2 new Main Street restaurants set to open amid a lull in Hackensack construction

A new soul food cafe offering a nice selection of fish and shrimp is awaiting official approval to open at 331 Main St. in Hackensack, near Berry Street, replacing Lavash City, a fast-casual Armenian restaurant that was one of my favorites.

A sign on the window of a former coffee shop next to the Johnson Public Library on Main Street in Hackensack, near Camden Street, announces that El Tango Argentina Grill is "coming soon."

-- HACKENSACK, N.J.

By VICTOR E. SASSON

EDITOR

The promise of an ambitious downtown redevelopment plan is far from being realized, but there are signs of new commercial life on Main Street in Hackensack.

Even though most apartment projects still are only big holes in the ground, at least two new restaurants -- a soul food cafe and an Argentinean grill -- are poised to open amid the many vacant storefronts on Main Street.

And work on sidewalks, curbs, and street and traffic lights is underway to return Main and State streets to two-way traffic by 2018.

Drivers have been cursing the rough pavement, which has been torn up numerous times and likely won't be repaved until each street is finished.

Glimpse of future

Main Street has been going downhill for many years.

But it really took a big hit when the Borg family closed the 150 River St. headquarters of North Jersey Media Group and The Record in 2009, completing the move of more than 1,000 employees to Passaic and Morris counties.

On a Main Street stroll from Euclid Avenue to Atlantic Street on Tuesday, me and my wife saw the promise of redevelopment inside Noches de Colombia (382 Main St.), where dozens of people were enjoying lunch in the restaurant's large dining room.

See: Borgs take the money and run

See previous post:

Court rejects Joseph Ferriero appeal

Once a BYO, Casual Habana Cafe, the popular Cuban restaurant at 125 Main St. in Hackensack, near Atlantic Street, now has a liquor license, "because no great story started with someone eating a salad," according to a sign we saw on Tuesday.

If you're hooked on hookah and vaporizing, check out Pharao Vape Cafe at 260D Main St. in Hackensack, above and below.

There were no signs that Wondee's Fine Thai Food & Noodles at 296 Main St. in Hackensack, near Camden Street, is still open for business.

The Record's one and only review of the restaurant -- from 1998 -- was in the window.

So far, these apartments overlooking the Atlantic Street Park in Hackensack are the only ones that have been completed.

A gutted Main Street bank building, which is being turned into luxury apartments and penthouses, as seen from State Street, where work continues to return the street to two-way traffic.

Hackensack officials stopped construction of a 14-story apartment and retail building at Main and Mercer streets in July 2016 after a pile-driving rig damaged and forced the evacuation of the Rainbow Castle Preschool building next door. Demolition of that building is expected to start this month, according to a notice sent to an adjacent property owner. 

U.S. court affirms conviction, 35-month sentence for Bergen's ex-Democratic boss

Attorney Joseph Ferriero, 60, was the powerful chairman of the Bergen County Democratic Organization from 1998-2009 (Photo by Amy Newman of The Record).

-- HACKENSACK, N.J.

By VICTOR E. SASSON

EDITOR

A federal appeals court has upheld the 35-month prison sentence imposed on onetime Democratic boss Joseph Ferriero, who was found guilty in 2015 of bribery, fraud and racketeering charges.

During the seven-week trial, federal prosecutors told jurors Ferriero used his position to "line his pockets."

"Ferriero pushed Democratic officials from Bergen County towns to contract with C3 [Holdings LLC, a software company], and four of the localities on his list eventually did so," Judge Anthony J. Scirica wrote for the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals.

"He was paid thousands of dollars based on those four contracts in checks listing out which payments corresponded to which town," the opinion said.

"But none of the local Democratic officials to whom Ferriero recommended C3 were aware he stood to profit," Scirica wrote.

In his appeal, Ferriero claimed there was insufficient evidence to convict him of bribery or fraud, and argued the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to toss out former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell's bribery conviction also cleared him.

But the three-judge panel of the 3rd Circuit found that the evidence was sufficient, adding, "Nothing in McDonnell changes the outcome for Ferriero in this case."

