RED BANK: BRANNIGAN’S OUT, RED ROCK IN
Eighteen months after he bought it, Paul Marcotte completed his transformation of longtime Red Bank dive bar Brannigan’s into Red Rock Tap + Grill with a low-key opening Friday night.
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RED BANK: BRANNIGAN’S, TEAK REACH FOR SKY
The better question might be “What’s going UP here?,” as two Red Bank restaurants are busy adding second floors with outdoor decks.
Teak, above, on Monmouth Street, remains open through its expansion, and hopes to debut its new space by September, says co-owner George Lyristis. Read more about Teak’s plan here.
RED BANK: BRANNIGAN’S MAKEOVER APPROVED
Branningan’s plans to add a two-tiered deck, complete with an open-air tower at the north end, and an outdoor bar, seen at above left. Below, the property as it appeared in July. (Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
Wait: the drawing above shows Brannigan’s Bar & Grill?
Believe it, barhoppers. A beloved Red Bank dive is about to get a makeover that will enable imbibers and — yes — diners to take advantage of great park and river views, thanks to unanimous planning board approval Monday night.
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RED BANK: NEW OWNER AT BRANNIGAN’S
Paul Marcotte hopes to retain Brannigan’s charming dive character while making small improvements. (Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
Paul Marcotte is thinking about hitting the ladies’ room.
Well, both restrooms, actually. But the one that matters most to the new owner of Brannigan’s Bar & Grill in Red Bank is the one that, to put it delicately, the ladies don’t find all that welcoming. Hence, they tend to stay out of the bar, too.
So fixing the facilities is a top priority as Marcotte figures out just how much tweaking the Wharf Avenue watering hole needs and can stand without losing its dive charm.
RED BANK: RED ROCK, SECRET STASH WIN OKS
Red Rock Tap + Grill will be permitted to enclose some of its rooftop seasonally and make other site changes. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
Red Rock Tap + Grill can convert some of its rooftop space to year-round dining under a decision by Red Bank’s planning board Monday night.
Also, Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash can keep its splashy, ordinance-breaking window treatment, the board ruled.
RED BANK: COCKTAILS AT RED ROCK
The crowd at a recent happy hour at Red Rock Tap + Grill. (Photo by Susan Ericson. Click to enlarge)
By SUSAN ERICSON
Picnic tables, high tops, bar stools: on warm, clear summer evenings, the seats fill up fast at Red Rock Tap + Grill in Red Bank, offering bird’s eye views of Marine Park from multiple tiers. PieHole finds a subdued after-work crowd at happy hour, which runs from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m.
“Happy hour is like this when it’s nice out,” bartender Jennifer Gambino tells us as she muddles lime for a Moscow Mule, the hour’s most popular cocktail, served in a proper copper mug.
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ON THE GREEN: WHERE TO WELCOME 2017
The champagne corks are poppin’ as Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes continue a Count Basie New Year’s Eve tradition this Saturday night.
Here at the tail end of a year that many people are all too anxious to put in the rear view mirror, there’s still sufficient cause to keep the party percolating right up to the last ball-drop. And in the bars, restaurants and performance spaces of the Greater Red Bank Green, revelers have a choice of options that range from an intimate table at a favorite bistro to a big event that’s become the toast of all New Year’s Eve Extravaganzas in the state of New Jersey.
Here’s a sampling from Red Bank, Fair Haven, Rumson and Sea Bright nightspots.
RED BANK: JAMIAN’S, LADY K PLANS OK’D
The facade of Jamian’s Food and Drink on Monmouth Street would nearly double in length with the addition of two storefronts to the right of the existing one, seen below. (Rendering by SOME Architects. Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
A popular Red Bank bar/restaurant and a yet-to-open bakery won approval for expansion plans from the borough planning board Monday night.
• Jamian’s Food and Drink on Monmouth Street plans to expand by taking over the next-door spots formerly rented by Art’s Barber Shop, which closed this summer after nearly 50 years in business, and a space leased by a cellphone vendor.
WHAT’S FOR LUNCH? RED ROCK STANDS OUT
Ahi tuna salad served in a stainless steel pan at Red Rock Tap + Grill. (Photo by Susan Ericson. Click to enlarge)
By SUSAN ERICSON
Step into the new Red Rock Tap + Grill in Red Bank and the effect is instant: this isn’t the Brannigan’s we all knew and, ahem, shared a fondness for.
The single-story Wharf Avenue bar has been replaced by a rustic-contemporary structure offering stellar views of downtown Red Bank and the Navesink River from its multiple open-air decks. But PieHole was equally blown away by the menu. Could the food possibly be as tasty as the architectural eyecandy here?
RED BANK: SUBS, BURRITOS, PIZZA & MORE
Jimmy John’s has opened in the long-vacant former Wayne’s Market space on West Front Street. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
A few quick bites of Red Bank restaurant news for this edition of Retail Churn:
• A sub shop, co-owned by a member of Gaslight Anthem, has opened.
