COOL INSIDE: SUMMER FLOATS AWAY

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?

September 2, 2016 - 4:30 pm |

COOL INSIDE: AN OLD-SCHOOL EGG CREAM

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.

August 26, 2016 - 6:03 pm |

COOL INSIDE: TALL AND COOL IN THE SADDLE

The Peanut Butter Protein Blast from the Coffee Corral. (Photo by Sherri Hall. Click to enlarge.)

By SHERRI HALL

coffee corral ext 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. Read More »

August 19, 2016 - 6:06 pm |

COOL INSIDE: A ‘BOMBA’ OF SUBTLE FLAVORS

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.

August 12, 2016 - 3:59 pm |

COOL INSIDE: PARTY IN A CUP

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.

August 5, 2016 - 4:29 pm |

COOL INSIDE: INSIDE THE BUBBLE

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.
Read More »

July 29, 2016 - 4:19 pm |

COOL INSIDE: A RIVERSIDE MILKSHAKE

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. Read More »

July 22, 2016 - 3:00 pm |

COOL INSIDE: FRUITY AND FLYIN’ AT KITCH

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. Read More »

July 15, 2016 - 3:29 pm |

COOL INSIDE: A JOLT OF COLD JOE AT ROOK

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

July 8, 2016 - 3:39 pm |

COOL INSIDE: WARM AND COLD AT RALPH’S

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.

July 1, 2016 - 3:30 pm |

COOL INSIDE: A COOKIE MONSTER IN A CUP

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.

June 24, 2016 - 5:14 pm |

COOL INSIDE: CHIPS ON THE TABLE @LA ROSA’S

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.

June 17, 2016 - 1:50 pm |

RED BANK: SFINGE, ZEPPOLI OR ONE OF EACH?

Peter LaRosa gives PieHole a delicious history lesson on St. Joseph’s Day sfinges and zeppolis. (Photo by Jim Willis. Click to enlarge)

By JIM WILLIS

Monday’s St. Patrick’s Day celebrations may have been mostly about the beer and a bit about the corned beef, but Wednesday is St. Joseph’s Day, and that is all about the food. More specifically, it’s about the pastries: the sfinge and the zeppoli.

PieHole checked it with Peter LaRosa, who along with his brother, Sal, owns LaRosa’s Pastry Shop in Shrewsbury. LaRosa explained the difference between the sfinge and the zeppoli – each of which goes by more than one spelling, depending on dialect – and filled our ears with the history and tradition of St. Joseph’s Day like a pair of cannoli.

March 18, 2014 - 3:40 pm |

PUTTING A CHERRY ON THIS THING

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.

July 30, 2010 - 10:39 am |