The opinion is expected to mean trouble for U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., who has cited the McDonnell decision in trying to obtain dismissal of federal corruption charges pending against him.

Food shopping: Your melon needs a belt, salmon bounty, veggie burgers, fish balls

Costco Wholesale in Teterboro was offering several brands of seedless watermelons last week, including one that urged shoppers to "protect your melon" and "buckle up," above. The label also shows a body with a melon head wearing a seat belt.

Yum-Yum! was another brand sold at the Costco warehouse store off of Route 46 in the Teterboro Landing Shopping Center.

-- HACKENSACK, N.J.

By VICTOR E. SASSON

EDITOR

We're at the height of the season for fresh wild salmon, sugar-sweet seedless watermelons, Jersey peaches, plump blueberries and other great "summer foods."

Unfortunately, no single warehouse store or supermarket can satisfy my family's need for them and offer great prices, too.

So, me and my wife continue to make the rounds at Costco Wholesale in Teterboro and Costco's Business Center in Hackensack; H Marts in Little Ferry, Englewood and Ridgefield; H & Y in Ridgefield, part of another Korean supermarket chain; and ShopRites in Paramus, Englewood and Hackensack.

When I posted this, I also should have mentioned our occasional visits to Whole Foods Market in Paramus for naturally raised meat and wild-caught Gulf Shrimp, as well as moderately priced organic whole wheat pasta, salsas, sauces and beans sold under the 365 Everyday Value label.

I also go to Trader Joe's for good deals on juices and organic sweet potatoes, and uncured, antibiotic-free bacon and hot dogs for the meat eaters in the family.

If nothing else, going food shopping several times a week is good exercise.

NYT Cooking

I've been looking over lots of recipes during a trial subscription to NYT Cooking, but won't be paying to continue.

Sam Sifton, the ebullient editor, doesn't offer much to a senior citizen like me who is watching his cholesterol and weight, and who doesn't eat meat or poultry.

Here we are at the height of the fresh wild salmon season, and I haven't seen a Times recipe for sockeye or any other fish.

Sifton, Melissa Clark and other Times staffers eat lots of chicken, beef and bacon -- without a cautionary note on poultry and meat raised on harmful human antibiotics and growth hormones.

MORE FOR LESS: A bounty of fresh wild salmon means I can buy a bigger fillet at Costco Wholesale in Teterboro. Here, I prepared a reduction of organic diced tomatoes, shallots, garlic, red wine and seasonings, and served the grilled salmon with fresh herbs from my garden and a homemade tzatziki or yogurt sauce (non-fat Greek yogurt, grated cucumbers, garlic, olive oil and lemon juice).

$5 PER PERSON: At $9.99 a pound, a Sockeye Salmon fillet of about 2 pounds yielded eight serving pieces (two for each member of my family) for about $5 per person.

ORGANIC VEGGIE BURGERS: A 3-pound, 12-burger package of Dr. Preager's Organic Harvest Veggie Burgers, made with organic chickpeas, quinoa and vegetables (normally $14.49), was on sale for $10.99 with an instant coupon at Costco Wholesale in Teterboro.

GO FISH: Fish balls made with fillets, shrimp and tofu are sold frozen at the H Mart, 260 Bergen Turnpike in Little Ferry, for $5.99 a pound (and on Sunday, you can try a free sample near the fresh fish counter). I prepared a broth of organic chicken stock, red wine, water sake, sesame oil and seasonings, and added a large bunch of mustard greens, chopped and washed, in the last few minutes of cooking.

WHOLE WHEAT PASTA: Though not organic, Barilla 100% Whole Wheat Thin Spaghetti and 100% Whole Wheat Linguine are on sale for 99 cents (1-pound box) at the Little Ferry H Mart until the end of the year. I also found a 3-pound package of Japanese-style soba or buckwheat noodles made by Danya in Korea on sale for $4.99.

SWEET MEXICAN MANGOES: I've been buying a box of Ataulfo or Champagne Mangoes from Mexico every Sunday at H Mart in Little Ferry. These wonderfully sweet mangoes have grown in size and price. Now, you get 16 mangoes for $12.99.

