RED BANK: SEAFOOD, YARN & ART IN CHURN

Mario Segundo has opened Mariscos Marlin, a Mexican seafood restaurant, in the Galleria of Red Bank. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

The owner of a new Red Bank restaurant quit his job in auto repair to open his first business in the space vacated by friends earlier this year.

Also in this summer-doldrums edition of redbankgreen‘s Retail Churn: a Norwegian knitting store and a health spa plan openings, and a group of artists hope to hang onto their space.

July 30, 2021 - 7:00 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: FARMER DEFENDS PRODUCE TOSS

Kurt Poehler at the Red Bank Farmer’s Market in May, 2020. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank nj The farmer who trigged a backlash over disposed produce at the Red Bank Farmer’s Market Sunday defended the practice as a normal result of sorting Wednesday.

In addition, an organization that puts surplus produce into the hands of those who need it backed him for donating carloads of fruit and vegetables weekly, including Sunday.

July 22, 2021 - 7:15 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: DUMPED PRODUCE STUNS SHOPPERS

Customers of the Red Bank Farmer’s Market were alarmed to see good produce tossed into a dumpster Sunday.

July 20, 2021 - 7:30 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: WALK-THRU MARKET TO RESUME

After four weeks as a pandemic-era drive-thru, the Red Bank Farmer’s Market plans to resume walk-thru shopping Sunday, its operators announced Tuesday.

June 9, 2020 - 10:15 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: MARKET REOPENS AS DRIVE-THRU

The Red Bank Farmer’s Market reopened Sunday, with some changes to limit the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19.

The foremost modification: the market is now temporarily a drive-thru only, with customers encouraged to pre-order their purchases.

Kurt Poehler, above, and his crew from Spring House Farms were ready with arrays of colorful fruits and vegetables.

May 18, 2020 - 11:00 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: MARKET RETURNING AS DRIVE-THRU

The popular Red Bank Farmer’s Market will be back sooner than expected, redbankgreen has learned.

Unfortunately, shoppers won’t be allowed out of their cars to squeeze, sniff and taste until the COVID-19 pandemic is no longer considered a threat.

What’s Going On Here? Read on.

May 4, 2020 - 12:00 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK: CRISIS DELAYS FARMERS’ MARKET

Mother’s Day is still five weeks away, but this year’s edition won’t be accompanied by the customary opening of the Red Bank Farmer’s Market.

George Sourlis, whose family-owned Galleria of Red Bank hosts the popular Sunday market, tells redbankgreen that this year’s start has been indefinitely postponed by the COVID-19 crisis. It will open once the pandemic has passed, he said.

The seasonal farmstand typically runs through November. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

April 1, 2020 - 10:45 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: THAI, MINI-DRONES, TACOS & MORE

The space vacated by Siam Garden, at the north end of the Galleria Red Bank, will soon get a new Thai restaurant run by a familiar chef. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

Fans of Red Bank’s recently closed Siam Gardens will soon have a new Thai restaurant to check out, and won’t have to change their routes to get there.

This edition of redbankgreen‘s Retail Churn has the dish, as well as word about a new indoor, mini-drone-flying course and other business churnage.

August 30, 2019 - 7:45 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: HEMP-BASED CBD SHOP OK’D

CBD For Life plans to open in the former Katsin’s Drugs at 192 Shrewsbury Avenue. (Photo by Trish Russoniello. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic A high-profile Red Bank building that’s been vacant for 15 years has been cleared for a new tenant: a seller of trendy CBD-based health and beauty products, redbankgreen has learned.

August 13, 2019 - 9:00 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: RESTAURANTS FEED THE CHURN

The Galleria is losing two restaurants: West Side Eatery and Siam Garden. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

A salad-bar restaurant and a “general store-slash-coffee bar” prepare to open in Red Bank as two other eateries close their doors.

Read all about those changes and more in this edition of redbankgreen‘s Retail Churn.

July 12, 2019 - 6:00 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR FOR POT SHOP

The Galleria’s application indicated the business would be located in space now occupied by Siam Garden. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank nj Three months after Red Bank changed its zoning laws to allow sales of medical marijuana, the borough has rejected its first application for a retail pot shop, officials said Wednesday night.

The denial appears to underscore one of the main problems such a business would have to navigate: limitations on their proximity to schools and parks.

