Abby Nooney prepares cones with chocolate and sprinkles at Coney Waffles & Ice Cream, which opened last week at 18 Broad Street. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
The doldrums of summer may be upon us, but not in the realm of tastebuds.
The ever-changing food scene in downtown Red Bank continues its evolutionary bustle, as this edition of redbankgreen‘s Retail Churn shows.
Kayla Barbuto in her newly opened Lady K’s Bake Shop. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
Cakes, tarts, ice-cream and other sweet treats: downtown Red Bank is adding to its dessert menu with the recent opening of a specialty bakery and plans for a new ice cream shop.
Read all about it in this edition of redbankgreen‘s Retail Churn.
A Root Beer Float from Toast City Diner. (Photo by Sherri Hall. Click to enlarge.)
By SHERRI HALL
Is it really over already? No! Say it isn’t so!
As the summer of 2016 fades into history, it is with great reluctance that PieHole‘s Cool Inside series closes out (sniff!) with a simple classic: a root beer float.
It’s the 15th entry in the series that has served up everything from a waffle bowl to an egg cream, with lots of variety in between. Each was carefully selected to deliver maximum mouthfuls of flavor and bone-cooling effect on a hot summer’s day.
But remember, dear reader: summer doesn’t actually end until September 22. So if you missed any of our stops, there’s a complete list at the bottom of this article to help you keep cool in the interim —and beyond. Because really, if you think about it, does summer actually have to end?
A New York Egg Cream from the Red Bank Diner. (Photo by Sherri Hall. Click to enlarge.)
By SHERRI HALL
This week, PieHole‘s Cool Inside summer series finds an old-school Brooklyn lunch-counter favorite still being made right here in Red Bank.
The Peanut Butter Protein Blast from the Coffee Corral. (Photo by Sherri Hall. Click to enlarge.)
By SHERRI HALL
This week, PieHole‘s Cool Inside summer series gets its recommended daily allowance of the primary food groups — caffeine, peanut butter and chocolate —all in one cold cupful at a popular Red Bank coffee stop. More →
A Juanito’s ‘Bomba,’ packed with flavor and texture. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
This week, PieHole‘s Cool Inside summer series sinks a straw into a thick, cold beverage that’s kind of a mash-up of a fruit smoothie and a chocolate milkshake.
It’s called a “Bomba,” and the guy who made it for us swears it’s a great way to start your day. Yes, for breakfast. And we found it delivers a payload of satisfying flavors and textures while cooling us to the core on a sweltering August afternoon.
Presenting the Candy Wonderland Shake. (Photos by Sherri Hall. Click to enlarge.)
SHERRI HALL
This week, PieHole‘s Cool Inside summer series spotlights what may just be the eye-poppingest drinkable treat you’ll ever lay eyes on.
A Lemon-Strawberry Ice Bubble from Chill Bubble Tea in Red Bank. (Photos by Sherri Hall. Click to enlarge.)
SHERRI HALL
This week, PieHole‘s Cool Inside summer series gets a little bubbly and fruity with a cold drink that pops in your mouth.
More →
A chocolate milkshake from Gracie and the Dudes in Red Bank. (Photo by Sherri Hall. Click to enlarge.)
SHERRI HALL
This week, PieHole‘s Cool Inside summer series features an old fatithful cold drink you can now enjoy overlooking our beautiful Navesink River from Riverside Gardens Park in Red Bank.
For those who missed the news: the snack stand in the park, which has barely been used over its two-decade existence, is now operating as a third location for Gracie and the Dudes Homemade Ice Cream. More →
The Flyin’ Hawaiian at Kitch Organic in Red Bank. (Photo by Sherri Hall. Click to enlarge.)
By SHERRI HALL
This week, PieHole‘s Cool Inside summer series features a healthy way to beat the heat with a vitamin-packed smoothie from a 100-percent gluten-free establishment. More →
A New Orleans-Style Cold Brew at Rook in Red Bank. (Photos by Sherri Hall. Click to enlarge.)
By SHERRI HALL
This week, PieHole‘s Cool Inside summer series stops into Rook in Red Bank for a cold version of a traditional hot beverage that will cool your innards and wake you up at the same time.
What’s it called?
New Orleans Style Cold Brew
A warmed-over cookie is the centerpiece of this treat from Ralph’s. (Photos by Sherri Hall. Click to enlarge.)
By SHERRI HALL
Warm meets cold in this week’s installment of PieHole‘s Cool Inside summer series in the form of a sweet treat from a walk-up window in Lincroft.
Hoffman’s popular “cookie monster” blue ice cream as used in shake, at left, and a banana split. (Photos by Trish Russoniello and Sherri Hall. Click to enlarge.)
