Echoes of Prohibition?

Please, spare me. Unless the bar is admitting people under 21, it's a perfectly legal operation.

Don't send Lindsey Lohan an invite to the opening!

Hey Vigilante, why don't you just move? Poor planning on your part though to move to the only block in GR that has stores and a restaurant in the whole town.

What about all those pill-popping mo-rons hopped up on prescription meds coming out of the pharmacy? Surely, you are worried about them too? No, well you should be. And we all know the Loonie-meister makes her daily wine pick-up runs to the Bottle King, also just steps from your house.

Thinking of selling, at a serious discount of course? Call me.

Oh no! Not the children!!

Yeah, well, you remember what George Carlin had to say about "the children"!

But seriously, talk about knee-jerk hysterics. Does everyone in Glen Ridge live in this kind of delusional bubble?

And the whole issue about lunch? Doesn't Vigilante101 realize the three-martini lunch went away years ago?

Sheesh. What a NIMBY-nitwit.

My wife and I are just moving to the area and we feel that Glen Ridge is a bucolic little town. The one thing missing is a good bar to meet friends, eat, enjoy a libation and then, not even consider driving, but walk home.

Does the GR pharmacy still sell liquor? When I was growing up in Glen Ridge the pharmacy even delivered liquor. what's the difference for the existing neighborhood if it is sold by the glass in a restaraunt or by the bottle in a store down the street? It seems to me that most people who are going to frequent a local restaraunt will be local people...your neighbors -- not some hard core barflys.

As a resident of nearby Watsessing Heights I'm looking forward to having a good "tavern" nearby. We enjoyed Joseph's and were sorry to see it go. Am glad someone else is coming in to that spot.

What's next? A tract about papists and the Gomorrah that is Montclair?

Oh please. Must we all remind this person that every community must welcome a diverse group of residents and commerce to sustain its appeal? Its not as if we're talking about a go-go bar or oil refinery. This person may fall under the category "you can't please everyone all of the time."

Cool, a place I can walk to with the family.

Mauigirl, whereabouts exactly is "Watsessing Heights? I know where Watsessing Ave is, but is it north or south of Bloomfield Ave?

Note to anyone from the township who might be reading this: a map on the town website that shows the names of the different neighborhoods and where they are located would be a neat feature!

I live a block from the former Joseph's, and we recently received a letter about Fitzgerald's saying that it is intended to be a sports bar with outdoor service in front and back. The letter also says they plan to serve food till 9:30pm, then remain open till 2am.

I don't know how much of this is true, but that is a lot of hours of drinking with no food. I've lived a block from the Fitzgerald's location for close to 20 years, and am concerned (if this is true) about drunk driving and noise in my neighborhood at 2am. Yes, Joseph's served alcohol, but it was not a sports bar and pub, which tend to have a rowdy atmosphere.

Assuming that someone in the neighborhood can just pick up and move is pretty silly. No one wants to do that -- we would prefer to have considerate neighbors, including businesses. (And there actually is fallout from being near Just Sandwiches and the pharmacy -- namely a lot of candy and chip wrappers on our front lawn during the school year. Oh well.)

Also, Debbie, the police aren't going to do anything unless people call and complain about noise. Which we plan to do, if necessary.

Not sure what it means that Liz Brewster is recusing herself from this issue. If she's going to recuse herself, it should be from the issue of turf. She's in favor of it, and that would clearly drive use of the field and post-game traffic to the bar -- I mean, restaurant.

Cool, a place I can walk to with the family.

That's one thing I like about where I live in Bloomfield, I'm less than a 10-minute walk to North Center.

(And there actually is fallout from being near Just Sandwiches and the pharmacy -- namely a lot of candy and chip wrappers on our front lawn during the school year. Oh well.)

Actually, I think you're pointing the finger in the wrong direction; that sounds more like fallout from living near a school; otherwise you probably wouldn't have all the discarded packaging from items purchased at those two businesses.

Point being is when you live in a fairly urban area, which this really is, people need to learn to not get offended by minor annoyances. Such is life in a densely populated, traditional, "mixed use" neighborhood.

If one wants a litter-less, noise-less, traffic-less, and everything-else-that-ticks-you-off-less existence, one would be better off relocating to one of the many soul-less McMansioned suburbs of NJ. Of course, the people who do complain how everything is then too far away!

Montclair and Glen Ridge and Bloomfield together, appletony, are not "Gomorrah." (How come it's never "gomorrahizing," by the way?) They are not even Phenix City, Alabama, which I visited a few times while stationed at Fort Benning. And Phenix City in turn was not even 42nd Street in the rough, raunchy 60's.

One liquor license in Glen Ridge hardly constitutes a "strip" of evil hangouts. Just as some logical concerns about noise and decorum at closing time do not constitute yearnings for the "Prohibition" era. It was a great choice for an illustration above, but it's kind of a nothing item when Diva Lounge still unleashes its version of the "jet set" upon local streets most evenings round 2AM.

Please think of the children!

They might get drunk and support the status quo.

It would be nice to have a family style pub to walk to but "Sports Bar", already turns me off where every angle is coated with flat screen TV's and money grubbing steroidal filled jocks running around on screen is a real turn off. Can't it just be a good old fashion pub where they pull a good pint and maybe a live band like the Porch Daddies??....PAZ in GR

Gosh, PAZ, you hit the nail on ther head. It's almost gotten to the point where I won't frequent any bar that has a TV. Geez, if I wanted to watch TV, I would have stayed home! I was raised to think that it's just plain bad manners to have the TV on when you're trying to eat and/or have a conversation. And did you ever notice that said TVs are almost always tuned to a sports channel?