 SHOPRITE SEARCH: I'm searching for a ShopRite to replace the disorganized store in Paramus, where I've been stopping on the way home from the gym two or three days a week. Today, I went to the Hackesnack ShopRite, above, and couldn't find much. The store carries yams, but not sweet potatoes, and didn't have any Jersey peaches. Other produce was priced higher than I'm used to from the Paramus ShopRite and Little Ferry H Mart.

NATURAL COLD CUTS: At the Hackensack ShopRite, I did find Black Bear-brand Smoked Ham and Herbed Turkey Breast, both raised without antibiotics, at $4.49 for a 7-ounce package, right.

FOR GARLIC LOVERS: We've been buying 3-pound pouches of peeled Christopher Ranch California Garlic from Teterboro Costco ($8.99), but the cloves sometimes get moldy before the "best by" date. Today, I boiled 3 pounds of yams and lots of garlic cloves from a new bag, then drained and mashed them with extra-virgin olive oil, adding cinnamon, curry powder, red-pepper flakes, black pepper and other seasonings.

Two other brands of seedless watermelon sold at the Teterboro Costco, above and below. The melon grown in Maryland or Delaware invites shoppers to "experience the local flavor," above.

A jury found former Police Chief Ken Zisa guilty; no appeals court has said otherwise

Former Hackensack Police Chief Ken Zisa and former City Attorney Joseph Zisa, back to camera, at the kickoff in March of the Zisa-backed Hackensack United for Progress, a City Council slate that went down in flames in the May election despite spending nearly $200,000 on the campaign.

HACKENSACK VOWS TO FIGHT

SUIT SEEKING $29.8M IN DAMAGES

-- HACKENSACK, N.J.

Editor's note: I've updated this post with a link to the Appellate Court opinion that ultimately freed former Hackensack Police Chief Ken Zisa.

By VICTOR E. SASSON

EDITOR

An appeals court cited misconduct by the prosecutor and serious missteps by the judge during the 2012 jury trial of former Police Chief Ken Zisa, who was found guilty of official misconduct and insurance fraud.

But in freeing Zisa, no court or judge has ever said he didn't do what he was charged with doing when he intervened at an accident scene involving his girlfriend, who crashed his SUV, allegedly while intoxicated, and then filed a bogus $11,000 insurance claim.

For that reason, Hackensack officials will fight a federal lawsuit that seeks nearly $30 million in damages, alleging Zisa's civil rights were violated by a law-enforcement conspiracy in Bergen County.

The filing of the suit was reported by the Hackensack Daily Voice on Aug. 1, four days before the story appeared in The Record of Woodland Park.

The state Appellate Court opinion that ultimately freed Zisa noted the trial judge let stand "defendant's conviction on one count of official misconduct ... for affirmatively interfering" in the the auto accident investigation in 2008, as well as his conviction on one count of insurance fraud.

See the full opinion:

State of New Jersey v. Charles K. Zisa 

$2.95M payment

Last October, the city began paying Zisa the $2.95 million ordered by the judge that freed him last August -- $1,755,000 in back pay, vacation days, sick days and other compensation (money he lost after he was suspended) and nearly $1,203,000 in legal fees

This year, the former police chief said that he had no intention of suing the city, but that was before a City Council slate backed by the Zisa family political dynasty lost the non-partisan May election.

The Zisas -- including the disgraced chief, former four-term mayor Jack Zisa; and their cousin, former City Attorney Joseph Zisa -- had transformed the city into a North Jersey laughing stock called "Zisaville" before City Council reformers were elected in 2013.

'Money grab'

"There is apparently no end to the pain the Zisa family is willing to inflict on Hackensack," Mayor John Labrosse told The Record (Saturday's Page 1).

"This lawsuit has no merit and the city will vigorously defend taxpayers from this money grab," said the mayor, who was reelected in May, when his slate won all five council seats. 

"Earlier this year, Ken Zisa said he has no intention of suing the city, but now we know that the truth is."