By SHERRI HALL
Next up in PieHole‘s summer-long Cool Inside quest for cooling summer treats on the Greater Red Bank Green is one named after a childhood icon.
Cannoli chips and frozen cannoli cream from La Rosa’s in Shrewsbury. (Photos by Trish Russoniello, above, and Sherri Hall, below. Click to enlarge.)
By SHERRI HALL
The latest stop on PieHole‘s Cool Inside quest for cooling summer treats on the Greater Red Bank Green is La Rosa’s Pastry Shop.
The Shrewsbury desserts emporium is widely known for its cannolis, as well as for its cakes and cookies baked on premises. On this visit, we uncovered the shop’s newest cool cannoli confection.
The Lighthouse “iceshake.” (Photos by Sherri Hall. Click to enlarge.)
By SHERRI HALL
In search of the Greater Red Bank Green’s best cold and frozen treats to help you beat the heat this summer of ’16, PieHole‘s Cool Inside series returns for a third installment with a with a stop for a chilly treat you can sip through a straw.
The cone in question, from Ryan’s Homemade. (Photos by Sherri Hall. Click to enlarge.)
By SHERRI HALL
In search of the Greater Red Bank Green’s best cold and frozen treats to help you beat the heat, PieHole‘s Cool Inside series returns for a second installment this not-yet-official summer of ’16 with a visit to a place that makes every one of its 48 flavors of ice cream.
A homemade waffle bowl from Crazee’s in Rumson. (Photos by Sherri Hall. Click to enlarge.)
By SHERRI HALL
With this weekend’s unofficial kickoff of the summer of ’16, a redbankgreen fave from a summer not-so-long-ago is also back: the Cool Inside series.
As we did in the scorching summer of ’10, each week we’ll showcase a signature cold or frozen dessert from a local treatery — something guaranteed to excite the taste buds while cooling down the body’s core.
To start things off, we stopped in at Crazee’s in Rumson.
The rustic farmhouse chic dining room of Via45 in Red Bank, above, and an enormous serving of eggplant parmigiana, below. (Photo by Susan Ericson. Click to enlarge)
By SUSAN ERICSON
On the consistently changing face of Broad Street in Red Bank, Via45 stands out as a bastion of culinary authenticity, staying true to its Tuscan-style roots.
Owners Claudette Herring and Lauren Phillips are the unified driving force in the kitchen of this BYO restaurant, dishing up rustic but refined menu options.
Faith King with her dessert a the Madison Avenue block party last Saturday. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
It’s a big block party weekend here on the Green, with close-knit streetfests going on in several locations in Red Bank (Elm Place, South Street) and Fair Haven (Poplar Avenue). Each offers a chance for home cooks to show their neighborliness in the universal currency of food.
Last Saturday, at a rain-soaked block party for residents of Madison Avenue in Red Bank, Faith King reminded attendees that the desire to share isn’t solely an adult impulse.
Just two months after announcing plans to open a store in Red Bank, celebrity baker Buddy Valastro, also known as the Cake Boss, is expected to debut his newest Carlo’s Bakery Monday at 4 p.m. As a worker scraped off window covering late Sunday afternoon, right, redbankgreen snuck a peek inside. The store is at 84 Broad Street, former home of Ricky’s Candy. (Click to enlarge)
Erica Lieberman is jumping into the baked desserts fray with Whipped, A Café and Dessert Bar on Monmouth Street. (Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
Into the ever-changing mix of Red Bank eateries comes a new entry that aims to compete on several fronts, including cupcakes and coffee.
Dubbed Whipped, A Café and Dessert Bar, the business opening at 6 Monmouth Street also incorporates some offerings of the last tenant there. Chef Marc Fontaine, who briefly offered crepes under the banner of La Patisweet, will be working a section of the space now leased to Whipped owner and first-time retailer Erica Lieberman.
Melanie Pomerico creates custom-designed cake pops for many occasions, such as weddings (above), holidays, themed birthday parties, and more. (Photo provided by Lil’ Cutie Pops. Click to enlarge)
By DANIELLE TEPPER
Melanie Pomerico of Tinton Falls grew up spending a lot of her time in Red Banks shops and restaurants, but didnt expect shed one day become part of the downtowns booming business community.
After graduating from Philadelphias University of the Arts in 2003 with a B.A. in photography, she turned her creativity toward baked goods. Thus Lil’ Cutie Pops, a collection of custom-made cake pops, was born in 2010, as a sideline to Pomerico’s work in the photo industry.
Little more than two years later though, she’s preparing to open a retail store, at 16 Monmouth Street, and jump into the brisk competition for local dessert dollars.