The Record from Hackensack, New Jersey • F1

SECTION BL THEATER 3 TELEVISION 5 BOOKS 7 SUN. 01.19.14 Better Living Fashion-phobic Bill Ervolino has the red-carpet blues this awards season. First Course: A royal galette de Rois and other fun stuff for foodies. TROUBLE SPOTS Why certain locations spell doom for restaurants New Jersey-born Thomas Bradshaw N.J. playwright again pushes the boundaries mm hi.l Ji A middle-aged husband and wife are in bed watching television.

Nothing unusual there. Except that what they're watching is their teenage daughter in a porn movie, while discussing ways she could improve her performance. Welcome to the theatrical world of Thomas Bradshaw. His comedy "Intimacy," with the above scene, and other comparably provocative moments, is in previews mm ROBERT FELDBERG ONSTAGE for a Jan. 29 opening at off-Broadway's New Group.

It's the latest in a run of works by the New Jersey-born author that push to the edge what we expect to see in mainstream theater, including graphic scenes of simulated sex. (The casting call for "Intimacy" advised actors: "Some form of nudity will be required of See FELDBERG Page BL-3 PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ELAINE ISAACSONSTAFF ARTIST 14 Rivervale Road and Prospect Avenue, home of the former River Vale Lodge, which later became the Savory Inn. But ever since the inn closed in 1998, the sprawling building has been home to five different restaurants. There was Two Valleys Finally last year, a massive construction job transformed the building into a gleaming neighborhood bar, Vale Bar and Grill. Can we get attached to this one? First, let's look at the general reasons revolving-door locations become that way.

Many are in bedroom ELTSA UNG THE CORNER TABLE You know that spot: where restaurants go to die. One year, it's fusion. The next, Italian. Then Chinese. Maybe a barbecue or burger joint will come next, but you start to wonder whether it's worth going inside -will it even last a year? What turns perfectly innocent-looking spaces into restaurant-eating monsters? And what makes some restaurants able to thrive in that spot? The answer has much to do with that old saying: location, location, location.

But it's not the full story. Let's take a trip to the corner of you live in the immediate area, you don't really think about hopping up to River Vale to have dinner. So bedroom-community restaurants become much more dependent on people who live within a few miles. If neighbors don't like the food, the place is a goner. And with lower rents or mortgages than similar spots in more desirable locations, such restaurants are likely to attract novice owners with less money to spend and less experience that could help them thrive, Kapas says.

Our River Vale spot's most recent success was Romanza, which ran between 1999 and 2006 and was sold after an unsolicited offer, See CORNER TABLE Page BL-9 Bar and Grill. Then, a much more successful Italian restaurant called Romanza, which lasted seven years. Then, Daniel, which presented avocado egg rolls alongside seafood primavera. And then, Happy Days, where you could choose from fajitas, bulgogi or a Kobe burger. communities such as River Vale, says restaurant real estate expert Bill Kapas, president of the J.C.

Kapas Real Estate Co. in Rochelle Park. You might think of Westwood, Ridgewood or Englewood as big regional dining hubs, but unless MONIQUE CARBONI Laura Esterman and Keith Randolph Smith in the provocative off-Broadway comedy "Intimacy." Writer of tween novels spreads love of reading "A lot of kids really like writing and just need the extra nudge." Author Cindy Callaghan By KARA YORIO STAFF WRITER Growing up in Oakland and Franklin Lakes, tween novelist Cindy Callaghan wasn't a big reader. She read books for school assignments, and only for assignments, straight through her English degree in college. Then one day after graduating, she used some waitressing money to buy a mystery.

"I loved it and I read everything by that author," said Callaghan, who now lives in Delaware. "Then I went to the next author and then I started reading young adult and middle grade. I don't just read. book, "Just Add Magic," which was released in 2010, has recently been optioned by Amazon Studios for a live-action pilot. "These characters that have lived in my head for all of these years, now will be potentially brought to life," she said.

"That's just a thrill." In October, Callaghan's first "destination book," "Lost in London," came out. It will be followed by "Lucky Me," which takes place in Ireland and will be released in July. Recently publisher Simon and Schuster gave her a contract for two more books that take the characters to different countries. Last week, Callaghan's destination was See CALLAGHAN Page BL-7 I also listen. I always have an audio book going in my car.

I always have an e-book on my iPod when I'm walking or running. I go to the movies to consume stories. I just love it." Callaghan came late to her writing career, but has found success with middle-grade novels over the last few years. Her debut VIOREL FLORESCUSTAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Cindy Callaghan reads from her book to students in Westwood. COM ClBRRT JAMS' BIRTH DRV TODRV RT 2 7PM! Orchestra tickets from $43 TODAY ONLY! fl NIGHT WITH mm jams jolm ON BROADWAY TICKETS: HNi9htUJithjQnisJ0plin.com OR Telcch0r9c.com 21 2-239-6200 IVCUM 149 West 45th Street UO.