• Two restaurants in town have changed their names.
• Actually, three, if you count the former Brannigan’s. In case you missed it, the Wharf Avenue mainstay has a new moniker to go with a dramatically new look.
RED BANK: BAR PLANS DECK; CHAINS COMING
Branningan’s has filed plans to add a two-tiered deck to the parking lot side of its Wharf Avenue building. (Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
Yes, it’s already time for another edition of redbankgreen‘s Retail Churn. And once again, there’s news about Red Bank food and drink.
Right around the “read more” corner are details about big changes planned at Brannigan’s Bar & Grill, plus word of two national food chains hoping to get in on the head-spinning restaurantization of Red Bank: Jimmy John’s Deli and Chipotle Mexican Grill.
RED BANK: BRINGING THE FOOT TRAFFIC
The race is on once more as the 22nd annual Sheehan Classic returns to the streets of Red Bank Saturday morning. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
Red Bank has always thrived on foot traffic, and never more so than during the Sheehan Classic race and expo, the 22nd annual edition of which returns this weekend.
Named for the late physician, author and “Philosopher King” of runners everywhere, George Sheehan, the event has come to be known as one of the region’s major road running races, attracting the participation of hundreds of competitive runners from Australia to Zimbabwe and committed enthusiasts alike.
RED BANK: A ST. PAT’S CRAWL FOR HOME
Event organizer and producer Marvin Hyer Jr. of Man Cave Events — the company that’s brought a charity-fundraising Valentines Day Crawl to the watering spots of Red Bank for the past two years — has announced the introduction of a St. Patrick’s Day themed bar crawl to Red Bank.
Scheduled to take place between the hours of 1 to 10 pm on March 14, the “LepreCrawl” will benefit the Shrewsbury-based housing assistance nonprofit HABcore Inc., as well as Hearts & Hands Disaster Recovery, an organization (founded by a group of Red Bank Catholic grads) established to provide assistance to homeowners who were profoundly affected by Hurricane Sandy or other disasters.
RED BANK: A WALK ON THE WINE SIDE
Nearly 30 Red Bank restaurants, shops and eateries — including the Front St. Trattoria, above— will participate in a new summer schedule of Food and Wine Walk events, set to launch this Sunday afternoon. (Photo by Susan Ericson. Click to enlarge)
Between the weekend barbecues, the riverside food fests and the many open-air opportunities for grabbing a bite, it can be a bit difficult to digest all the options available to the free-ranging foodie here in the good old summertime.
If Red Bank Rivercenter and Red Bank Flavour have their way, however, we’ll all just be expected to Walk It Off — and to let our legs and wheels carry us about the borough’s sidewalks and storefronts, for the first in a new monthly round of Food and Wine Walk events.
A self-guided tasting tour that takes in more than two dozen restaurants, specialty shops, taverns and eateries, the inaugural walk runs from 2 to 6 pm this Sunday, with a strolling smorgasbord of wares and fare, from fine wines and eclectic desserts to tapas, sushi and more.
RED BANK: SHEEHAN CLASSIC RACE TURNS 21
Runners leave the starting line at the 2013 Sheehan Classic event in Red Bank. The 21st annual race weekend expo returns to town on Friday and Saturday, June 13 and 14.
More than 2,500 runners are expected to participate in what is known as one of the Jersey Shore’s most renowned road races, when the Sheehan Classic returns to Red Bank on Saturday, June 14, with its popular 5K (3.1 mile) distance as its main event.
Set for 8:30 am, this year’s edition will be the 21st running of the event that began in 1981 as the Asbury Park 10K Classic, and quickly became one of the major road running events on the national calendar. The race moved to Red Bank in 1994, and was renamed to honor the memory of physician, author and philosopher Dr. George Sheehan who was widely regarded as the “father of the running boom” in the United States. Last year, the Sheehan family released a new book on the life’s work of “The Doc,” to commemorate the 20th anniversary of his passing.
Over $2,500 in prize money will be distributed in the 5 kilometer run to the top five overall finishers, top New Jersey finishers and age-category winners, during the event that was named one of the Top 100 Road Races by Runner’s World magazine, and the Best Memorial Race in New Jersey by the New York Times. In addition, donations from the weekend expo will be collected for a number of locally based nonprofits, including Lunch Break and the Parker Family Health Center. Additional groups receiving contributions from the event are local high school track teams, various town EMS services and other organizations.
WHERE HAVE I SEEN THIS?
Do you know Where this week’s photo was shot? Take a guess! Please send your answer to wherehaveiseenthis@redbankgreen.com.
The answer to last week’s Where…
CROWDSOURCED BAR BURGERS
PieHole recaps some of the better bar burger suggestions from our readers. (Photo by Jim Willis. Click to enlarge)
By JIM WILLIS
Last week’s What’s For Lunch featured the mighty Globe Burger. Our proposition that it may be the best burger in Red Bank naturally sparked some suggestions from PieHole readers about other great burgers on the Green.
