Image via WikipediaThe Record of Woodland Park produces a meaty front page today, but disappoints on so many other scores, you have to wonder if that's the best Editor Frank "Castrato" Scandale and head Assignment Editor Deirdre "Mother Hen" Sykes can do.
Did anyone get past the first few paragraphs of the central element on A-1, a mother's plea that her wannabe terrorist son is really a good kid and that he was forced to do wrong by the FBI? This story is a waste of staff effort and readers' time.
On the proposed breakup of Teterboro, do we really care what political columnist Charles Stile thinks? And why is the paper so eager to give voice to defense attorneys' claims that the convictions of Joseph Ferriero, Dennis Oury and Joseph Congilio may be overturned?
Now, look at the Page 1 promotion, "Two days that captured a nation." Is sports columnist Tara Sullivan delusional? Does she actually think millions were riveted to their TVs for an 11-hour tennis match between nobodys or that most readers actually believe the U.S. team has any chance of winning the Word Cup? Her columns today and Thursday are so full of hype as to be simply unreadable.
On A-20 and A-21 today are an editorial and an opinion column condemning the proposed breakup of Teterboro that were likely edited and written by the same man, Editorial Page Editor Alfred P. Doblin. The editorial would have been enough. How does he expect to have any credibility?
There is a lot of court and crime news in Local today, but no news of Hackensack, Teaneck, Englewood or a lot of other towns in North Jersey.
What's the point of continuing Better Living's Eating Out on $50 restaurant review by free-lancer Jeff Page when only two can eat for that money, in contrast to the original concept, four people eating out for $50? The paper was too cheap to make it Eating Out on $60 or Eating Out on $70, because it didn't want to reimburse the reviewer more than $50, so it cheats readers.
In today's review of a dreadful kosher burger restaurant in Teaneck, Page spends only $35.71 (and likely got reimbursed for only $35.71) and complains mightily of the service or lack of it. A good paper would have shit-canned the piece and asked for another, but frugal Features Director Barbara Jaeger probably balked at spending more money on a new review. She started the $50 review as a cost-saving measure in the first place.
And why is Food Editor Bill Pitcher reviewing A Mano, a pricey, Neapolitan pizza place in Ridgewood that has gotten a lot more ink in the three years it has been open than most other North Jersey restaurants? The only reason might be that it has a great public relations firm that nagged Pitcher for even more publicity.
He doesn't mention the pizzas are a mere 12 inches and because of the nature of the dough, they can't be baked to a crispy well-done. And his rating of two and a half stars tells readers not to bother -- being just a half-star more than the rating given to a mediocre, faux-Caribbean restaurant called Bahama Breeze last year. Maybe Pitcher felt guilty giving in to the P.R. firm. In the end, it's readers who get screwed.
As I was reading that review for the burger joint I was really wondering if it was going to be for 4 people. I mean who can't find a burger joint where 2 can eat for $50? Unimpressive.
ReplyDeleteExactly. Eating Out on $50 went from a reader service to an inside joke (on the reader).
ReplyDeleteMaybe Pitcher is reviewing it because it's the only authentic Neapolitan pizza restaurant in Bergen County! And maybe it got more ink because it is better than most restaurants that have opened in the last three years.
ReplyDeleteAs for the lack of a crispy crust; it's a different sort of pizza, so the crust won't be cracker-crisp. But the crust is a bit charred and crunchy in places, which is as it should be for authentic Neapolitan pizza.
Regarding your assertion above, what nature of the dough prevents it from being cooked to crispy well-done?
ReplyDeleteI've eaten there and I loved the pizza, a case of less is more. But I doubt that it is better than most restaurants that have opened in the past three years. A Mano was opened initially by the same man behind Jerry's Gourmet in Englewood, and he later sold it. That was a shame because there was a little takeout store on the corner with Jerry's wonderful food. At the Englewood store now, you can buy small pizzas to take home and heat up, a lot like what is sold at A Mano.
ReplyDeleteI love pizza -- whether it's from A Mano, Brooklyn's in Hackensack, Jerry's in Englewood, even Costco's 18-inch monster for $9.95. To me, it's a perfect food with a bread base: bread, melted cheese, tomatoes and seasoning -- what more could you ask for? Ever try the white pizza with prosciutto and arugula at Trattoria Sorrentino in North Bergen?