History of litigation

After Ken Zisa was indicted in 2010, about two dozen police officers sued him and the city, alleging corruption and intimidation.

"Most of the lawsuits stemmed from a bitterly contentious relationship between Zisa and police officers who accused him of engaging in campaigns of retribution and harassment as paybacks for their refusal to go along with his political demands [as a Democratic state assemblyman]," The Record has reported.

The city racked up $8 million in legal fees defending him, and insurers paid out many millions more to settle the cases, minus the deductibles.

In August 2012, the city paid $2.48 million to a Police Department dispatcher and former girlfriend of Frank Zisa, who was the city's deputy police chief.

The plaintiff, Alessandra Viola, alleged she faced disciplinary charges after she resisted sexual advances by both Ken and Frank Zisa.

In unending Zisa saga, lawyers are biggest winners

Ken Zisa claims he's broke
Defense lawyer has link to The Record

Today's Record

Two-thirds of the front page and a page and a half inside are devoted to whether opposition in Mahwah to an eruv or religious boundary for Orthodox Jews is anti-Semitism (1A, 6A and 7A).

An editor with The Forward argues the eruv allows Orthodox Jewish mothers to leave the house and thus promotes women's rights (6A).

Left unsaid in recent coverage of the controversy is that Orthodox Jews are the first group to be treated as badly by Mahwah as the Ramapough Mountain Indians, who have been ordered to take down tepees erected in a flood plain and conservation zone.

Veteran columnists

Three of The Record's columnists drone on and on today:

Political Columnist Charles Stile calls Sheila Oliver a "safe choice" as running mate for Democrat Phil Murphy, who is expected to win the November election to replace Chris Christie, the GOP bully who is the worst governor in state history (1A).

Columnist Mike Kelly is alarmed at the push to legalize marijuana, claiming "pot is unhealthy" (1O).

And Columnist Bill Ervolino, who is also a stand-up comedian, explores the culinary uses of bananas (1BL).

Hide-and-seek

Saturday's Better Living cover included two photos of the kitchen in the Saddle River home of rapper Joseph Ward Simmons, also known as Rev. Run.

One of the photo captions says, "Above, Joseph Ward Simmons, also known as Rev. Run from Run DMC, loves his kitchen," but he isn't in the photo, as readers would expect.

Our democracy may not survive four years of Trump lies, policies that divide America

Cartoonist Pat Bagley of The Salt Lake Tribune in Utah notes that President Trump is critical of nearly everyone and everything with the exception of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.

-- HACKENSACK, N.J.

By VICTOR E. SASSON

EDITOR

The half-truths and outright lies from President Trump seem to have no end.

So do policies that are dividing America -- from curbs on legal immigration to suing universities for allegedly discriminating against whites to barring transgender people from serving in the military.

Former Marine Gen. John Kelly, who was named Trump's chief of staff, may stop White House leaks, but it's doubtful he can stop the president from lying about everything under the sun.

And it's also doubtful our democracy can survive Trump leading the charge to dismantle all of the gains on health insurance and climate change -- while claiming that after only 7 months in the Oval Office he is one of the greatest presidents ever.

Meanwhile, the dual investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 election seem to be advancing at a glacial pace.

Unfortunately, that allows Trump to claim the special counsel and the Senate are conducting witch hunts.

And he's also ghost written excuses for his son and other members of his campaign team who met with Russian officials -- in one case, when promised "dirt" on Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Where were the news media during the 2016 presidential campaign? 

All they were interested in were higher ratings or readership, and they devoted an inordinate amount of time and space to Trump, despite his racism, misogyny, hate speech and fear-mongering.

Editorial cartoonist Steve Sack of the Minneapolis Star Tribune lampoons President Trump firing the foul-mouthed Anthony Scaramucci after only 10 days on the job as White House communications director.

In "The Cartoon that Draws Itself," editorial cartoonist Rick McKee of The Augusta Chronicle in Georgia suggests President Trump's tweeting makes his job easy.

For the birds

Sure, the Trump-endorsed proposal to severely limit legal immigration is on Page 1 of The Record of Woodland Park.

