Jersey City Rising

**JCMAN320** · November 29th, 2011, 12:16 PM

Two Boots Pizza Coming to Jersey City
By Matt Hunger • Nov 28th, 2011 • Category: Blog, Food, News

Two Boots Pizza, the indie filmmaker-owned, Louisiana-influenced pizza and po’ boy restaurant, is coming to downtown Jersey City in early Spring. According to owner Phil Hartman, the restaurant is looking to fill the vacancy at 133 Newark Avenue, making it the first Two Boots in New Jersey and the 11th nationwide.

Hartman will be partnering with Aaron Morrill, the owner of the Fizzy Lizzy beverage company, to bring the restaurant to Jersey City. The restaurant is expected to seat 25 in-doors and offer some seating outside during the warmer months. There will also be live acoustic music nights in the restaurant.

http://www.twoboots.com/

http://www.jerseycityindependent.com...o-jersey-city/

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Tilted Kilt Planning to Open in Jersey City
By Matt Hunger • Nov 28th, 2011 • Category: Blog, Food, News

Provocatively-dressed women in kilts suggesting libation pairings for your pub grub will soon be a Jersey City staple now that pub-restaurant Tilted Kilt has begun to explore opening a branch somewhere in the city.

Although details are still scarce– a manager explained the pub is still in the negotiation stages– the intention is there as is the market.

http://www.tiltedkilt.com/

http://www.jerseycityindependent.com...n-jersey-city/

**tbal** · November 30th, 2011, 10:46 PM

I apologize for my laziness - these photos are from 11/19...so these projects have advanced some since these were taken.

Cast Iron Lofts
It's sort of hard for me to believe this is finally getting built. And I'm sure that few people driving past it notice it since it's a small building skeleton in a seemingly abandoned wasteland. But I'm sure that as it reaches toward 20 stories, heads will start to turn as people drive by.

Looking Northwest; the Lackawanna Warehouse (new home to Carlo's Bakery) is on the left:

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Patriotic banner that has been put up:

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View to the Southwest across Jersey Avenue; 18 more stories to go:

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View to the Northeast (you can see 700 Grove to the right):

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150 Essex Street

View of the mini tower crane:

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109 Columbus

Looks like there will be 4 stories of residential above 1 story of retail (instead of 3:2).

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**JCMAN320** · December 1st, 2011, 08:23 AM

Great pics Tbal. I'm going to take pics of the development going on the Westside. Article in the Atlantic how Jersey City is the 10th most artistic city in the Nation!

Jersey City #10 on 'The Atlantic' list of most artistic U.S. cities
Published: Wednesday, November 30, 2011, 4:26 PM Updated: Wednesday, November 30, 2011, 6:21 PM
By The Jersey Journal

Jersey Journal file photo
Jersey City makes it into the top 10 of The Atlantic magazines list of most artistic cities in the nation.

Jersey City makes it into the top 10 of The Atlantic magazine’s list of most artistic cities in the nation, beating out such hot spots as Miami and Atlanta.

"Jersey City has a vibrant and diverse artist community, which is something we are proud of and use to market our city," said Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy. "Having a robust arts market, with galleries, music, theater, and art and cultural events adds to the quality of life, and we are pleased to have Jersey City ranked with larger cities such as New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles as a home for the arts."

The city, which comes in at #10 on the list, is “a source of more affordable housing and work spaces,” according to Richard Florida of The Atlantic.

Florida notes that New York and Los Angeles have the largest number of artists, but for his list he used a different measure that takes into account a ratio that compares a region’s share of artists to the national share of artists.

On this list, Sante Fe, New Mexico comes out on top, with San Francisco, Calif. in second place and New York in third.

Read the article here:
http://www.theatlanticcities.com/art...a/592/#slide10

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/2..._atlantic.html

**JCMAN320** · December 1st, 2011, 01:12 PM

Thirty Acres: Meet the Chef
By Sharyn Jackson • Dec 1st, 2011 • Category: Featured, Food

Kevin Pemoulie got his start in the food business as a pizza delivery boy — now, he owns the pizzeria. In February 2012, he and his wife/business partner Alexandria will open Thirty Acres, a new dinner, lunch and brunch spot on Jersey Avenue and Wayne Street in what used to be Esperanto’s Pizza. The menu, touted as “NEW New Jersey cuisine,” is expected to feature local products, fresh fare and shareable plates, all for around $25 or less.

