My lunch at Solari's

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On the last day of my trial, I walked over to Solari's for lunch. Though I was alone, I was seated at a table for four. More than half of the other tables were empty, as was the bar, which also had place settings.

The man who seated me said later The Record's move out of Hackensack has hurt his business, but that Malcolm A. Borg still drops in occasionally for lunch. Borg has stubbornly kept his office at 150 River St. The former Hackensack daily has never written a story measuring the impact of its abandonment of the city -- physically and editorially.

I had left Mac in the courtroom with daughter Jennifer A. Borg, who would not allow him to comment on the photo that appeared in the paper the day before, showing a young female suspect giving the finger to the photographer. The elder Borg was nicely dressed in a dark, pinstripe suit with a pocket handkerchief and polished shoes -- showing a sartorial flair his arrogant son Stephen has yet to achieve.

The waiter brought me a basket of crusty bread and a small plate with pitted olives and chunks of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese -- great with the bread dipped into extra-virgin olive oil. I ordered a salad of endive, arugula and radicchio, and a small, thin-crust cheese pizza, but could finish only half of the pie. The food and service were very nice. (Photo: Ancient oil press.)


Solari's, 61 River St., Hackensack;  
201-487-1969. Solari's Web site