February 7, 2019 - 1:20 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK: ANIMA OPENS, CAFÉ REBRANDS

Women’s clothing store Anima has opened in the former home of a Duxiana bedding shop. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

We’ve got a new women’s boutique, a new gym and a new name for a restaurant in this edition of redbankgreen‘s Retail Churn.

December 15, 2017 - 7:00 am | Comments ()

WHAT’S FOR LUNCH? SALADS AND PIZZA

Personal-size pizzas from the oven at Urban Coalhouse in the Galleria. (Photo by Susan Ericson. Click to enlarge)

By SUSAN ERICSON

PieHole stopped in for lunch last week at Urban Coalhouse Pizza and Bar, the former Tommy’s Coal-Fired Pizza in the Galleria of Red Bank, one of four restaurants that owners Andrew Cameron, Chris and Matt Lombardi and Mike Centaro have up and running around New Jersey.

We were happy to find few if any changes to what we enjoyed about Tommy’s, including the fact that the menu still centers around an enormous, coal-fired, 900-degree oven used to producing the signature pizzas and wings.
Read More »

December 16, 2016 - 11:54 am | Comments ()

CRAVINGS: SUNDAY PORK ROLL

Natalie Cozzati takes a bite of the breakfast sandwich she craves. (Photo by Susan Ericson. Click to enlarge)

By SUSAN ERICSON

piehole_cravings “Do I like pork roll?” Red Bank graphic designer and owner of NMC Design Studio Natalie Cozzati rhetorically asks PieHole. “Am I from Jersey? I’ve got to have my pork roll fix. Gotta satisfy that craving.”

Cozzati is not alone in her uniquely Jersey desire. At the Red Bank Farmers’ Market every Sunday this time of year, you’ll find plenty of customers queuing up at Johnny’s Pork Roll truck, patiently waiting to grab their sandwiches.

And don’t call it Taylor Ham, say Cozzati and others in line in the Galleria parking lot.
Read More »

September 28, 2016 - 10:39 am | Comments ()

WHAT’S FOR LUNCH? DANISH PANINI

Chicken Douglas, a panini-style sandwich from the Danish Café, a flag-festooned coffee shop. (Photos by Susan Ericson. Click to enlarge)

By SUSAN ERICSON

On any given day at Loni and Claudi Kofod’s Danish Café on Bridge Avenue in Red Bank, you’ll find customers in deep discussion, their open laptops sharing table space with large cups of coffee.

But the wifi, full-bodied, European-style java and original pastries are only part of what brings customers to this light-filled, red-and-white-flag-festooned Galleria space. The lunch menu offers simple, healthy choices, as PieHole rediscovered on a recent business meeting-slash-What’s For Lunch outing.
Read More »

October 9, 2015 - 11:04 am | Comments ()

LITTLE SILVER: OFFICE BUILDING PLANNED

A warehouse-style office building is planned for the vacant lot on Willow Drive near Branch Avenue. Below, council members examining developer Ray Smith’s plans Monday night. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

After years of contamination, bankruptcy and idleness, one of Little Silver’s most troubled properties may finally be getting a makeover. But first, the owner wants a zone change.

A plan for a “warehouse-style” office structure to be built on Willow Drive by commercial real estate broker and developer Ray Smith got a warm reception from the borough council during the workshop portion of its meeting Monday night.

July 7, 2015 - 8:00 am | Comments ()

FARMERS MARKETS: WHERE TO GET FRESH

At the Sea Bright farmers market, Meg Paska sells locally grown produce and flowers from Seven Arrows Farm, while the Holly Hill Farm table, below, offers Rumson-grown seedlings and produce. (Photos by Susan Ericson. Click to enlarge)

By SUSAN ERICSON

Options for finding locally grown produce on the Greater Red Bank Green doubled with the addition last year of a farmers’ market in the Sea Bright municipal parking lot on Thursdays.

For local shoppers, that means more variety. While both Sea Bright and the Red Bank Farmers’ Market at the Galleria on summer and autumn Sundays are dependable for farm-grown veggies, there are some characteristics that differentiate the two.

June 25, 2015 - 2:33 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK: TABLE DRESSING AT THE GALLERIA

Frame to Please at the Galleria at Red Bank hosts a display of custom-crafted centerpieces for weddings, kids’ parties and other gatherings by Red Bank artist Katie Benson. Benson will be present at a reception from 6:30 to 8:30 pm Thursday, and the items remain on display at the shop’s hallway kiosk through May 31. A portion of sale proceeds will go to Save US Pets. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

April 20, 2015 - 8:00 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: LOFTS LAND WEST ELM AS TENANT

The furniture retailer will occupy the ground-floor corner at West Front Street and Bridge Avenue, as shown in this rendering. (Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

Red Bank’s West Side Lofts project now under construction has landed upscale furniture retailer West Elm as an anchor tenant.

