Halloween Weekend Events!

It's Halloween Weekend in Jersey City and there is a lot going on!

• The Iron Monkey is getting into the spirit with $6.66 drink specials tonight and the Samhain Soiree Costume Party tomorrow. There will be drink specials, free candy, and prizes.
• On Friday between 3:30pm-7:00pm, hang out on Newark Ave for the City of Jersey City's Family Halloween Bash. The 2nd Annual Halloween Parade will kick off at Gymboree at 3:30 and there will be festivities like a petting zoo, "Frozen" themed games, pony rides, S'mores from Bambino Chef and food will be available to purchase from Tea NJ, WORD, Roman Nose & more.
• After the Family Halloween Bash, Newark Avenue will continue the Halloween fun with the Newark Ave. Pedestrian Plaza Closing Party which will have food, cider, and beer from all over town, music from DJ Pastiche and dancing. This will be the last night of having Newark Ave closed off so make sure to enjoy it!

Amelia's Bistro Has a New Lunch Special

Amelia's Bistro is offering a new weekday lunch special: 2 for 1 lunches from 11am-3pm.

The Big Straw is Opening!

Today is opening day for the The Big Straw!

After several months of building out their space and vending at various Grove St. events, The Big Straw is now officially open for business at 276 1st Street. They will be open from 10am-9pm, Mon-Sat, and 10am-7pm on Sundays.

Community News

I'm sorry to report that after twelve years in Jersey City, The Merchant will be closing this Saturday, Nov. 1st. Stop by this week to say goodbye.

Congratulations to Nu Bar on their mention in The Jersey Journal.

Next weekend will be Thirty Acres' last brunch service as they plan some new developments.

You can now find Oh Honey products at Pig & Pepper and Madame Claude Wine.

Weekend Events

E. Tittlemouse & Co. is getting into the Halloween spirit early with an All Hallow's Masquerade Soiree tonight, Oct. 24th from 6pm-9pm and Sugar Supply JC is catering.

Also tonight, 9th and Coles will be hosting the official pre-party for Jersey City Pride this weekend. They'll have music, food, drinks and dancing from 5pm on.

The Pride festival itself will be held on Saturday in front of City Hall from noon-6pm and there will be live music, DJ's, and specialty food vendors all day.

The fun continues after the festival with after-parties at both Port-O Lounge and Brightside Tavern. For more information on all the events, check out the Pride FB page.

ME Casa Express

ME Casa, one of my favorite restaurants in Jersey City, started running a food truck earlier this year: ME Casa Express. While the truck has been up and running for several months, they recently started setting up all their own social media accounts, separate from the restaurant, to make it easier to follow them.

Koro Koro Grand Opening

Congratulations to Koro Koro on their Grand Opening!

Community News

• There are only a few tickets left to the Jersey Girls Food Tours Fall Chef Showcase so if you want to go, buy your tickets now!
• Tomorrow night, join Roman Nose as they celebrate their second birthday and help raise funds for Eighty Mag's second issue with a special cocktail. There will be free apertivo snacks from 7-9pm and a DJ.
• Congratulations to Battello on their write-up in the NY Times.

Delivery from Taqueria

Taqueria Downtown recently opened another outpost on Grove Street that will focus on catering, take-out, and delivery orders. Taqueria is one of the most popular spots in Jersey City, but after so long of being eat-in/take-out only, I was curious to see how they'd hold up for delivery.

Short answer: Not Well.

New Location of Hard Grove Faces Setbacks

If you were in downtown Jersey City yesterday afternoon/evening, you probably noticed that Newark Avenue from the Grove St. PATH station to Barrow Street was blocked off and there were a lot of trucks on Columbus, blocking traffic and going back and forth.

Why? Well, it appears that construction workers on the empty lot next to the new Hard Grove location on Newark Ave, dug too deep and ended up damaging the foundation beneath the building, destabilizing the structure. Workers noticed the facade seemed to be tilting and alerted officials who deemed the building in danger of collapsing and evacuated 8 buildings in the area.

