The quintessential New York grocery chain said Friday it needs to raise more capital by April to meet its debt obligations with its 15 stores in the metro area experiencing “significant losses.”
The company — whose stock is also in danger of being delisted from the Nasdaq — lost $35.7 million in the quarter ended Dec. 27 after losing more than $300 million over the past five years.
Revenue declined by 7 percent to $191.6 million from a year earlier, a regulatory filing revealed on Friday.
Fairway is counting on new stores to drive its growth, but conceded in the filing that “our current limited cash resources and significant leverage will adversely affect our ability to open new stores.”
The company went public in 2013 after decades of being owned and managed by the Glickberg family. Former CEO Howard Glickberg remains on the board.
The IPO was meant to jump-start an ambitious expansion plan led by Sterling Investment Partners, which wanted to expand into other regions of the country. Instead, the business, known for its fresh produce and high-quality prepared foods, is facing a possible bankruptcy.
JANUARY 5, 2016, 12:40 PM LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2016, 1:09 PM
BY ESTHER DAVIDOWITZ
FOOD EDITOR |
THE RECORD
Longtime Ridgewood restaurateurs Natalie and Frank Trent have closed their beloved casual restaurant Natalie’s after 25 years, and Due Bistro, the well-received modern Italian restaurant just a few doors down, is set to take over the space next month.
“It will almost triple the size of Due,” said executive chef Adam Weiss, who received 3 1/2 stars for his cooking for guests at the bistro’s small (42-seat) dining room.
Weiss said that Due will probably close its doors at the end of this month at its present location – 13 E. Ridgewood Avenue —and move sometime in February into its new location — 16-18 S. Broad St. Currently, he is “redoing the menu, updating things.” He said that the new Due will be a little more casual but with an “elegant upscale feel.”
mémoire in Ridgewood has announced they have closed. The restaurant opened back in 2013.
Below is the full statement from owner/chef Tom Finnelli:
“This was probably one of the toughest decisions that I’ve ever had to make. I love the restaurant business and opening mémoire was the realization of a childhood dream. It pains me to close it. But it comes down to risk versus reward. There is the obvious financial and emotional burden that comes with owning and operating a small business; but more importantly, there is a quality of life burden. I have a wife and two young children whom I love very dearly. As Executive Chef and Owner, it wasn’t uncommon to work 75 to 90 hours a week. In fact, it was often the norm. I have no problem working hard, but there has to be a balance. And I think working as an Executive Chef for a place that I don’t own will likely create the balance that I’m looking for.
We have so many wonderful guests that will be missed. They were not only huge supporters of our restaurant, but were like family to us. Thank you for your loyalty. It was a pleasure to serve you.
Maybe one of the hardest parts of closing the restaurant was saying goodbye to my team. Everyone on our team worked very hard. They were loyal and helped to make the restaurant the best that it could be. Especially Frank, our Maître d’, whom many of guests assumed was my partner because of his passion and love for hospitality. He treated the restaurant as his own and always went above and beyond to make our guests feel welcome.”
back by popular demand RIDGEWOOD’S own RESTAURANT WEEK 2016! January 17-January 21, January 24-January 28, Sunday through Thursday, experience fine dining in Ridgewood for only $25.16. For these ten days, participating restaurants are offering you the chance to experience dining in Ridgewood like never before. Each business will prepare a 3course, (prix-fixe menu for you at $25.16 +tax/tip/beverage.
Please note: We have added a
Catering, Wine and Specialty offerings.
PLEASE NOTE THERE ARE A FEW EXCEPTIONS
WITH DETAILS,PLEASE READ CAREFULLY
ENJOY!
Visit the following participating businesses.
Call for details.