ReplyDeleteThe dough used at A Mano is made with Italian flour. It's chewy, not crisp, when it comes out of the oven. I don't know why. Same for the crust at Brooklyn's coal oven place in Hackensack. Maybe it's the weight of the ingredients.
ReplyDeleteThe only authentic Neapolitan restaurant in Bergen County? Come on now, lets think before we speak.
ReplyDeleteVictor, you are simply off-base and downright wrong with your assertions on pizza crust. You're criticising Bill Pitcher without actually knowing what you are talking about.
ReplyDelete@SHAKUEY201,
ReplyDeleteFreely stated, freely denied.
Learn to read. I wrote "the only authentic Neapolitan pizza restaurant in Bergen County." They make authentic Neapolitan pizza. Do you even know what that is? They are the only restaurant in Bergen County to be certified by the VPN (and, I think, the other certification organization, whose name I can't recall).
The only other restaurant in the area that makes anything like a Neapolitan pizza is a place in Montclair called Ah'Pizz. And, in case you didn't know, Montclair is in Essex County.
What assertions? A Mano and Brooklyn's have chewy crusts that can't be baked crispy, likely because of the weight of the fresh ingredients. Sometimes, I like a chewy crust, and sometimes I prefer crispy. That's no criticism of Bill Pitcher. I just don't think A Mano deserved another article in The Record.
ReplyDeleteTo iamnotachef:
ReplyDeleteWhat's with "Montclair is in Essex County"?
You make it sound like if we don't eat authentic Neapolitan pizza, our lives are diminished. This may be a case of where the American versions are a lot better -- and a better value -- than the original.
There are many American pizza restaurants in the area. There is only one Neapolitan pizza restaurant in the area, and it happens to do a very good, if inconsistent, job. I am no fan of Pitcher, but writing about one of the many American pizza joints sounds not terribly interesting. Writing about the only Neapolitan pizza in the county? That may be valuable to his readers.
ReplyDeleteAs for the value of your life? I can speak intelligently only about my own. it is up to you whether you value Neapolitan pizza. But judging pizza on the weight of the toppings seems to be a short-sighted technique if one is interested in quality food, but perfectly understandable if one is interested only in value.
"A little learning is a dangerous thing; drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: there shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, and drinking largely sobers us again."
--Alexander Pope, An Essay On Criticism(1709)
I chose not to publish a follow-up comment from iamnotachef, because I felt it insulted another reader of this blog.
ReplyDeleteInsulted? You mean the guy who said "lets [sic] think before we speak"?
ReplyDeleteSo Victor, should Pitcher have mentioned that the dough can't be cooked to crisp (wrong) because of the toppings, or, as you initially said, because of the "nature of the dough" (wrong), or because of the weight of the ingredients (wrong).
It seems to me that you put zero thought into your statements.
"That's no critcism of Bill Pitcher"?! Surely you are joking. That's what you do. You write blog posts that are critical of the Record and its writers. Or am I totally missing the point here.
Again, I didn't think A Mano deserved another article in The Record (just because it hired a good P.R. firm). Period. But if Bill Pitcher is going to review it, he should provide basic information about the pies, including their size (which he omits) and, for fans of a crispy crust, whether the Neapolitan pizza has one. Also, in view of the size, these pies don't represent value. The cheapest is $8.99.
ReplyDeleteAlso, you never say why the Neapolitan pie is served with a chewy -- not a crispy -- crust.
ReplyDeleteTo iamnotachef: So is it that they are the only restaurant in Bergen County certified or they are the only authentic Neapolitan restaurant? You initially stated the former then tried to clarify with the latter. Are you trying to state that if the restaurant isn't VPN "certified" they cannot create authentic Neapolitan? Let me tell you something about the VPN, and any other food group based in Italy. The purposes of these organizations is to garner product as being superior by giving it a designation. Whether it is the attempt to gain the protected geographical status of panettone or prosciuto or the VPN charging you money to taste your pizza and give you a piece of paper stating you are certified, it is all the same thing; a business decision.
