Jersey City Bakes

When you see Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty and the entire New York Harbor I can feel the wonder and awe of the newcomer, the immigrant. I cannot imagine the courage it takes to leave your homeland, choose to start another life and live far away from anyone you know. Growing up in suburban New Jersey, always feeling safe, was a profound privilege. This morning I greeted the fisherman and walked the promenade in Liberty State Park. The sound of birds rising from the reedy water greeted me. Early morning sun cast shadows around lower Manhattan and Jersey City. Everything was bright and fresh, the air was filled with cold spring air and above there was perfect blue sky. This is truly one of the great walks in America.

It seems like every bakery I visit has been founded by an immigrant. Jersey City is no different with so many distinctive bakeries and neighborhoods. What has happened in this town for the last twenty five years is amazing. It has been transformed and the money has been spent all over town. The big money condos downtown, along the river and the local rail line, continue to fill the skyline. The architecture tends to encourage privacy and not community. The more interesting changes are in the historic district downtown and in the Heights or West Side. There have been huge demographic changes. You hear multiple languages wherever you go. There are political statements, from all over the globe, posted on lampposts or stop signs. Fuck Putin is very popular right now. There is street art everywhere. It sort of reminded me of parts of Miami where artists and city work together to beautify the urban setting. Renovations and new walkups seem to be going on every block. Walk around Van Vorst Park on a Saturday morning and enjoy the beautiful townhouses. Families and dogs fill the park, which is across the street from the Jersey City Library (1889). It is the largest municipal library in the state of New Jersey. Grace Church Van Vorst, dates back to 1853, is a landmark in this neighborhood. But the best part of downtown is how easy it is to find a bakery or a cup of coffee or sometimes both.

Before I give a rundown of the downtown bakery scene I want to give a shout out to Wonder Bagels. This historic bagel place, which is right at the corner of Jersey Ave and Columbus Drive, is a Jersey City Landmark. The smells delight the waiting drivers at the red light. The line will always greet you so be prepared to wait. If you want to walk by that is ok because there is so much more ahead of you.

On Erie Street, between third and fourth, you will find Scram. Great coffee, great variety of pastries and everything is baked in house. I took home the key lime donut and my two year old grandson ate his half in three minutes. His father housed the other half in two bites. The locals filled this place and most were families from two distinctive backgrounds. When I hear that we are separating from each other it is good to come to ground level and see that is not the case.

After leaving Scram I walked over to the downtown Columbus Triangle neighborhood. Around the Salvatore “Ralph” Lambiase Memorial Plaza there are four bakeries, all close to each other, and each one is uniquely special. I am always moved by their immigrant story. Why become bakers? It seems so thankless, so difficult to bring sweetness into everyone’s life every day. But there they are, each day, putting out the Chocolate Bread, the almond croissant and cheesecake.

Carmen Rosa's Dominican Bakery was founded in 1998. Her cakes are legendary and they are so reasonably priced, 38 dollars for one pound cake, you will never go anywhere else again. Many of her cakes are on display and ready for easy takeout. There were a dozen cakes on the shelf waiting to be picked up. I grabbed a rice pudding and a piece of flan to share with the family for lunch.

I left Carmen and headed over to Fourth Street on Newark Avenue. I stopped at the antique bakery Pecoraro’s. Not much has changed here over the last fifty years. They are best known for their fresh bread and sandwiches so I grabbed a classic baguette and headed over to Prato bakery (2015) on Fourth Street. This place is an authentic Tuscany breakfast and lunch bistro. Their croissants and their sandwiches are superb. Prato is a town in Tuscany, the hometown of the owner and baker, known for their cantucci(what they call biscotti in Prato). Their ingredients are sourced directly from Italy so you know the flour and prosciutto are authentic. This place reminds me of Farinolio in Westfield. Many of the customers who come here speak Italian and there is a wonderful international vibe going on here. This place can be your go to lunch stop or breakfast stop with outdoor and indoor seating.

My last stop in this stretch is the Second Street Bakery. This store is also old school, simple inside and outside. Menu is on the wall so don’t ask for anything else. It has been in one family since 1927 and the current owner has been doing this thirty two years. Great artists never stop working and his chocolate bread is out of this world, a top ten finalist and a worthy last meal. The bread is the first thing that hits the shelf every morning at 9 am. This “bakery” is really know for being one of the best sandwich places in town. Value and taste meet to form the perfect sandwich.

There is so much more to Jersey City than the downtown area. I visited most of the city yesterday morning from the Heights to the West End and Pershing Park. There are numerous historical churches from the Old Bergen Church, which dates back to the 17th Century, to St.Anthony’s Church which served all the predominantly Polish Catholic immigrants of the late 19th century. Each neighborhood defines itself, from working class to upper middle class, through its architecture and use of community space. You see those differences when you see the entire city as one place and the structural differences become apparent. Jersey City is an ongoing experiment in urban living and cultural change.

There are two more bakeries in these uptown neighborhoods that have to be mentioned. Each one is outstanding for completely different reasons. Monteleone’s has been in the same location on Newark ave inJersey City for over 75 years. Owned by the original family, it is the classic old fashioned bakery with glass cases and the fresh baked pastries ready for sale at 7:30 am. I had their legendary coffee cake and it was light, crunchy and delicious. I took home a cheesecake for the family but everyone reported it was good but a little tart.

Bread and Salt, located in the Heights on Palisade Ave, opened in 2019. Rick Easton, a James Beard semifinalist, originally served sit down pizza dinners. Then the pandemic got in the way and they pivoted from indoor dining. Everything is takeout now and the menu is quite different from 2019. He is known for his attention to sourcing organic ingredients. The bread loaf costs 10 bucks and it is as large as a summer cantaloupe or rugby football. It has a hard crunchy crust and an airy center. Better make sure your butter is soft before putting it on this bread. The focaccia pizzas are available for takeout and they are outstanding. They open at 10 am and expect to see a line as they are only open 18 hours each week(10-4 Fri, Sat, Sun).

I don’t know about you all but i am exhausted from all those calories today. So let’s review the highlights. Max, my grandson, loved the key lime donut from Scram. The Chocolate Bread from Second Street is the most decadent breakfast treat in Jersey City. And the sourdough bread from Bread and Salt is the best bread being baked in New Jersey at this time. That is a full day. Time to go back to the Promenade for a long walk and feel gratitude for the hard work and sacrifice of all the immigrants who came here, only with hopes and dreams, and created a new life.

Here are some pictures from yesterday including the Liberation Monument, in honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day this past Wednesday April 27, a view of midtown Manhattan from the Heights basketball courts, and some more street art.. The Liberation Monument displays the hero and the victim but truly each person, the soldier and the survivor, is a hero and a victim.

Peace to Everyone