A HOLIDAY FOR THE COOK
Big feasts are de rigueur for the season’s big days, but that needn’t mean a big mess in the kitchen. For this year’s celebration, why not let someone else do the cooking? The Bergen restaurants below will be happy to serve you and your crew for any occasion, including two very special ones: For your kosher Hanukkah feast, check out: • Etc. Steakhouse, 1409 Palisade Ave., Teaneck, 201.357.5677; etcsteakhouse.com
WE’LL REMEMBER ’25
The end of the year is a time for reflection, and Bergen County had many memorable events this year. Here are a few: • Jan. 24: Early on a Friday afternoon, some Bergen residents felt some light shaking—a magnitude 2.4 earthquake struck the area at 1 p.m. The epicenter, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, was in Paramus. • May 10: Bergen made the news all over the tri-state area when the former Sheraton Crossroads hotel in Mahwah was demolished with a controlled implosion. The footage was posted on the internet and has accumulated thousands of views and hundreds of comments. • May 12: Coach Kurt Hommen of Ridgewood became the all-time winningest baseball coach in county history when the Maroons defeated rival Paramus, 1-0. He’s led the Ridgewood baseball program for more than 15 years, during which the Maroons won two Group 4 state championships and a Bergen County title. • June 19. Tenafly native Edan Alexander, who was taken hostage during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, returned home to Bergen. He was the last U.S. citizen held captive in Gaza. • Sept. 15: Ridgewood-based Family Promise of Bergen County, a nonprofit dedicated to helping families facing homelessness, served the 1.5 millionth meal in its nightly Walk-In Dinner program. Countless volunteers have helped keep this program running through its 34 years. • Oct. 23: Valley Health System opened its Montvale campus at 400 Market St., a state-of-the-art facility for diagnostic imaging services, outpatient rehabilitation and physical therapy and integrative medicine. • Nov. 9: In Leonia, Overpeck Park’s Field Station: Dinosaurs attraction—filled with animatronics of those prehistoric creatures—closed its gates for good. This drew attention from national news sources, including The New York Times, as the park was auctioning off its dinos (and collectors were eager to own one).
• The Kosher Nosh, 894 Prospect St., Glen Rock, 201.445.1186; 172 Piermont Rd., Cresskill, 201.331.0000; koshernosh.com • La Cucina, 461 Cedar Ln., Teaneck, 201.357.2370; lcdnava.com • Salt & Butter, 1 Garden State Plaza, Paramus, 201.606.2241; saltandbutter.us
• Biagio’s, 299 Paramus Rd., Paramus, 201.652.0201; biagios.com • Oceanos Oyster Bar, 2–27 Saddle River Rd., Fair Lawn, 201.796.0546; oceanos restaurant.com • RP Prime Steakhouse, 41–11 Route 4, Fair Lawn, 201.267.0702; 209 Ramapo Valley Rd., Mahwah, 201.529.1111; rpprime.com • Sofia, 36 Engle St., Englewood, 201.541.8530; sofiaenglewood.com
HAPPENS EVERY YEAR
Odds are many of your holiday traditions are at home—decorating a tree, lighting a menorah or trying to make Grandma’s old recipes taste the way they should. (We still can’t figure out what she did to her latkes.) Some traditions, though, take you out of the house. Here are some annual events around the county that are as fondly traditional for the performers as for the audience: Hackensack Performing Arts Center stages yearly holiday musical The Christmas Caper throughout December, taking the audience on a joyful journey as Mrs. Claus and the elves race to save the season. • Hackensack Performing Arts Center, 102 State St., Hackensack, 201.820.3007; hacpac.org The always highly anticipated An Ars Musica’s Holiday returns Dec. 13. The Ridgewood-based choir will combine choral music with organ, brass and percussion for a memorable show— including selections from Handel’s Messiah. • Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 155 Linwood Ave., Ridgewood; arsmusica.org How’s this for a modern twist on the festival of lights? Over in Franklin Lakes, Chabad Jewish Center of NW Bergen County holds its annual Chanukah Menorah Lighting Ceremony (stay tuned for details). It includes an eye-popping drone show, live music, dancing and crafts. • Franklin Lakes Borough Hall, 480 De Korte Dr., Franklin Lakes, 201.891.4000; franklinlakes.org
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For dinner on Christmas Eve or Day, visit:
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DECEMBER 2025
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