The chef/owner worked his way up the New York culinary scene via the French Culinary Institute, a stint as sous chef at Craftbar and five years as the chef de cuisine at Momofuku Noodle Bar. Now, Kevin and Alex are setting their sights on the neighborhood they’ve called home since 2010, Downtown Jersey City.

We caught up with Kevin to find out what to expect from Thirty Acres, named after Boyle’s Thirty Acres, an 80,000-seat arena built in 1921 on Montgomery Street to host a boxing match that New York City had rejected.

What inspired you to name the restaurant after a boxing arena?

Basically we wanted to incorporate some aspect of Jersey City history in our name. The story behind the fight and its moving from NYC to JC struck a chord with us. It just so happens to also sound like a pretty good name for a restaurant—suggests a certain freshness, I think.

Why did you decide to open Thirty Acres in Downtown Jersey City?

Since I started cooking professionally, the goal was always to open a place of my own. New Jersey was always an end goal, at least for me. My wife and I chose Jersey City ultimately because we really like it here. We had been in NYC for a while and we never really considered opening there. Jersey City at this particular time is exactly what we were looking for.

What do you think about the current culinary scene here?

I would describe the current scene as “up and coming.” I’ve already noticed a lot of change just since we moved out here and it really seems like it’s about to take off. I think there’s a real desire from the businesses to encourage people to stay in Jersey City to drink and dine. It just seems like prime time to enter into the scene. I really get the feeling JC residents want to stay here and want to support the local spots.

What drew you to the space?

I think we were drawn by the fact that the building was so cool and so nice yet the business seemed to be suffering. We actually just sort of popped in and wound up talking to the previous owners, ultimately finding out they wanted to “sell the business.” That block and Jersey Avenue in general seems like a no-brainer.

What can we expect to see on the menu?

The menu is going to really try to showcase New Jersey products, as well as surrounding areas: eastern Pennsylvania, Hudson Valley, Long Island, New York City. I particularly want to offer a wide selection of raw fish dishes including oysters (not sushi). Also, homemade pasta dishes. We’re probably going to avoid heavy, clunky entree type dishes. It’s not particularly how we like to eat, and we really want to encourage sharing, and being able to taste a number of dishes during the course of a meal. Everything will be seasonally appropriate and will change as often as I see fit. We really want to keep the menus fresh and interesting.

Can you tell us about a few dish ideas?

Basically, how they would appear on a menu:
Raw fluke – charred jalapeno, pickled red onion, cilantro
Fried sweetbreads – w/ white anchovies, roasted tomato, black olives, capers
Homemade garganelli – lamb ragu, cumin, feta cheese, mint

What are your plans for the design of the space?

My wife and I had the “vision” for the space and are taking on the majority of design aspects. We’re working with Brunelleschi Construction and they have been really awesome working with us and contributing design ideas. The look is going to be a rustic sort of look. More “craftsman” style. Wood bar, copper top. We have some great custom iron light fixtures and a lot of repurposed materials: chairs, church pews, fixtures. We are definitely transforming the current space.

What do you hope to achieve with Thirty Acres?

Our long-term goals here are to be a neighborhood fixture. We just want to have a place people can go to and will be happy with what we’re offering. We really love being here and want to show that in our restaurant.

Details (subject to change):
Thirty Acres has an expected opening of February 2012.

500 Jersey Avenue (corner of Wayne Street)
No Web site yet, but follow the restaurant’s progress on Facebook and Twitter.

https://www.facebook.com/thirtyacres

https://twitter.com/#!/ThirtyAcres

As of now, they plan on serving lunch Monday through Friday from 12 to 4 pm; dinner seven nights from 5:30 to 10 pm (11 pm on Friday and Saturday); and brunch on Saturday and Sunday from 11 am to 4 pm.

