BY BRIAN DONOHUE
The liquor license from the beloved Danny’s Steakhouse is finally being put to use with the opening of the Lobby Bar inside the landmark Anderson Building.
In a room just off the bar, an acclaimed sushi chef will do his thing.
And a new acai/smoothie place and a permanent jewelry shop have opened their doors in recent days.
Read all about them in this brisk early fall edition of redbankgreen‘s Retail Churn.
The Margarita was solid, the sound system was great and we even liked the selection of 70’s R&B being spun on the turntables.
It was the opening of The Lobby Bar inside the Anderson Building at 200 Monmouth Street Friday night.
The Lobby Bar marks the final piece of the puzzle in the remake of the ground floor space of the century-old former warehouse.
“By day it runs a fresh juice and made-to-order smoothie counter with a record playing start to finish. By evening it becomes a cocktail and aperitivo bar with inspired bar snacks, cocktails, and low or no ABV drinks,’ reads a press release from Culture Collective Hospitality Group.
Culture Collective, headed by Chris Viola, took over the space a year ago and remade it as a food hall, Anderson Market, after the grocer Sickles closed down.
The Lobby Bar is joined in an adjoining room by Studio Omekase, a new 14-seat ‘intimate chef’s counter’ slated to open Wednesday to Sunday.
The press release says Chef Steven Wong will serve a 12-course tasting menu built around the day’s fish, with a set number of seatings per night.
“The menu changes with what comes in. Wong, most recently head sushi chef at Moko Omakase in New York, has worked behind sushi counters in New York and Miami for more than forty years, and has cooked at Zuma Omakase and Sushi Noz in New York, Mila in Miami Beach, Sushi of Gari, Nobu, and MEGU, and owned Nouveau Sushi in Montclair.
Seats are $108 per person, reserved and paid in advance. Public reservations open September 24.
“I’m excited to open the first omakase in Red Bank,” said Wong. “I love blending traditional sushi with my own point of view, so every guest at the counter gets something unique.
The Lobby is holding a grand opening Saturday from 10 am to 11 pm.
Speaking of Anderson Market, the offerings in the food hall continue to evolve, with Namkeen Hot Chicken leaving and Little Andy’s burgers preparing to take its place according to a report at app.com.
Moving east on Monmouth Street, there’s more a-churning going on.
Reves Smooth & Acaí Cafe held its official grand opening last weekend and was bustling when we stopped in on Monday afternoon.
The spot at 42 Monmouth Street (next to Crazy Story Books) marks the second location for the business run by husband-and-wife team Sebastian Balk (pictured above) and Cynthia Noack.
Reves offers soft-serve acai with no refined sugars, smoothies, pitaya bowls along with smoothies and coffee.
And practically just across the street, Linked By Mint, a permanent jewelry and charm bar shop with a location in Long Branch has opened up at 29 Monmouth Street.
Continuing a growing trend among retailers, they’re planning a schedule of events like an already sold out “Charmed Night Out” workshop next month.
Continuing our trip east through Churnville, we noticed a coming soon sign at 143 Broad Street where Bonitas Glow Up appears to be gettting ready to open up.
It’s yet another addition to a growing number of spas, salons and other wellness-oriented businesses opening on the southern end of the downtown business district. 