Fish Urban Dining
201-857-5151
It’s Greek to Me
201-612-2600
LaTour, A French-American Grill
201-445-5056 – lunch only
Mediterraneo Restaurant
201-447-0022
Memoire Restaurant
201-857-8899
Novo
201-444-4910
Park West Tavern & Loft
201-445-5400
Pearl Restaurant
201-857-5100
Planet Swirl FRO-Yo & Grill
201-857-455
Raymond’s
201-445-5125
ROOTS Steakhouse
201-444-1922
Sakura-Bana Restaurant
201-447-6525
The Office Beer Bar & Grill
201-652-1070
Village Green Restaurant
201-445-2914
Catering
Chestnut Catering
201-445-3031
From Scratch Ridgewood
201-981-8606
Specialty Offerings
Ben & Jerry’s
201-689-1122
Carlo’s Bake Shop
201-962-9080
Super Cellars Fine Wines & Marketplace
201-444-0012
The Wine Seller
201-444-3300
See you in Ridgewood!
FREE parking on Sunday
Free Parking after 6:00pm
Ridgewood voted “26th best place to live in America”
Visit historic “downtown Ridgewood”
NJ/NY Transit friendly
experienceridgewood.com
It would not be an exaggeration to say that the setting of Fish Urban Dining is striking. Situated in a former Bank of America branch on East Ridgewood Avenue, the restaurant has 30-foot-high ceilings with six huge chandeliers, and its sleek dining room extends into what was the bank’s vault, complete with a five-ton steel door.
Jim and Karen DeGilio, the married couple who own the restaurant and a second Fish Urban Dining, in Asbury Park, opened their Ridgewood place in July. It has been packed ever since. It has high-quality seafood, attentive service and some excellent nonaquatic dishes, too.
“We pride ourselves on serving fresh, uncomplicated seafood with fair prices in a comfortable, fun setting,” Mr. DeGilio said in a phone interview following my visits.
Dave Symniuk, the executive chef at both locations, has worked with the couple for over a decade and oversees a team of cooks that handles day-to-day preparations.
DECEMBER 30, 2015 LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015, 1:21 AM
THE RECORD
Ring in the new year with a scrumptious meal. The following are just some of the restaurants going all out to satisfy palates in the final moments of 2015:
Picnic on the Square
The Ridgewood restaurant is celebrating New Year’s with a loaded prix-fixe menu. The meal includes a snack plate to start followed by salad, appetizer, entrée and dessert courses. This year’s celebration features an all-new menu crafted by chef Christine Nunn and a complimentary champagne toast. Other than the toast, the meal is BYOB. $85 per person, 26 Wilsey Square 201-444-4001; picniconthesquare.com.
DECEMBER 22, 2015 LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2015, 10:51 AM
THE RECORD
North Jersey epicureans are in luck, therefore. In 2015, The Record’s restaurant critic Elisa Ung reviewed a number of first-rate formal restaurants that either opened their doors this year or experienced a significant change (for example, a new chef or new owners, new look) during the year. She also reviewed a few eating establishments that have been around for sometime and continue to dazzle.
I became infamous at Le Cordon Bleu in France (at least in my own mind) on a relatively quiet and peaceful classroom day of wine tasting. I am on stage but the theater is a dimly lit classroom in the 15th Arondissement of Paris and I am an American widow with three grown children wearing a uniform that matches my nine other youthful women classmates. Can I succeed at performing the international protocols of a flawless 7-minute wine analysis that ends with a perfect food and wine pairing while standing in front of my peers, professor and the man from Margaux?
With a grimace, and a bit of pride, I always think back to this life-changing moment in the spring of 2012 when I was preparing for intensive wine exams. After studying ten months in Paris at Le Cordon Bleu’s first year of wine management, I still had my doubts about performing the 7-minute wine analysis and, if given the choice, would rather have performed the 7-minute AB workout even if it entailed wearing my spandex shorts in front of my other twenty classmates.
My classmates snickered, but I think they were secretly happy that I broke the traditional standards of food and wine pairing that day. It certainly opened the doors to the steps I follow when it comes to choosing the perfect wine for holiday gatherings.
The internationally accepted rules of a wine tasting analysis chronicle in detail the visuel, or visual; olfactif or aromatic; andgustatif or taste of a particular wine, analyzing the future of the wine in terms of age, serving temperature, whether to carafe or decant, and finally, what dish to pair with the wine—all in 7-minutes or less. And the key ends with unlocking the door to choosing the correct wine for your meal.