The pending arrival of the store, slated for next August, was at the center of a handful of changes to the massive project the borough zoning board approved Thursday night.

December 5, 2014 - 7:56 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: CLOSING IN ON WEST SIDE LOFTS

A fifth-floor view of the “mews” between two buildings at the West Side Lofts, looking toward the Two River Theater. Below, developer Chris Cole. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

After years on the drawing board, one of the biggest – and architecturally boldest – residential projects ever conceived for Red Bank is nearing completion.

While area merchants and restaurateurs anxiously await their arrival, West Side Lofts developer Chris Cole said he’s planning on having the first tenants move in as early as February.

Designed by David Baker Architects in San Francisco, the project features 92 rental units in a Rubik’s-cube-like amalgam of bold color and jutting facades that dominates the corner of West Front Street and Bridge Avenue, in what’s sometimes referred to as the Arts and Antiques District of town.

But “it’s not trying to make a statement,” Cole told redbankgreen on a recent tour. “It’s more trying to embrace the arty side of town.”

October 16, 2014 - 9:44 am | Comments ()

WHERE HAVE I SEEN THIS?

Can you identify the subject of this week’s Where Have I Seen This? Take a guess! Please send your answer to wherehaveiseenthis@redbankgreen.com.

That rakish, mustachioed man in last week’s photo was easily recognized by a handful of readers, wink wink.

June 26, 2014 - 6:29 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: TOMATOES EARLY; MOST ELSE, LATE

A quick tour of the Farmers’ Market, as seen on June 1. (Video by Gerda Liebmann. Click to pause.)

By JIM WILLIS

morsels medium Red Bank Farmers’ Market regular John Hauser of Hauser Hill Farms in Old Bridge tells PieHole that the long, cold winter has set produce availability back by about two weeks.

“It was cold through April and May, and we’re about 10 to 14 days behind schedule,” says Hauser. The upshot is that vegetables such as green zucchinis and kirby pickling cucumbers that are typically available by the last week of May are hard to find out in the fields this week.

June 12, 2014 - 9:41 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: KALE, SEITAN… AND PORK ROLL?

The Johnny Pork Roll truck is a new addition at the Red Bank Farmer’s Market in the Galleria parking lot. (Photo by Jim Willis. Click to enlarge)

By JIM WILLIS

morsels medium After a long winter, Mother Nature is taking her sweet time this spring, making us wait for the vast array of produce we’re accustom to seeing on Sundays at the Red Bank Farmer’s Market.

We will wait an extra week or two for the bounty of beans and other spring crops to make it to the Galleria parking lot. In the meantime, though, a new food truck – Johnny Pork Roll – means that PieHole followers can nosh on nature’s most perfect food: the pork roll, egg and cheese sandwich.

May 30, 2014 - 5:22 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK: TO MARKET, TO MARKET

Mother’s Day means the welcome return of the Red Bank Farmers Market to the parking lot of The Galleria building; a seasonal Sunday tradition that pitches its tent beginning at 9 am.

If it’s Mother’s Day weekend — and it most assuredly is, for the benefit of eleventh-hour gift shoppers everywhere — then it’s time once again for the Red Bank Farmer’s Market, the seasonal staple of local living that commandeers the parking lot of the Galleria complex (Bridge Avenue and West Front Street) every Sunday from now up to the threshold of Thanksgiving.

Between the hours of 9 am and 2 pm, a collection of area vendors will be pitching their tents to purvey a great selection of locally grown seasonal produce, freshly baked goods, handmade preserves, sauces, cheeses and more — in addition to houseplants, custom art and craft gifts, clothing items, and even some specialties geared to pets and their personal shoppers.

May 9, 2014 - 11:01 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: PLANNERS SPAR OVER FACADES

A plan by Joe Romanowski to remove the vestibule of his new Goldtinker store on Broad Street won approval. So did Tommy’s Coal-Fired Pizza’s request to permanently enclose seasonal seating area at the Galleria, below. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

The Red Bank planning board approved a restaurant expansion, a downtown facade change and the renovation of what Mayor Pasquale Menna called a “cancerous eyesore” Monday night.

Along the way were some unusual flashes of passion among board members.

April 22, 2014 - 8:14 am | Comments ()