Give me a pint o' Guinness and a bar band any day!

It's funny because we have a go go bar in Bloomfield on Broughton Ave close to Demarest school but you'd never know it was there unless you went inside and saw it. I lived around the corner for years and never knew it until a friend went it and told me. It's super quiet, we never have any problems with it other than the occassional lack of enough parking.

I've driven down Broughton Ave countless times, and that's news to me!

I assume most of the patrons are from the surrounding neighborhoods anyway, so, live and let live.

Do "Family Style" and "Pub" even go together?

I doubt there will be too many drunks getting in their cars in the presence of the GRPD right next door. We do need a sports bar around here. I am within walking distance to Egans and the neighborhood is still in tact despite the 2:00am unleashing of drunks pouring out of the bar. If you're concerned about your kids and liquor, Glen Ridge is not the town for you!

i'm just wondering why the restaurant or bar in question keeps refering to the owners as a partnership of 3 did everyone forget that stephen plofkner is also a owner oooppppssss was that a secret

i'm just wondering why the restaurant or bar in question keeps refering to the owners as a partnership of 3 did everyone forget that stephen plofkner is also a owner oooppppssss was that a secret

who cares if the restaurant has a liquor license or not, in this area byob is a way of life. you can bring alcohol into most restaurants in the area and consume it, regardless of it's location. for pete's sake people...take the bubble wrap off the kids and start living your lives already!

So what. Kids will get the booze if they want to. Read the local papers. Do you not realize that this is no longer the time of Leave it to Beaver?

People need to grow up and see reality.

Cheers to all!

How does the Barista post this inflammatory piece without checking it out? Handing out a flyer that says a bar is coming to town is a silly attempt to inflame passion. There has been a "bar" on Herman Street for at least 15 years, probably longer.

The author of the flyer is simply starting a rumor, and Baristanet is perpetuating that rumor.

BTW, the "bar" that is has been there forever is becoming an upscale Irish Pub and restaurant, not a sports bar.

First of all your post is nothing but inflammatory ridger141. Not to mention inaccurate. Joseph's, an excellent, high end restaurant was a BYOB for most of its run, was never a "bar" even after securing a liquor license. Because of this the residents of Herman Street allowed for the few instances of quieting the occasional loud patron and putting up with delivery trucks (frequency of deliveries will increase with NEW use). The hours, number of and frequency of patrons to a 4 star restaurant are (were) a different demographic than any bar that is going to occupy the space (it WILL be open more hours, more days with a lower priced menu). I expect a much larger disruption of "happy patrons" shouting to each other what a good night they had while residents are trying to sleep. The rental space they will be occupying was never zoned for the use, why any prior variance would allow for this without a new use hearing ?? Probably again letter of the law (welcome to NJ). Not from upstanding, connected citizens with only our best interests in mind. I guess it will guarantee our property values will go up (who wouldn't want to be wakened up in the middle of the night for such a good cause?), especially with the new and improved Hurrell Field's shining lights. I bet the houses sell for triple the asking price. Yes, they can say they followed the letter of the law, no question, but that doesn't change a raw deal. If there is a demand for such a bar, there is space available, especially before a more regulated coffee shop procured some of it, on Bloomfield Ave. There are how many bar/restaurants within 10 minutes or less of this location (including one owned by one of the principles), more than 10 I'll bet. I forgot, I'm sure that, if this doesn't work out, out taxes will be cut significantly to keep our property values at the same level, And if (surprise) that does't happen, those principles will make up the difference when we sell. Thank you very much. Sorry I didn't see this coming 20 years ago.

Pork roll:

Watsessing Heights is at the south end of Bloomfield by Watsessing Park and the GSP. See link to map below:

http://www.whna.org/images/whnamap.jpg

The best Irish pubs in Ireland, Ridger144, are never "upscale." A certain raffishness (which Egan's will never have no matter how hard it tries) in both atmosphere and clientele is always desirable, even for Glen Ridge.

Whoa there Ambi - I think you need to look up the word inflammatory. Take a peek at inaccurate while you are there. Mine is neither, and yours...well...

I have been to Josephs many times, and sat at the bar, and had a drink. It is a restaurant and bar, pure and simple.

It is being replaced by a restaurant and bar.

More to the point, it is a restaurant, where people meet, eat, and drink. They come and they go, they drive cars and they walk and talk as they go to their cars.

None of this should be a surprise - there was a restaurant there when you bought your house...wasn't there?

As to zoning, you are simply misinformed. No hearing is necessary because the zoning permits a restaurant/bar, which, despite your fantasy, is what Joseph's is.

I can't help you with Hurrell, but I imagine that you knew there was a high school athletic field in your backyard when you bought your house, as well as a bar, an auto repair shop, a public parking lot, an ambulance squad, a police station, and a row of stores.

Sorry, attempting to inflame the masses with "a bar is coming! a bar is coming!" misleading, and anonymous, flyers may impress the Baristas (who are looking for page views) but it does not impress anyone with half a lick of sense.

And cathar, you are correct on all counts - which is why I added the modifier "upscale" to the phrase "Irish Pub."

well,pretty soon we will have another go go bar-the former "On the Rocks bar" on Bloomfield Ave Bloomfield

Used to be "don't trust anyone over 30" but that axiom has been replaced with "Don't trust anyone with an aol address."