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.
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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A makeover into a seafood restaurant with a roof deck is proposed for the site of Caliente Cantina, a short-lived restaurant at 26 West Front Street. (Photo by Trish Russoniello. Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
Yet another Red Bank restaurant and bar is hoping to join the rooftop dining trend, and this one has a widescreen view of the Navesink River.
The plan to convert 26 West Front Street to a seafood restaurant follows the recent closing at that address of Caliente Cantina, itself a successor to the short-lived 10th Ave. Burrito.
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The single-story Wharf Avenue bar has been replaced by a rustic-contemporary structure offering stellar views of downtown Red Bank and the Navesink River from its multiple open-air decks.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?
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.
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.
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.
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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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.
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.
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…
Jamian’s plans an open-air bar out back, replacing a garage on Gold Street, below. (Click to enlarge)
By COLBY WILSON
Another open-air bar is set to join the Dublin House‘s Temple Bar and the yet-to-be-built rooftop bar atop Teak on Red Bank’s Monmouth Street.
Jamians Food and Drink won borough planning board approval Monday night for a plan to to expand its restaurant and bar operations by adding back-door dining patio with eight tables and an 11-seat bar.
From oceanfront Sea Bright to suburban Rumson to the bustling hub of downtown Red Bank, everyone seemed to be feeling Irish Sunday Saint Patrick’s Day.
Guinness, Bailey’s and Jameson lined bar tops. Murphy’s Tavern in Rumson served fresh Irish soda bread as munchies. Medicated Pete McHeffey, dressed in full leprechaun regalia, kept the tentful of revelers at the Dublin House in Red Bank laughing. And one old soul at Woody’s Ocean Grille in Sea Bright claimed that though he wasn’t from Ireland, he’d lived his entire life as though he were.
It was a great day to be Irish or to live for a few hours as though you were.
(Photos by Wil Fulton. Click the embiggen symbol to enlarge.)
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)
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.
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.
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.
A hot summer night, dazzling smiles, an irresistible rhythm, a bit of flesh revealed…
Saturday nights have been hopping in downtown Red Bank of late, so redbankgreen dispatched photographer Peter Lindner to the streets and bars last Saturday to capture the post-sundown vibe.
He filed this set of 102 shots, from the couple enjoying a quiet dinner to the guys and gals on the prowl to to the folks who make it all happen in an orderly, law-abiding sort of way. Enjoy!
To enlarge the photo display, start it, then click the embiggen symbol in the lower right corner. To get back to redbankgreen, hit your escape key.