But half of today's front page is devoted to reducing the number of birds -- yes, birds -- that are burned by an invisible flame atop a landfill in the Meadowlands (1A).

Local news?

There are only 10 stories in the Local section today, even though The Record's circulation area embraces about 90 towns.

Three of the 10 stories discuss residents' opposition to existing  or proposed businesses and related traffic or parking issues (1L, 2L and 3L).

The Record explores the opening of every convenience store in North Jersey, because it doesn't have any other local news to report. 

Cancer on the menu

Wednesday's Better Living front urged readers to explore the state's "hot dog mecca," even though the preservatives used in hot dogs and other processed meat have been linked to cancer.

Food Editor Esther Davidowitz invited "three local food experts" to pick the best hot dog from three places near the paper's newsroom in a Woodland Park office building.

What a waste of time and money. 

Port Atrocity

The Record continues to cover attempts to reform the Port Authority in the wake of the Bridgegate scandal (1A on Wednesday).

But readers shouldn't hold their breath in the hope that transportation reporter Curtis Tate will put agency officials on the spot, asking them to explain why they've refused to expand commuter bus and rail service in the last decade.

Christie headlines

Governor Christie may be the most unpopular governor in the country, but he's been getting great press from The Record reporter who covers him, Dustin Racioppi.

Racioppi wrote two breathless accounts of Christie's war on opioid abuse as head of a national commission named by Trump (Page 1 on Tuesday and Wednesday).

How about a little perspective.

When he was Bergen County prosecutor in 2013, John Molinelli raised the alarm about an epidemic of heroin overdoses.

And when he was U.S. attorney for New Jersey, Paul Fishman also tried to alert the public to the toll from addiction to painkillers and drug overdoses.

At Hunt & Fish Club, great food on your plate, but no big game heads on the wall

At the Hunt & Fish Club in Manhattan, my Restaurant Week entree of juicy Arctic Char was pan seared to crisp the skin, finished in the oven; and served with shaved fennel, orange segments, Kalamata olives and oven-roasted tomatoes, above.

My son, who is trying to cut down on beef, chose Chicken Giardiniera -- a half-bird served over arugula and pickled vegetables.

-- HACKENSACK, N.J.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Don't look for the stuffed heads of big game animals on the walls of the elegant dining room at the Hunt & Fish Club NYC or for wild boar on the menu.

And despite the name, the Manhattan restaurant isn't a club. 

Instead, the "hunt" and "fish" in the name means the kitchen specializes in steak and seafood, the hostess told us after we had a delicious three-course, fixed-price lunch there on Tuesday.

My first thought: 

Is anyone really "hunting" cattle, most of which are confined to pens, and forced to eat grain, chicken-house waste and other nasty stuff. 

Luckily for a non-meat eater like me, the limited 2017 Summer Restaurant Week lunch menu at the Hunt & Fish Club offers salads, seafood dishes and sorbet for dessert (three courses for $29, the price of an entree at other times, plus tax and tip).

Just off the dining room is a wall case filled with steak knives engraved with customers' name, including one for "Tony Orlando."

25th anniversary

The NYC Summer Restaurant Week promotion runs until Aug. 18 at about 300 fine-dining restaurants in Manhattan, plus 90 more in the four other boroughs.

If you spend $35 or more and charge your meal to a pre-registered American Express card, you'll receive a $5 statement credit.

Our total was $74.75, including a 20% tip and $5.15 in sales tax.

My advice is to pick a menu you like, not just go to a restaurant run by a celebrity chef, and eat as early as 11:30 a.m. to avoid crowds and delays in getting your food.

And drink tap water. Ordering iced tea and coffee will blow all of your savings and could easily drive the cost of lunch for two to more than $100.

The Restaurant Week promotion began in 1992, when three-course lunches were $19.92, plus tax and tip.

I try to avoid all the carbs in bread, but couldn't resist the enormous hot popovers served at the Hunt & Fish Club -- perfect for sopping up the broth of my fish entree.