I hold the glass of 2009 Chateau Kirwan Bordeaux in my hand like a singer ready to begin a melody. “This bouncy and forward 2009 Bordeaux from Chateau Kirwan, which is predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon blended with Merlot, Petite Verdot, and Cabernet Franc,” I exclaim, “could be paired with a lovely garlic-rubbed grilled leg of lamb served with roasted rosemary potatoes and sautéed green beans with toasted pine nuts . . .”
Monsieur Professor is proudly smiling at me and begins to clap with my other nineteen classmates and the man from Margaux.
“Or,” I sheepishly announce over the first seconds of applause, “it could be paired with a thin-crusted pizza covered with caramelized onions, crispy pancetta, sautéed shitake mushrooms, and Gorgonzola cheese.”
The clapping stops abruptly, “Why you do that!” Monsieur Professor shouts at me after my offbeat pairing suggestion. “You just gave perfect wine analysis and then ruined it by your food pairing . . . pizza, mon Dieu, not with Chateau Kirwan from Margaux!”
I genuinely want that bottle of Chateau Kirwan from Margaux with pizza. Ce n’est pas chouette (that’s not cool) for a traditional French food and wine pairing but for me, an American, it is.
I suggest using my basic pairing principles—that so abruptly disturbed my French classroom that day—to explore and have fun with food and wine pairings during the holidays. By matching a wine that’s either similar or opposite to the dish or ingredients being served, you can produce delectable and unique pairings. It’s all about the personal adventure when it comes to food and wine pairing.
I pair wine using a simple technique that I learned from a famous sommelier in France. “Wine pairing should be looked at like we look at couples,” he shared. “There are two types of couples in this world. There are the couples who are similar to one another and make each other whole almost like being one person and then there are the couples who are completely opposite and one would never put them together.”
Yet both couples work together and form a powerful bond…
1. Is this wine similar to the dish?
Ex: A heavy beef stew with lots of pepper and bay leaves would have flavors similar to a peppery, earthy red wine like a Cabernet Sauvignon or a spicy Pinot Noir. The bold aromas and flavors of the wine are similar to the strong and spicy ingredients in the stew.
2. Is this wine opposite to the dish?
Ex: A creamy white sauce over pasta would pair well with a nice Sauvignon Blanc. Why?
The acidity in the wine is opposite from the creamy, smooth sauce and actually subdues and balances both flavors.
In pairing traditional holiday dishes, use the basic concepts above (try on your own first) and if you get stumped here are some cheat notes:
Be bold, brave and thankful that your pick does not include the man from Margaux. Simply take that adventurous wine leap believing that your personal palate will always catch you. And even if your palate fails you with the hours of thought you put into that special holiday food and wine pairing, who cares, try again later. Toss out the old ideas about failure and embrace it as your best friend because, when it comes to wine, there is always another chance to get creative with another even more provocative pairing.
A viticulturist, award-winning winemaker, and published author with over 25 years of experience in the wine industry, Paula Moulton has worked with wine talent such as Joel Peterson of Ravenswood Winery, Mike Benziger of Benziger Family Winery, and Jean-Luc Thunevin (Bordeaux’s Bad Boy wine). She has appeared on the Today Show, CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, CRN, and other major media outlets as an author and wine industry leader. Moulton holds a BA from U. C. Berkeley in Rhetoric, an AS in viticulture from Santa Rosa Junior College, and a Wine Management degree from Le Cordon Bleu, Paris, France. Learn more about Moulton at www.paulamoulton.com.
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood, New Jersey’s premiere authentic Neapolitan trattoria A Mano, has proudly introduced a pizza program to benefit local charities. In the “Pizza in Sospeso” (so-SPEY-zo) initiative, customers can purchase a full size Margherita pizza at half price for $6, to be donated to help feed the less fortunate. Each time twenty five pizzas are purchased, A Mano will deliver the Pizzas in Sospeso to a diferent regional charity.
The pizza-giving drive was inspired by a long-standing tradition of cofee donating in the cafes of Naples, Italy. A café sospeso, Italian for “suspended cofee”, is a cup of cofee paid for in advance as an anonymous act of charity. A patron who experienced good luck would order a sospeso, paying for two cofees but only consuming one. A needy person would then be served a complimentary café sospeso.Said head Pizzaiolo Michele D’Amelio, “At A Mano we are all about the traditions of Naples. Bringing the idea of sospeso to pizza is a great way to give back to the community and help the needy. No one should have to worry about where their next meal is going to come from. We’re trying to do our part to lessen that pressure and bring smiles to people’s faces during the holiday season.”
