Skip to content

A town square for an unsquare town

redbankgreen

Standing for the vitality of Red Bank, its community, and the fun we have together.

WHAT’S FOR LUNCH? A SUB WITH A SIDE OF JOY

012716butlers6-500x249-7339564The honey maple turkey sandwich on a roll from Butlers. Below, owner Paul Stout. (Photos by Susan Ericson. Click to enlarge)

By SUSAN ERICSON

012716butlersmkt1-220x156-6451563It doesn’t matter if your mood is not so bright when you walk through the doors of Butler’s Market in Rumson. Owner Paul Stout has a warm and friendly smile to greet you and make you feel better.

Reopened last June after two-plus years of unsatisfying retirement for its proprietor, the deli’s food is in some ways as good as it used to be, and in many ways, much better.
012716butlersmkt3-500x357-8968092Frank Rodriguez at work, and a sample of his hearty chili, below. (Photos by Susan Ericson. Click to enlarge)

012716butlersmkt2-220x165-7086206The wall space in the store, located in a small strip mall on East River Road, is filled with menu boards, including a neon bright specials-of-the-day display. On a recent visit, PieHole was immediately captivated by the words “honey maple turkey.”

Less appealing: the wrap it was offered on. Why? A large wrap can contain just as many calories as a six-inch sub roll. And a fresh roll adds plenty of flavor, while a wrap tends to taste like malleable cardboard.

Behind the counter, Frank Rodriguez, who’s been cooking for 26 years in area restaurants, suggested several alternatives, including a brioche roll and a sub roll. We opted for the sub, which came loaded with Boars Head honey maple turkey, a thick layer of creamy sliced avocado, crisp bacon, lettuce and tomato slices. It was an enormous portion, and a bit of a bargain at $7.95.

Rodriguez asked if we’d tasted his chili, while offering a little cupful. Filled with tender beans and adorned with a smidge of creamy jack cheese, it had a hearty, meaty, tomato quality. It left us wondering if we should have ordered a container instead of the sandwich.

A second sample cup held soup that immediately brought to mind the colors of a forest. One big soup-spoonful of Rodriguez’s mushroom soup later, we realized that we weren’t dealing with ordinary deli food here. The soup was velvety smooth with big chunks of mushroom and thin wisps of spinach that added an extra earthy flavor kick to the brew.

PieHole’s eyes rolled, and Rodriguez smiled the smile of a man who’d just hooked a big fish. “Good, isn’t it?” he asked. Joyous is more like it..

If the chili and the soup are this tasty, what else do Stout and Rodriguez have up their culinary sleeves? We’re going to have to stop in again soon to find out.

Check out Butler’s Deli in Sifter!

susan-ericson-9177851

 

Remember: Nothing makes a Red Bank friend happier than to hear "I saw you on Red Bank Green!"
Partyline
RED BANK’S FINEST – AND NEWEST
Red Bank Police Officer Eliot Ramos was sworn in as the force’s newest patrolman Thursday, and if you’re doing a double take thinkin ...
EASTER EGG MAYHEM AT THE PARK
An errant whistle spurred an unexpectedly early start to the Spring Egg Hunt on Sunday, which had been scheduled to begin at eggsactly 11am ...
PRESEASON DOCKWORK
RED BANK: With winter winding down, marina gets ready for boating season with some dockwork on our beautiful Navesink River.
CORNED BEEF AND DISCO FRIES?
It’s Friday, and smart Lent-observing Leprechauns know the pot of gold at the end of Red Bank’s rainbow is actually the deliciou ...
SURFBOARD DITCHED
It’s a violation of etiquette in surfing to ditch your board.  (it could hit another surfer and hurt them). But someone appears to ha ...
ELSIE, TAKE ME WITH YOU!
Soaked by pouring rain with the temperature hovering in the low 40’s, this sign in the window of Elsie’s Subs on Monmouth Street ...
WALK THIS WAY
PARTYLINE: Before-and-afters of a sidewalk cleanup on West Street.
SOGGY NOTION
RED BANK: Breezeway sculpture captured the mood downtown as heavy rains fell Saturday morning.
HOME DELIVERY
RED BANK: After a subdivision, an instant house rises on a new Catherine Street lot.
COMMUNITY PROFILES
For Black History Month, Red Bank's Community Engagement and Equity Advisory Committee has been running a series of local profiles on Facebo ...
HEARTY FAREWELL FOR HARDY
RED BANK: Council to honor DPU supervisor Rich Hardy, who retired recently after almost 39 years of keeping things running.
HOMEBOUND? READ ON…
RED BANK: Can't get to the public library? It's now offering free delivery and pickups for homebound borough residents.
TAMING A BEAST OF A WEEK
RED BANK: After the second snowfall of the week, a borough family finds the perfect use for it – a Godzilla snow sculpture.
RED BANK: LIBRARY CLOSED, BUT THE HILL’S OPEN
RED BANK: Though the library was closed by a snowstorm, kids got to enjoy the riverfront property's steep slope Tuesday.
LIGHT(HOUSE) MAKEOVER
This year, getting ready for spring means a midwinter makeover for Strollo's Lighthouse in Red Bank.
TODAY: LOCAL PUPPY COMPETES ON ANIMAL PLANET’S “PUPPY BOWL”
Red Bank’s very own rescue puppy, Biscuit, is set to compete in Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl this Sunday, February 11, at 2 PM. Th ...
WHAT? NO redbankgreen NEWSLETTER?
Apologies to redbankgreen newsletter subscribers: the daily email hasn’t gone out for two days because of technical issues.
RED BANK: TIRED OF SKEETERS?
RED BANK: Tired of mosquito bites every summer? Monmouth County has a free program to help eliminate skeeter breeding grounds.
SEA BRIGHT: POLAR PLUNGE FOR ST. JAMES, OTHERS
Hundreds braved the wind and sea on Sunday at 1PM in support of St. James Elementary School, and other Catholic schools in the area. The eve ...
RED BANK: RBR CLAIMS TITLE
RED BANK: Watch pure joy as the RBR boys basketball team celebrates its first B North championship in 17 years.