ST. PADDY’S: CHECKING IN ON THE EARLY SHIFT
RED BANK: BOUNCING FROM BAR TO BAR
Some of the 800-plus participants in Saturday’s fourth annual Boozin’ for Boobs bar crawl head out to other Red Bank watering holes after assembling at Brannigan’s on Wharf Avenue Saturday.
The event generated $20,000 from registrations alone, with revenue from other sources still being tallied, said organizer Jill Kinslow of Red Bank. Funds raised go to breast cancer research and prevention by the American Cancer Society and Susan G. Komen for the Cure. (Click to enlarge)
WALK, RUN, BOOZE AND CRUISE FOR A CAUSE
Dave McKenny of Shrewsbury in the wooden cab of his 1910 Ford Model T a fabulous flivver scheduled to roll into the Middletown Lions Club Auto Show and Motorcycle Meet this Saturday.
As any year-round resident of the greater Green can tell you, the weeks after the end of summer are merely the starting gun for the real season of outdoor events; a prime-time panorama of runs, walks, bike tours, golf outings, race meets and other recreational activities most if not all of them dedicated to a Done Good cause.
Even with the first bracing breezes off the local waterways, there’s still plenty going on under the skies of October country this weekend and it begins tonight, with a simple stroll about town designed “to promote community wellness and safety.” A followup to a recent Talk About Red Bank public forum organized in the wake of an August 8 altercation that left borough resident Larry Yarbrough dead of multiple stab wounds the Community Unity Walk commences with a 6pm “meet and greet” inside Calvary Baptist Church at Bridge Avenue and River Street, after which representatives of co-sponsors Pilgrim Baptist Church, Count the Children Movement, Greater Red Bank NAACP, Iglesia La Mano De Dios, Nation of Islam of the Shore Area, Calvary Baptist Church and the PBC Men-of-Valor Street Walkers invite church and civic groups or individual citizens to join them on the streets of Red Bank. Additional info on tonight’s tour of positive reinforcement can be had by calling Pastor Terrence K. Porter at (732) 747-2348.
There’s more beneath October’s do-good moon, from a Fall Festival in Rumson and a charity Softball Tournament in Little Silver, to a songwriting contest in Fair Haven, a fundraiser Car Show in Middletown, and a slightly guignol-ish Blood Drive where the Banks run Red.
FIVE BUSTED WITH FAKE I.D.s AT BAR
Brannigan’s in June. (Photo by Dustin Racioppi; click to enlarge)
By DUSTIN RACIOPPI
A handful of 20-year-olds were arrested for trying to get into a Red Bank bar illegally last week, police said.
With the cooperation of staff at Brannigan’s, police arrested five people three from Middletown with fake driver’s licenses who were trying to get into the Wharf Avenue bar, Captain Darren McConnell said.
‘COUSIN EDDIES’ DO A CHARITY CRAWL
A cadre of ‘Cousin Eddies’ made their way around Red Bank Saturday night in a successful bid to get loopy and raise some money. (Photos courtesy of Robert Kern. Click to enlarge)
Eighteen area men took to Red Bank’s bars and restaurants dressed in bathrobes and trapper hats Saturday night.
In a twist on Santacon, a somewhat raunchy gathering of faux Santa Clauses held annually in New York and elsewhere, the men did a pub crawl dressed as their favorite movie character: “Cousin Eddie,” from “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.”
Led by Chris Kenny of Shrewsbury and Dave Carr of Rumson, the mostly thirty-something robesmen hit more than a dozen watering holes on both sides of town, eating, indulging in cold beverages and shaking a pail all along the way to raise money for the Monmouth Day Care Center.
CRAWLIN’ FOR A CAUSE
More than 200 people registered for Saturday’s breast cancer research fundraiser in Red Bank Saturday. (Photo by Dustin Racioppi; click to enlarge)
By DUSTIN RACIOPPI
As Susan Kinslow, a lifelong Red Banker, was battling a second bout with breast cancer last year, her daughter, Jill was turning 21.
Somehow it seemed appropriate to Jill Kinslow to marry the to events and create something positive they could share.
Thus, the Boozin’ For Boobs bar crawl was born. It returned Saturday to Brannigan’s with more than 200 locals in pink t-shirts who toured Red Bank’s bar circuit, imbibing for cancer research.
WINGS CLIPPED, BUT BACK AT THE WHEEL
Reconstituted as The Driving Service, the company’s founders (seen outside Brannigan’s in Red Bank in this 2007 photo) are Vince Falcetano, Norm Dannen, Zach McCue and Colin Keany.
Readers of redbankgreen may recall our feature article of a year ago on four enterprising college students who started a summertime car service for the inebriated called the Wingmen.
Well, soon after that, the foursome childhood friends from Rumson starting getting pestered by a company in Texas with a similar name that claimed the guys were infringing its turf.
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