Who knows why Suzanne O'Connor, unanimously chosen by the Glen Ridge Board of Ed to fill a vacancy last summer, was snubbed by the CCC? For reasons that seem as mysterious to us as a papal nomination, the town's unofficial official nominating committee -- which generally puts up a slate of candidates for an uncontested election -- didn't tap O'Connor for the school board election on April 18.

Well, she plans to run anyway. Another untapped candidate, Karen McGinn, will also seek a seat.

More on this uncharacteristically interesting race in today's Ledger.

February 28, 2006 in Scooped by Phil Read, Again | Permalink | Comments (23)

French students in Madame Quatorze’s French class at Hillside School have quite the sense of humor.   Third, fourth and fifth graders were asked to design Mardi Gras Floats using a shoe box as part of a class project.  Amidst the 93 entries, featuring feathers, glitter, teddy bears, buxom Barbies, masks,   motorized floats  and one on a skateboard, an entry by fifth grader Nick, labeled "Presidents don't take vacations, right?" made us laugh out loud. Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler! Tell us if you are celebrating Mardi Gras, or talk about anything else that grabs you.

February 28, 2006 in The Daily Chat | Permalink | Comments (27)

Montclair High School's Project Graduation is holding a '70's themed fundraiser "Studio 54 Night" at Diva Lounge this Friday, March 3 at 7:30 p.m. It's your chance to dig out the vintage clothes you've been hanging onto and have an adult night of fun and dancing. $60 per person at the door will get you 2 drinks,  hors-d'oeuvres,  buffet dinner and dancing to a top DJ all evening. All proceeds benefit MHS Project Graduation, an alcohol-free, all-
night, post-graduation party for the graduating high school seniors.

Advance Reservations:
(names will be on list at the door)
Send check to Barbara Taibi
144 Buckingham
Montclair 07043

Questions?
Contact JoAnn Scher, [email protected] or at 973-746-2933.

February 28, 2006 in Happenings | Permalink | Comments (19)

The call came at 8:30 a.m: “Mrs. Baristanet, it’s Ho Yung at Aozora. We just received a 350 pound bluefin tuna today from South Africa, and you might want to come down and take a picture.” Never one to miss a photo op, I agreed.

Nelson Yip, Executive Chef, asked where we’d like to do the photo shoot. “How about up here on the sushi bar? (What was I thinking?) He opened the walk-in fridge where I saw a giant silvery grey 6 foot something fish, nearly three times my size, in a coffin-like crate.

Ho Yung, Aozora’s owner, sat us down for Sushi 101. Bluefin is the aristocrat of tunas. This beauty was caught at 200 pounds and fattened up at a South African sea farm for market until it reached a massive 420 pounds. That's when Ho got the call. $8,000 dollars later, this bad boy was being airlifted to Montclair via Newark. It took 4 people to carry him into the kitchen.

He says the quality is guaranteed by analyzing a core sample of the fish. Ho usually buys 4 of these guys a year, and  a lot bigger – up to 600 pounds.  But because it’s the height of bluefin season - when the fat build-up makes for better tasting sushi and sashimi - he couldn’t let this "little" one get away.

We went back the next day to see what became of our fishy friend, and this is what we saw.

Baristaville customers like to order "Tuna Madness” –  a meal of all tuna sushi, sashimi, maki, and tartare artfully prepared by the skillful hands of Chef Nelson Yip. Restaurant diners, from as far away as Atlantic city, are chowing down about 70 pounds of the fish a night, says Nelson. ..407 Bloomfield Avenue, 973 233-9400.

February 28, 2006 in Photo of the Week | Permalink | Comments (68)

An accused burglar wanted for a string of crimes in Baristaville was busted after he went to the Bloomfield Police station to retrieve a car he’d left at the scene of one his alleged crimes.

Police arrested Andre Padan, 32, of Orange, and charged him with a series of smash and grab burglaries that began last November.  In each case rocks were thrown at store windows and merchandise taken.  Paden’s arrest came about after police had impounded a car thought to be used in a burglary in the Watsessing part of town on Friday, reports today’s Star Ledger.