Photo of Kevin and Alex Pemoulie and the restaurant’s exterior courtesy of Kevin Pemoulie.

http://www.jerseycityindependent.com...meet-the-chef/

**stache** · December 1st, 2011, 01:18 PM

Do we really need a post about every single popsicle stand opening in this town?

**JCMAN320** · December 1st, 2011, 03:28 PM

Sorry Stache just excited that all these new places are opening up here. It just feels like more and more people are discovering our City. Ill try to consolidate them or weed out the less interesting ones.

**66nexus** · December 1st, 2011, 03:32 PM

PHOTOS: Newport Town Square holiday tree lighting

Published: Wednesday, November 30, 2011, 9:39 PM Updated: Wednesday, November 30, 2011, 9:55 PM

By The Jersey Journal
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Lauren Casselberry/The Jersey Journal

People enjoy the festivities at the 10th annual Newport tree lighting takes place at Newport Town Square on Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011. Lauren Casselberry/The Jersey Journal10th Annual Newport Tree Lighting gallery (14 photos)

Newport Town Square in Downtown Jersey City is ablaze with light tonight after the switches were flipped during the 10th park's annual holiday tree lighting.

In addition to residents and visitors, a juggling elf and Santa Claus enjoyed the festivities.

Earlier today, Hudson County officials lit a Christmas tree in the grand rotunda of the historic Brennan Court House in Jersey City.

If you missed today's lightings -- or the one in Rockefeller Center -- you'd better not pout. A number of tree lightings are still to come in Hudson.Check out our list.

taken from nj.com

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Even though I like Rockefeller center, I actually like this a bit more. It seems more colorful, very good job.

**Nexis4Jersey** · December 1st, 2011, 04:09 PM

It seems like they put moar work into it , is that the only tree lighting in Jersey City?

**JCMAN320** · December 1st, 2011, 05:16 PM

Not at all Nexis. On Dec 9th JC is lighting their City Hall tree. Last week the Downtown BID lit theirs at the park around the entrance to the Grove St PATH and Hudson Court House lit theirs yesterday.

**JCMAN320** · December 2nd, 2011, 08:29 AM

“Purple People” Building Demolished, Redevelopment Plan Coming Soon
By Matt Hunger • Dec 1st, 2011 • Category: Blog, News

The loud sound residents heard along the west side of Jersey City yesterday was the elimination of yet another area of blighted vacancy– in this case, the demolition of the long abandoned Purple People building– part of an ongoing effort by the Healy administration to clean up the pockets of eyesores found throughout the city.

Formerly the home of the Dye Specialty Corporation, the building was purchased by a subsidiary of M.D. Sass, an investment management firm, after it had been left abandoned for ten years following an environmentally hazardous spill and fire. Although the environmental danger was eventually cleaned up by the EPA and DEP, the building remained a troubling sight juxtaposed to the neighboring Hudson Mall.

The demolition of the building was only the first step in an effort to revitalize the area, with a redevelopment plan to be submitted to the city for approval shortly.

This effort follows a series of work undertaken this past year to eliminate unwanted and unsightly areas of the city. First, there was the adoption of the Adopt-A-Lot program, a law that promotes community gardens and that will eventually provide locally grown food for the community. Then the city instituted a financial penalty against absentee, deadbeat landowners whose vacant properties lower neighborhood value and become magnets for crime. The City Council has also approved a number of redevelopment plans that work towards fixing up run-down areas in need of a boost.

http://www.jerseycityindependent.com...n-coming-soon/

**Newarkguy** · December 2nd, 2011, 11:13 AM

It was quite an eyeesore,especially with the collapsed side facing Rt440/Hudson Mall. I do "urban Exploration" from time to time,and found this structure inviting to enter,however, the high traffic,foot traffic and the fact that it had collapsed, made me pass.
Urban exploration is the exploring of abandoned structures. This is usually abandoned factories, old transit tunnels (Newark cedar street subway/raymond blvd ramps) or even abandoned homes, looking for stuff to give you a clue of the old occupants,kind of an "urban archeology" if you may.
Urban exploration is over in NJ, since EVERYTHING worth exploring has been demolished. The golden age being in the 1980s. And early 1990s.
Any remaining abandoned asylums and structures are in full public view and off limits.