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? DRINKING TO OUR HEALTH

010417freshicasrb6-500x257-8534426An eye-catching peppermint-and-spinach-based Grinch Bowl topped with granola at Freshica’s. (Photo by Susan Ericson. Click to enlarge)

By SUSAN ERICSON

wfl-whats-for-lunch-181x220-2273671It’s the first week of a new year, which means PieHole is trying to stick to its annual get-fit resolutions. So we headed over to Freshica’s in the Red Bank’s West Side Lofts building on West Front Street for a convenient, quick, and healthy lunch.

Open just six months, Jessica Dalmedo’s second store is already busier at lunchtime than her original spot inside Fairwinds Deli in Fair Haven, opened more than four years ago, she tells us. She and her experienced employee, Lee Ann Caporicci, patiently explained the benefits of some of the new-to-us ingredients in their recipes.

010417freshicasrb4-500x313-3371060A cold brew smoothie is made with Fair Mountain organic coffee. Below, Freshica’s owner Jessica Dalmedo outside her juice and coffee bar on West Front Street. (Photos by Susan Ericson. Click to enlarge)

010417freshicasrb1-220x124-6459700In addition to the original smoothies, the new juice and coffee bar carries acai bowls and juices, as well as a line of pre-made paleo salads and wraps made by Dawn of Thyme located in Jackson. The wraps are made with organic coconut flour and gluten-free.

Other quick grab-and-go options available are hot soups, oatmeal, and Fair Mountain organic pour-over coffee.

There’s a gym-style, no-frills juice bar vibe setup here, with tables, chairs and bright green stools that offer seating at a wraparound counter.

“There’s a different mix of customers here,” says Caporicci, who has been working at Freshica’s for about four and a half years and is familiar with both locations. “You see more of the moms in Fair Haven. They know exactly what they want. Here, they’re less familiar with the product.”

Vacillating between a smoothie and a Tropical bowl ($9.50), a customer ahead of us in line grabbed the last of the pitaya — a hot-pink dragonfruit-based fruit bowl — that we were itching to taste.

An equally pretty Grinch bowl — made with peppermint, spinach, agave, banana, almond milk and strawberries — also caught our attention. Still, we opted for a less colorful pick-me-up, the cold brew smoothie ($9.50).

Thinner than a shake but still pleasantly creamy, it produces a profusion of slurpable flavors. It’s a tasty melange of Fair Mountain organic coffee, almond milk, banana, cinnamon, agave, and cacao powder. Is it good for us? Well it’s low in calories and high in potassium, carries a kick of caffeine, and it’s filling enough to get us through until dinnertime.

Caporicci says more customers are coming in to kick-start 2017 with a cleanse. Listed as “serious greenage for the hardcore juicer,” a full-day cleanse will set you back $52.

Also on the made-to-order juice menu is a superfood shake containing a blend of maca — a plant grown in Peru — hemp, cacao, blueberries, banana, almond or coconut milk, flax oil, and cinnamon. It seems that the road to good health is paved with exotic ingredients.

Freshica’s in Red Bank is open from 6 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and opens at 8 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.

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.