Me and my son shared two appetizers, a cold Three Grain Salad of farro, lentil, quinoa, cucumber and radish in a tangy red-wine vinaigrette, above; and Broiled Oysters, served in the half-shell with creamy corn, pancetta and spicy bread crumbs, below.

I usually don't eat dessert, but enjoyed the refreshing sorbet, above.

My son loved the Almond & White Chocolate Cake with Strawberry Lemon Sorbet.

The main dining room, above, and the barroom, below.

DETAILS: Hunt & Fish Club NYC is at 125 W. 44th St., in Manhattan's Theater District; 1-212-575-4949. The restaurant is part of the AKA Times Square Hotel. Website: Go fish

Update: Apathy of voters and the Zisas are the real stories in all Hackensack elections

Incumbent Hackensack Mayor John Labrosse celebrating a clean sweep in May's municipal election, when his City Council slate defeated the Zisa-backed Hackensack United for Progress and a third slate.

Only 341 registered voters needed

to OK $81.2M school tax levy

-- HACKENSACK, N.J.

By VICTOR E. SASSON

EDITOR

You'll find the real story about Hackensack elections -- voter apathy -- buried in the last two paragraphs of The Record's Page 1 story on how much the winning slate spent.

But you won't find any mention of the Zisa family political machine, which ran the city for decades before reformers won the City Council election in May 2013.

The Zisas, including disgraced Police Chief Ken Zisa, attempted a comeback in May, backing the so-called Hackensack United for Progress slate.

It's just plain weird for Staff Writer Rodrigo Torrejon not to mention the Zisas in today's story.

On May 5, three days before the election, Torrejon finally broke his silence on the involvement of the Zisas and "their network of political donors," associates and friends:

Attention Hackensack: Stop the Zisas

Record clueless on attempted comeback

Mayor John Labrosse's City Council slate spent $272,672 to win the five contested seats, and Hackensack United (Zisa family) spent $196,672, according to The Record.

A third slate, incumbent Councilwoman Deborah Keeling-Geddis' Hackensack Strong, spent about $14,000, and finished third (1A and 7A).

Low turnout

"In spite of the amount of money spent and the Labrosse Team's platform of city redevelopment, voter turnout in the city was low," Torrejon says.

"The city has an estimated population of 45,000 and only 18 percent of more than 21,000 [registered] voters cast ballots," he reports (7A).

But turnout in Hackensack has always been low due to apathy sown by decades of rule by one family; elections held in April and May, not November; and weak or non-existent coverage by The Record, once the hometown paper.

More voters in '17

Today, Torrejon quotes Keeling-Geddis, the former councilwoman, as saying all the money spent "didn't really garner that much more votes."

Well, not exactly.

Both the May 2017 and May 2013 elections were hotly contested between reformers led by Labrosse and a slate allied with the Zisas, but turnout was higher this year: 

In May, there were 4,143 total voters compared to 3,513 in 2013 -- a difference of 630, according to the Hackensack City Clerk's Office.

Real apathy

For real voter apathy in Hackensack, you only have to look at the school board and school budget election every April.

After their defeat in the 2013 municipal election, the Zisas consolidated their power on the Board of Education and in the city schools.

The school budget has been rising despite falling enrollment, but few city residents go to the polls and vote "yes" or "no" on the proposed spending plan.

That is the case even though school taxes account for about 44 percent of their total property tax bill.

Maybe, most residents don't know they can vote to accept or reject the school board's proposed budget.

A "no" vote would allow the City Council to examine the budget and recommend cuts, and any disputes between school and city officials would be mediated by state officials.

You'd think senior citizens who live in all of those Prospect Avenue high-rises would vote overwhelmingly against the school budget to reduce their taxes.

341 decide budget

In the April 25 school election, only 642 ballots were cast -- for a turnout of 3 percent in a city with 21,397 registered voters. 

And it took the votes of only 341 residents, including those who sent in mail-in ballots, to approve the $81.2 million tax levy (to support a $109 million budget).

Turnout in prior school elections: 1,133 in 2015, 864 in 2014 and 1,929 in 2013.

Crappy reporting feeds voter apathy

The official campaign photo of the Labrosse Team in 2017.