The surest sign of spring’s approach on the Greater Green may be the annual reopening of Strollo’s Lighthouse Italian Ice in Red Bank. And that’s scheduled to happen at noon Friday.
Meantime, the winter of 2020 continues to serve up unseasonably warm days, according to the National Weather Service. Check out the extended forecast below. (Photo by Trish Russoniello. Click to enlarge.)
When Kevin Valerio announced the annual re-opening of his Strollo’s Lighthouse Italian Ice business in Red Bank last week, daytime temperatures were peaking around 70 degrees. So he didn’t expect the stand, at Rector Place and North Bridge Avenue, to be encrusted in American ice and snow that he and his employees would have to hack away at with less than 24 hours to go.
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.
Friday is opening day for Red Bank’s Lighthouse Italian Ice. Owner Kevin Valerio gives PieHole the scoop. (Photo by Jim Willis. Click to enlarge)
By JIM WILLIS
Like a neon-lit crocus busting through the asphalt island at the juncture of Bridge Ave and Rector Place in Red Bank, the annual re-opening of Lighthouse Italian Ice is a sure sign that this awful winter is almost behind us.
Closed since Halloween, Lighthouse reopens Friday. PieHole stopped by to check in with owner Kevin Valerio to get the scoop on opening day.
Today, redbankgreen wraps up its Cool Inside series (yes, we’re early; see below for explanation). But we’re going out with a bang, literally putting a cherry on top with a visit to Cherry On Top in Sea Bright.
Things get downright icy this week when Cool Inside, a redbankgreen summer series featuring chilled and frozen delectable edibles, scales the three peaks of a simple yet satisfying treat from right here in Red Bank.