The pizza-providing program which debuted on December 9th, has already surpassed A Mano’s expectations. Added D’Amelio, “In one day our customers purchased the first twenty-five pizzas.
We keep a tally on a board in the restaurant so everyone can see how many pizzas need to be bought to reach the next goal of twenty-five. It’s exciting and a such a gratifying feeling to know we can help care for people in need.”
The initial group of charitable pizza recipients include: Youth Consultation Service in Hackensack, Eva’s Village in Paterson, Center for Food Action in Mahwah and Family Promise of Bergen County.
The drive is slated to run though the first week of the new year, however, if the program’s success continues, the end date will be extended indefinitely.
A Mano is located at 24 Franklin Avenue (at Chestnut Street), Ridgewood, NJ. Hours of operation are: Monday through Thursday, 11:30AM–10:00PM, Friday and Saturday 11:30AM-11:00PM and Sunday
Carrie Armstrong’s fixation with ‘clean’ eating began, as it so often does, with good intentions. Struck down by a virus eight years ago, she was bed-bound and unable to lift her head off the pillow let alone walk.
Doctors said there was little more medicine could do so, to speed up her natural recovery, she began researching alternative remedies and healthy, body-boosting diets online.
“My first thought was no wonder I had got so sick because I’d been eating badly for years,” says the 35 year-old sports presenter from London.
“But then I starting reading about the transformative affects of giving up meat and sugar, then carbohydrates and it went from there.’
NOVEMBER 20, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015, 7:26 AM
BY ELISA UNG
THE RECORD
Upon entering the new Fish Urban Dining Ridgewood, it’s best to look up. Gazing high provides glamour and drama: ceilings that soar, dramatic chandeliers fit for a ballroom, swaths of fabric crisscrossing tall windows, intricate molding and second-floor private dining areas with lovely views of the entire scene. All perks of dining in a venerable old bank building.
But looking at your plate can be a mixed story. Over my two meals, there was a flawless bowl of raw ahi tuna poke that could have come straight from a Hawaiian luau and a bountiful, well-seasoned crab cake. But there was also a drab-looking, bitter-tasting bowl of monkfish and a plate of limp, undercooked scallops. Fish’s food has a ways to go before it matches the scenery.
Owners James and Karen DeGilio opened Fish in July in the historic landmark First National Bank and Trust Co. building on Ridgewood Avenue that was most recently home to Bank of America. Their original Fish in Asbury Park also occupies a former bank building, and when they decided to start another restaurant, they were drawn to renovate the landmark in Karen’s native Bergen County. While they won’t say how much they spent on the renovation — James admits growing “dizzy every time I say that number” — the job was clearly extensive and meticulous. Workers salvaged marble from the teller windows, which then became part of the raw bar and the bathroom vanities.
Restaurant mémoire, Fish Urban Dining, It’s Greek To Me and Gen Sushi in Ridgewood, NJ now offer Complimentary Valet Parking
Mémoire, a fine dining restaurant offering seasonal, American eclectic cuisine in a casual NYC-style atmosphere, announced that the restaurant, along with Fish Urban Dining, It’s Greek To Me and Gen Sushi will offer complimentary valet parking on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
Mémoire Owner and Executive Chef, Tom Finnelli stated the following: “It was ten months in the making, but we are thrilled to finally be able to offer valet parking to our guests. It is definitely a win-win to have four restaurants included in one valet service because it’s not about the individual restaurants; it’s about the guest and providing a much needed accommodation on nights when parking is limited. Hopefully, this will evolve into valet for every restaurant in the town, which will help to further revive one of the best dining destinations in New Jersey.”
About the Valet Services: Valet services will be available on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays beginning at 5 p.m. Valet stations will be conveniently located on the corners of Chestnut Street and East Ridgewood Avenue and Prospect Street and East Ridgewood Avenue.
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