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.

RUMSON: BUTLER’S IS BACK

060415butlers1-500x281-7873120The familiar pastel-colored Adirondack chairs are back at Butler’s Market in Rumson. (Photos by Susan Ericson. Click to enlarge)

By SUSAN ERICSON

060415butlers3-220x125-1081435Lifelong borough resident Paul Stout owned and operated Butler’s Deli in a strip mall on East River Road in Rumson for 15 years. Two and a half years ago, he was ready for a more leisurely life, he thought, and so he closed the business and gave retirement a try.

Locals Creative Fresh Takeout took over the space, and made a stab at the sandwich trade, but threw in the towel earlier this year.

Stout, realizing that “retirement isn’t all it’s cracked up to be,” decided to re-open Butler’s in the same space.

060415butlers4-500x276-9486525Manager Melanie Michals working the counter at Butler’s Market. (Photo by Susan Ericson. Click to enlarge)

“The opportunity arose to come back, and we’re back with extra new things,” Stout told redbankgreen last week.

For starters, the place is “more kid-friendly,” Stout said, with a menu that includes a fried chicken combo consisting of chicken nuggets, fries, pickle and side salad, or a hot dog and fries. “The kids don’t have too many places to be silly kids,” he said.

Redubbed a market as opposed to a deli, Butlers now offers staples such as boxes of pasta, milk, onions, eggs, bread and fresh fruit. But it also boasts “more salads and organic products,” Stout said. “More fresh foods.”

Which is not to say old favorites can’t be had. The “famous” McEddie is still on the menu. Named for a “an old favorite employee,” it features breaded chicken tenders, bacon, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, and mayo on a hard roll.

Then there are the new sandwiches like the Boo, named for a guy named Brian who works at the deli. What’s in the Boo? Fresh chicken cutlet, balsamic viaigrette, avocado and mozzarella on a ciabatta panini.

Also on the menu are a couple of old stand-bys: the Hey Pauly, comprising porkroll, egg, cheese and home fries on a hard roll, and the Jersey Devil, consisting of porkroll and cheese.

The worn, dated decor is gone, replaced with shiny stainless steel, a big new deli case, and platters of baked goods piled high on the counters.

Returning the store to its original space of camaraderie and good natured discussion, Stout is already seeing the neighborhood regulars returning to those Adirondack chairs out front for a chat and a cup of coffee.

“It’s great to see the old familiar faces in the morning,” Stout said. “They’re friends, not necessarily customers. Friends.”

 

Remember: Nothing makes a Red Bank friend happier than to hear "I saw you on Red Bank Green!"
Partyline
THEY’RE BACK!
Ospreys returned to the skies over Red Bank this week for the first time since they migrated to warmer climes in late fall. With temperature ...
SPRING IS SPRUNG
RED BANK: Spring 2024 arrives on the Greater Red Bank Green with the vernal equinox at 11:06 p.m. Tuesday.
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.