New Jersey has changed a lot over the years, but one thing about it is true. New Jerseyans, especially in nearby Bergen and Atlantic counties, love their fats. Lardy, flaky meat pies in Jersey City; plump, overstuffed cannoli in Hoboken; papas rellenas in Union City: All are catnip to Garden State gourmands, whose Sansabelt slacks and loose-fitting oxfords are built to accommodate a lifetime of hard eating. As a result, they have nothing but scorn for today's trans-fat regulations, which prohibits any food item (including baked goods) to have more than half a gram of trans fat per serving. (The city explains its draconian guidelines here.) Sal Picinich at Carlo's Bakery in Hoboken told the Post that “anyone who needs their trans-fats fix should know we're only a short drive or PATH ride away.” We know, Sal. But it’s still not worth it.

NJ Bakers' Fat Chance [NYP]

The city, having triumphed first over Crisco, and now having forced the very Burger King himself to kneel before the law of calorie posting, has muscled even further into New York's kitchens. In the second and final phase of the trans-fat ban, New York restaurants are required to rid themselves of any product made with trans fats, including baked goods, taco shells, cake mix, pizza dough, French fries, and many other delicious treats. In an effort to convince restaurant owners that there will be life after trans fats, the city even touts a brainwashed-sounding statement from Saul Haye, the owner of the Christie’s Meat Patties in Brooklyn: "I made the transition seven months ago. Cooking my patties and baked goods with replacement shortenings hasn’t hurt the products or my business, and it’s healthier for my customers." Sell it to the tourists, Saul! We’re still going through coco-bread withdrawal.

New York City Restaurants to be Trans-Fat Free by Next Month [NYC.GOV]

It’s good to see Café Martinique, the restaurant at the midtown Radisson, so eagerly embracing the trans-fat ban even before it officially begins on March 1. And should you want to walk in and toast to your health, there’s domestic swill with which to do it! Thank heavens it’s Coors Light. — Daniel Maurer

The Board of Health's unanimous decision to ban trans fats from New York — on the anniversary of Prohibition repeal, no less — has, predictably, inspired a major and ongoing backlash.

Libertarian organization Consumer Freedom responded with full-page ads in USA Today and the Post, warning that pizza, coffee, and corned-beef sandwiches might be next. [Center for Consumer Freedom]

Even the Times has gotten in on the "we miss trans fats already" action, reporting on how hard it is to cook without them. "I can tell you in advance, the Crisco will make a flakier crust." [NYT]

Krispy Kreme, the entity that serves trans fat in circular form, probably can't get with the program in time. [Winston-Salem Journal]

But Denny's can. [Business Wire]

Finally, restaurants wonder how the law will be enforced. [Dominican Today]

Well, now they've done it: The City's Board of Health has unanimously agreed to ban trans fats from New York City restaurants. Starting July 1, 2007, eateries won't be able to fry with the stuff. They will, however, have another year to make all their foods 100 percent trans-fat free. That means there's precious little time to enjoy delicious trans-fat-fried doughnuts and steak fries, and only a year more before we have to give up flaky empanadas and other goodies with the trans fat built right in. (The board also passed the less-publicized rule requiring chain restaurants to print their calorie information directly on the menus, assuring that New Yorkers will at least feel a pang of regret when they order a Burger King "Triple Stacker.")

Trans Fat Ban Unanimously Approved [Crain's New York Business]

Earlier: Trans-Fat Haters Winning Hearts and Minds

Biscuit Battles ChipShop: Are White Castles Better Fried or Smoked?

Trans-Fat Ban: The Restaurants at Risk

At the conclusion of the first and second stages of the battle between Josh Cohen of Park Slope barbecue joint Biscuit and ChipShop's fry guy Chris Sell, the latter had moved ahead: Both chefs disgusted judges Ben Schmerler and Gabrielle Langholtz more or less equally when they alternately smoked and fried sushi ("Sushi is owed an explanation and apology by both of these methods," said Judge Gabrielle), and ChipShop figuratively battered Biscuit in the cod challenge. The question going into the final two rounds: Which method of cookery would prevail on rice pudding and (brace yourselves, cravers) White Castle sliders?

Yesterday, when we left the battle between new Park Slope barbecue joint Biscuit and batter-happy neighbor ChipShop to determine whether our off-the-menu requests tasted better smoked or fried, the competition was neck and neck: ChipShop's owner Chris Sell impressed judge Gabrielle Langholtz of Edible Brooklyn with his fried PB&J — "My brain stem is like, 'Gorge on the fat while you can'" — but Biscuit's owner Josh Cohen bounced back when onetime Iron Chef judge Ben Schmerler lauded his smoked ribs as "savory and primal." Who, then, will take the next two rounds?

Next time you decide that peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich could use something extra, know this: Not only will Park Slope's ChipShop deep-fry anything so long you make the request in advance (and suggest something that won't compromise the oil) — it's how fried macaroni and cheese wound up on the menu — but Fifth Avenue's new barbecue joint Biscuit recently announced that they'll "smoke anything!" (They charge $2 per pound and also require advance notice.) To help you decide whether that PB&J should be fried or smoked, we had ChipShop owner Chris Sell and Biscuit owner Josh Cohen prepare the sandwich both ways and invited a couple of local food obsessives — Gabrielle Langholtz, chief editor of Edible Brooklyn, and Ben Schmerler, formerly a senior editor of the Zagat Survey and a onetime judge on Iron Chef — to evaluate the results. And since this was clearly an exercise in excess, we didn't just leave it at peanut butter and jelly. Today, we present the first two rounds of this epic battle, with the remaining challenges (including White Castles, sushi, and rice pudding) to come tomorrow and Wednesday.

In the fight against trans fats, bad publicity might just do for New York what a protracted legal battle could not. The city's move to ban the deadly oils, which was rolling forward like a hungry man heading toward a bodega for chiccarones, seems to have been stopped in its tracks, or at least slowed, according this Crain's story referenced in yesterday's Morning Line. Part of the reason might be the prospect of a long and costly war with Ronald's army, which we outlined earlier. But even without being regulated, companies are tripping over each other to abandon the good stuff. KFC took the hint weeks ago. Taco Bell just saw the light, and earlier this week, the Girl Scouts got on board the zero-trans-fats train. At this rate, they might not have to pass the law at all. Except for McDonald's, of course.

We hope the city's coffers are full, because this time they may have picked a fight with the wrong enemy. McDonald's, never a fan of regulation in any form, has hired a high-powered attorney, former deputy mayor Randy Mastro, to block the NYC Health Department from banning delicious trans fats, and the fast-food industry will no doubt be watching closely. The crux of the matter seems to be the question of whether government officials (i.e., city health commissioner Dr. Thomas Frieden) can decide such matters by fiat or whether such a ban requires the assent of the legislature. No need to ask us which side we're on; we're still mourning the loss of beef tallow from McDonald's cooking oil in 1990.

McDonald's Readies for NYC Trans Fat Fight [Crain's New York Business]