Later that morning the owner of the car, a woman, came into the station with her brother, Padan. Police recognized the man from a surveillance tape and arrested him.

Montclair Police also charged Padan with three burglaries. He is now being held at the Essex County Jail.  Mr. Padan might be a contender for his own entry here.

February 28, 2006 in Sirens | Permalink | Comments (15)

Finally, after months of speculation, a sign that it's really coming: the new West Orange Whole Foods, taking the place of a Pathmark that closed last year.

That's an impressive addition to a shopping center that now houses a K-Mart, a Rag Shop, a Staples, a large-woman's clothing store and other untrendy businesses. Could a GAP be far behind?

February 27, 2006 in Brand New | Permalink | Comments (85)

Queer guys are on the lookout for straight guys at the Montclair YMCA. But not in the locker room. Seen on the glass case in the Y's lobby, orange flyers looking for "NYC/NJ Men" to be on Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.

QE wants U!
Be the next straight guy on QE!
INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITY
Looking for Lots of Personality and Interesting Stories.
Must Live Within 25 Miles of NYC

The official number on the flyer is 212.500.6278, but two handwritten numbers are also scrawled on 973.851.1180 and 646.479.0574. Or check out the QE website.

February 27, 2006 in Buzz | Permalink | Comments (19)

Ok, it's here! The Google Soprano Map is up on the HBO website. After you're finished playing, come back and enter our contest, below, and tell us how David Chase should end the series.

February 27, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0)

What's worse? Having a big boarding house down the street full of "recovering addicts, veterans and indigents" or 11 brand new three-bedroom townhouses? Residents of the Colonial Village neighborhood in Bloomfield, who've hated the boarding house for years, are now faced with a prospect that seems even more unpalatable. A Montclair-style townhouse invasion.

Residents gearing up for a development battle managed to get Jonathan Miller out to cover their meeting last week for the Jersey Section of the New York Times. The story's not online, but if you dig yesterday's Times out of your recycling (or go to the library) you'll find this little chestnut near the end of Miller's story.

On a visit last Sunday to the home, which houses 34 residents, a photographer was greeted by a belligerent, expletive-spewing woman who stood on the front porch, pulled her pants down in the 20-degree weather and presented her naked rear end. "You want a photoraph?" she said. "Then photograph this."

In a paragraph about the supposed renaissance of Bloomfield, Miller jumps the gun a little on some of his facts.

An amibtious redevelopment project is going forward in the heart of town. [Oh yeah?] The old junior high school has been transformed into condominiums. [Already?] The high school is expanding. [A very popular project.]

February 27, 2006 in Controversy | Permalink | Comments (7)

Soprano Sue reminds us in her blog that the Sopranos' highly-touted Google Maps promotion is supposed to go live today. We predict this could be an even bigger time-waster temporarily more interesting than Baristanet. Imagine the possibilites of sitting in front of your computer all day and finding where Paulie Walnuts lives, and how long it takes him to get to Tony's house. There's only one problem. HBO doesn't seem to have remembered. Nothing on their website about the maps yet. (Although we did discover that there are a lot of Bada Bings out there.)

While we wait for the map, let's brainstorm about how the show might finally come to an end -- the subject of a story in yesterday's New York Times.

One thing both men now know for sure is that the voyage of "The Sopranos" is coming to an end. After several years of speculation, Mr. Chase and the executives of HBO came to an agreement that the latest season of 12 episodes, which starts up on March 12, would be the show's last — and then they renegotiated again and added a mini-season of eight more episodes that will be shot in the coming months and played starting next January.

Of course, like with Six Feet Under, it's got to end with the main character's funeral, right? So how should Tony Soprano get offed? In fact, let's make it a contest. Prize: some Sopranos swag lying around Soprano Sue's house, yet to be determined. Judge: Soprano Sue herself. Points for creativity and making us laugh out loud. And remember, boys and girls, this is a family website. So keep it clean.

February 27, 2006 in Win Stuff | Permalink | Comments (43)