrators and teachers handsomely, but test scores have lagged at the majority of the city's schools.

The average salary for an administrator is about $169,000 a year, highest in the state, City Councilman Leo Battaglia said.

The average salary for a teacher is about $83,000, among the highest in the state, and the school board spends $18,700 to educate each student, he said.

More than 160 students weren't able to provide proof of residency, but city officials believe the number attending Hackensack schools from out of the district is well over 200.

Old schools

The average age of city schools is 100 years, board officials said when they proposed the $170 million renovation and building plan, which included a new junior high school and parking garage on the high school campus.

This winter, the boiler stopped working at the Fanny Meyer Hillers Elementary School, and teachers and students had to wear their coats and gloves in the classroom.

Read: Zisas' Team Hackensack

 controlled school board

Read: Hackensack taxpayers

 soundly defeat $170M plan