Community News

• The Farmers' Market at Grove Street will be up and running tomorrow even though it's a holiday.
• The Riverview Farmers' Market is extending their season by three weeks and will now have their final market day on Sunday, November 23rd.
• Sam a.m. is debuting a new junior supper club this Tuesday, Oct. 14th. It will be $25 for three courses.

Weekend Events

This weekend, there's plenty to check out in Jersey City and a lot of it involves drinking.

Friday night, there's a fundraiser for the Jersey City Firefighters Pipes and Drums Band at HopsScotch.

Tonight is the second night at new beer garden Taphaus, and they'll be open until 10 pm and continuing with 30% off. They will also be open until 10pm on Saturday.

Fundraiser at HopsScotch

Tomorrow night, the Jersey City Firefighters Pipes and Drums Band is hosting a fundraiser at HopsScotch.

Taphaus

After spending the late spring and most of the summer building out their space, Taphaus Biergarten has announced they will hold their soft opening tonight, beginning at 5pm.

Cocoa Bakery is Celebrating

Congratulations to Cocoa Bakery on their one year anniversary today! After facing quite a bit of adversity (Sandy-related damage amongst other things), they opened up one year ago and have been going non-stop since.

In celebration, they are offering a free treat to anyone who stops by today so go wish them a happy anniversary and enjoy!

Grove Square Coffee Shop

The Grove Square Coffee Shop opened up a few weeks ago, but seemed to be only serving drinks and their more lunch/dinner/apps type menu...which seems a bit confusing given their full restaurant next door....

But if you were hoping to stop by for a quick breakfast on your way to work, you're in luck!

Blue Lotus

One of the few Indian restaurants located in Downtown Jersey City, Blue Lotus opened earlier this year near Hamilton Park on Erie Street between 7th and 8th in a space that has seen a lot of restaurant turnover. Luckily, Blue Lotus seems to be here to stay, offering lunch, dinner, take-out and delivery.

I went for dinner on a weekday and while it was pretty quiet early on, the restaurant soon filled up, stopping short of being crowded, but never got loud or chaotic. Service was attentive and very eager to please, but not overbearing. The menu is separated into categories with several options to choose from under each category and you'll find both classic dishes and some original options.

When we sat down, we were given poppadom but instead of the two chutneys (usually a tamarind and a tomato/onion) that I usually see, we were given three - one was a very good version of the sweet, fruity tamarind, then there was something that tasted almost like orange marmalade that I don't personally recommend, and a very smooth tomato chutney that was spicier than I typically taste but also very good.

We also ordered mango lassis ($4) which were good, but not especially memorable, and vegetable samosas ($5) which were excellent. They were perfectly fried - nice and crispy on the outside with a tender and well-spiced potato and pea filling, accompanied by the tamarind chutney and a cilantro sauce. The cilantro was excellent, herby and slightly spicy which paired well with the potato and I recommend using that versus the tamarind for this dish.

City Council Meetings on Farmers' Markets in Jersey City.

This Wednesday, Oct. 8th, there is going to be a City Council Meeting regarding the Farmers' Markets around Jersey City. The meeting is open to the public and a number of new and/or revised ordinances regarding the hours, locations, and procedures of the markets are up for discussion.

The good news is that most of the ordinances seem to be in favor of streamlining and making the application process easier for market managers, of expanding the locations of where the markets' can be held, and creating policies regarding vendors, services, etc. that will be the same across the board for all the markets, making sure that everyone has the same access.

Community News

• Today is the last day to sign up for the Milk Sugar Love pint club. If you get a friend to sign up, you receive a free pint of Designated Driver, a red wine ice cream that was created in collaboration with Madame Claude Wines.
• This Tuesday, 10/7, Roman Nose is having a wine tasting of 6 wines from the Veneto Region for $30 to be served with complimentary bruschetta. It will run from 5pm-10pm and no reservations are necessary.
• Sam a.m. started offering a new fall menu this weekend.