ReplyDeleteTake a look at this website, if you really think these are the only "authentic", as you call them, Neapolitan pizzerias in America, then you are mistaken. http://anticapizzeria.net/vpn/members.html
Once again, at Iamthechef, this statement of yours "There is only one Neapolitan pizza restaurant in the area" is wrong. A Mano having a piece of paper given to them by the VPN does not make them the only authentic Neapolitan restuarant in the area. It makes them the only restaurant in the area who choose to have pay the VPN to have them come in and determine their pizza is "authentic" and give them a piece of paper to put up on their wall.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I am not sure what all the fuss over "authentic" is. Does food have to be authentic to be good and good for you? Absolutely not. I want well-made food, from quality ingredients, and I want to know the origin of the food. Is the flour in Italy better than flour here? Tomatoes? Cheese? Today, I bought what Jerry's in Englewood calls the Original Napoletana Pizza Margherita with fresh mozzarella made in-house, flour, tomato, salt, fresh basil and extra virgin olive oil. It was $4.99 and past examples have been delicious. Would I go to A Mano for essentially the same pie for $12 because it is "authentic," according to a marketing group. Forget about it.
ReplyDelete@SHAKUEY201
ReplyDeleteYour difficulty with reading comprehension is making this discussion difficult for you.
My original statement was that A Mano was the only authentic Neapolitan pizza restaurant in Bergen county. I followed that with the fact that they are certified by VPN. I said nothing about it being the only Neapolitan restaurant. I also said nothing about VPN being the arbiter of all that is Neapolitan pizza. It is merely one organization with a set of standards to which they hold their members.
Find another pizza restaurant in Bergen county that makes pizza that would be considered Neapolitan by someone who actually has experience with the original. I have been looking for quite some time, thus my interest in A Mano.
I find your comment about "any other food group in Italy" to be incomprehensible. How can you possibly know this information, when you can't even differentiate between Neapolitan pizza and Neapolitan food? One is a subset of the other; they are not interchangeable.
Please let's make this the last word on Neapolitan pizza and A Mano. If you choose to spend a lot of time hunting down Neapolitan pizza, god bless you, but please don't expect everyone else to be wowed by your dedication or knowledge. There is a fine line between passion for food and obsession for food, and it's clear which side you are on. If you have anything further to say about pizza or food, please see my other blog, Do You Really Know What You're Eating? I will simply not publish any more comments from you on this subject in "Eye on The Record." Thanks.
ReplyDeleteAh, the mark of an insecure blogger.
ReplyDeleteYou do realize that this is the point of having comments on a blog? Cutting off the discussion because you don't like what some of the commenters are saying is simply childish.
As for my obsession for food? No, that is an incorrect description. But I am interested in authenticity, something that clearly confounds you and at least one of your readers. Your claim to be an old newspaper man rings hollow when you obviously reject the factual basis for arguments.
But I will admit to one obsession: clarity of thought and rational discussion. And it is clear that I will have to go elsewhere for that.
Please, be my guest. Go elsewhere. No one will miss you.
ReplyDeleteIll make this my last post on the subject. A Mano being the only restaurant in Bergen given a piece of paper that they paid for by the VPN (the culinary equivalent of an organized interest group) does not make them "the only authentic Neapolitan pizza restaurant" as you put it. As I stated above, Protected Geographical Status /Traditional Speciality Guaranteed are designations made to maximize profits. There are dozens of foods in Italy that have these distinctions. Alas, keep frequenting A Mano, a restaurant which you claim is inconsistent but continue to praise. I am not a food snob, I do not need to see a piece of paper that the restaurant paid to receive to deem it authentic or not.
ReplyDeleteI'll miss him, or at least I'll miss these record setting strings of comments, even if this belongs more on the food blog than the Record blog. Now, can somebody tell me where I can get a good bottle of Pierian spring water?
ReplyDeleteIf you thought iamnotachef went on and on in his comments on this post, check out his blog, where his own words will tell you more than you'll ever want to know about his food likes and dislikes:
ReplyDeletehttp://iamnotachef.com/
Thanks for the link!
ReplyDeleteDon't mention it. Your own words will bury you.
ReplyDeleteQuite the windbag.
ReplyDeleteComplete with Ronald Regan quote on the front page. Even better.
ReplyDeleteIndeed.
ReplyDeleteNo end to the right-wingers in northern Bergen County.
ReplyDeleteAw, quit ganging up on iamnotachef, he's got a pretty good blog going if you ask me. Now let's return the focus of this blog to where it belongs and save the pizza dough tossing for the food blog, eh?
ReplyDelete