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.

IT’S OFFICIAL: CHAR TAKES ASHES SPACE

ashes-072011Vacant for the past year, the corner building on Broad Street has a new tenant. (Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

The three-story space formerly home to Ashes Cigar Bar in Red Bank is about to get some of its sizzle back.

After a year of vacancy, the building at the corner of Broad and Mechanic streets has a new tenant, Char Steakhouse. An ill-kept but unconfirmed secret in town for weeks, the acknowledgement came Monday, when signs appeared in the windows of the vacant space to alert passersby.

Building owner Jack Anderson of Jack’s Music Shoppe across Broad Street also confirmed the deal, and said he is in the process of obtaining borough government approval to sell Char the liquor license he bought from the now defunct Little Kraut restaurant on Bridge Avenue.

char3Char’s restaurant in Raritan, New Jersey. (Photo by Leo Ward. Click to enlarge)

Anderson said he didn’t know Char’s timetable for opening, and principals of the company, which has a restaurant in Raritan Township, Somerset County, could not be reached for comment.

“All I know is that I’ve eaten at their other restaurant, and that this will be the top steakhouse on the Shore,” Anderson told redbankgreen.

The filling of the space has been much anticipated by local merchants, who regarded the vacancy as both a lost opportunity to boost foot traffic downtown and a honking sign of failure.

“It’s awesome,” said Roberto Nogueira, owner of Prima’s Home Café furniture store, also opposite Ashes on Broad. Nogueira said he had watched in dismay as customers who might have been eating at Ashes or its replacement have instead flocked to the northern end of Broad, to the new Blue Water Seafood restaurant.

Char’s owners, we’re told, were reluctant to announce the deal on redbankgreen out of fear that commenters would associate them with the owners of Ashes, who were repeatedly in trouble for fire code violations and ultimately failed when the state Alcohol and Beverage Control Commission moved to penalize them for liquor license violations. Yet, the window signs announcing the new tenant, rather than ignoring the former one, say “Up from the Ashes rises Char.”

Remember: Nothing makes a Red Bank friend happier than to hear "I saw you on Red Bank Green!"
redbankgreen Classics
Partyline
WINTERIZING WALK
With rowing season now over, Navesink River Rowing member Trish Russoniello and her husband, John Ward, carried her 25-foot rowing shell to ...
COUNT GETS MURAL TREATMENT
A new mural honoring Count Basie facing the Borough Hall parking lot on Monmouth Street. (photo by Partyline contributor Boris Kofman)   ...
TRUMP FAN VICTORY STROLL
A Donald Trump supporter went for a stroll down Broad Street Wednesday morning in a celebration of his win over Vice President Kamala Harris ...
ON ELECTION DAY, REAL FOG TOO
Commuters wait for their train to emerge from the fog in Red Bank on Election Day 2024.
SUNDAY AT LUCIDA
Artist talk at Galerie Lucida with owner and curator Michael Mazzeo and the photographer and co-curator Gerald Slota. Sunday afternoon, Nove ...
REMODEL HALLOWEEN
  Despite undertaking an amazing renovation, the Red Bank family that lives at this home at South Street and Pinkney would not miss out ...
Spooky Celebrations on South Street
Happy Halloween – South Street Style. –Original before GPT– Happy Halloween-South Street Style.
MARIGOLDS FOR DAY OF THE DEAD
Marigolds were the most popular item at Floreria La Orquidea at 192 Shrewsbury Avenue over the past few days as folks bought up the flowers ...
TRICK OR TREAT DJ
A DJ rocks Deforrest Avenue from the front porch of Edgar and Carly Deronde as trick or treaters flock to the street on Halloween night. (ph ...
HALLOWEEN HAIRCUT
Rigo's barber shop on Shrewsbury Avenue always goes all out. Luis Lego gets a Halloween haircut.
T-REX ON RIVER STREET
Looks like a T-Rex is amuck on River Street (photo by Partyline contributor Chris Havens)  
Mysterious Creatures Parade Around Red Bank Charter School
Lots of strange creatures, like this green dragon, emerged from the Red Bank Charter School this morning and paraded around town! (photo by ...
HALLOWEEN SUNRISE
Halloween sunrise over the Navesink River.
SALON CELEBRATES TEN YEARS
Red Bank's L Studio salon throws a bash for its tenth anniversary.
ICE BOAT JACK O’ LANTERN
The ice boat emblazoned Red Bank borough seal in jack o’lantern form, at the jack o’ lantern drop at Riverside Gardens Park Thur ...
NEW MURAL TAKES SHAPE
The leaves aren’t the only thing getting a splash of color this Fall. On Shrewsbury Avenue, a vibrant mural is in process, adorning bo ...
Spectacular Autumn Sunset at Warwick Gardens
Autumn Sunset in Red Bank – Warwick Gardens on Pinckney Avenue. (photo by Partyline contributor Adam Kaplan)
EYES ON YOU
Huge eyeballs in a front yard in Red Bank. (photo by Partyline contributor Jeff Frieri)
VIDEO: RED BANK HALLOWEEN PARADE
 
MURALIST BRIGHTENS TACO SHOP
  Jim Fitzmaurice paints a new mural on the side of International Mexican Grocery  (which is not a grocery but an eatery very popular ...