Dessert-obsessed reviewer pulls another bait and switch

An out-of-state driver almost missed the entrance to a cheap gas station on Route 4 east in Englewood on Wednesday afternoon, braking hard -- to a blast of horns from other motorists -- and turning into the last driveway near a hand car wash.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

On The Record's Better Living cover, the beautiful yellow zucchini blossoms and the artful headline -- "GARDEN TO TABLE" -- are certain to pique the interest of readers who are trying to eat healthy when they dine out.

But inside, Restaurant Reviewer Elisa Ung comes clean:

She recommends four dishes at Latour in Ridgewood that should be avoided by anyone watching their weight, cholesterol and the health of their arteries, including cheesecake, cheese souffle and Beef Wellington (BL-14).  

Those gorgeous zucchini flowers are "fried to a golden crunch" and "burst open to reveal a molten mix of brie, goat cheese and Parmesan" -- the first two are full-fat cheeses that many dairy lovers have crossed off their list.

Ung seems to cater to a minority of readers who, like her, are obsessed with dessert, and eat far more than they should, such as the two Pashman Stein lawyers shown in an L-3 photo on Thursday, Samuel J. Samaro and CJ Griffin.

Today's front page

I agree with an industry group that a police crackdown on commercial truck drivers is misplaced (A-1).

Editor Martin Gottlieb leads the paper today with another Road Warrior column that ignores the real menaces on highways -- the hundreds of drivers who speed, tailgate and cut off other motorists, as well as truckers.

Gottlieb also throws water on a feel-good story about a Paterson rapper who gave a free concert on Thursday by running an A-1 brief on a single city teacher who helped students cheat on a test in 2014 (A-1 and L-1).

And the wire-service retrospective on New Orleans 10 years after Katrina doesn't even mention the total failure of the Bush administration to safeguard and evacuate residents of the largely minority city during the hurricane (A-1).

Local news?

The full story on the suspended Paterson teacher leads Local today, testament to how little Bergen County news there is from Assignment Editors Deirdre Sykes and Dan Sforza.

The drought on Hackensack municipal and education news continues.

Today, city residents received an email on downtown redevelopment, including the construction of an NJ Transit Regional Bus Terminal on land across the street from The Record's old headquarters.

The building at 133 River St. would include public parking and 90 to 148 residential units.

Bias suit

The lawsuit alleging discrimination against black employees in Englewood's Department of Public Works may surprise readers who rely on The Record for what they know about the city (L-1).

Englewood is a classic two-sides-of-the-tracks community where white residents send their children to private and parochial schools, ensuring the public elementary and middle schools are segregated.

Efforts at school desegregation have focused on Dwight Morrow High School.

Malcolm A. "Mac" Borg, chairman of North Jersey Media Group, has lived on the city's East Hill for decades, but that hasn't resulted in any hard-hitting reporting about Englewood schools.

This week, NJMG's (201) magazine sent out an email promoting Dwight-Englewood, one of the city's expensive private schools, where Publisher Stephen A. Borg's son is a lacrosse standout.