WHAT’S FOR LUNCH? A TASTY STAPLE

Apr 10, 2015

A lunch order of a Classic Parm Sandwich from the menu at Val’s Tavern. Below, General Manager Kevin Feehan. (Photos by Susan Ericson. Click to enlarge)

By SUSAN ERICSON

Val’s Tavern, on East River Road in Rumson, has been a staple since 1942. So, what does it take to keep a bar and restaurant going for all those years? Consistency, a family-friendly atmosphere, and a terrific red sauce.

Named for Valentine Ciambrone, an immigrant from Calabria, Italy, and bought by commodity traders Chris and James Smith five years ago, Val’s is anchored by a menu that, aside from daily specials, hasn’t changed. It draws clientele of devoted locals, several generations of whom grew up eating here and still find the neighborhood tavern a go-to for a quick beer or a pizza with the kids.

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April 10, 2015 - 10:30 am |

SEA BRIGHT: DIVING INTO A BLOODY HOOK

Apr 9, 2015

Ashlyn Schmidt pours a spicy bloody Mary at Dive in Sea Bright. (Photos by Susan Ericson. Click to enlarge)

By SUSAN ERICSON

A sweet cocktail filled with tropical fruit is nice on a hot summer day, but with the strong spring winds still blowing sharp and cold in Sea Bright, only a hearty, spicy cocktail could quench PieHole‘s thirst.

Dive, a “coastal bar and food joint” on Ocean Avenue, offers a Sunday brunch and bloody Mary menu featuring a quaff called the Bloody Hook that makes the lips tingle and the throat burn with enjoyment.

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April 9, 2015 - 10:30 am |

RED BANK: NEW OWNER AT BRANNIGAN’S

Apr 7, 2015

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.

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April 7, 2015 - 2:45 pm |

WHAT’S FOR LUNCH? A MONSTER BURGER

Apr 3, 2015

The Monster Burger, ordered from the specials menu at Jamian’s Food and Drink. (Photos by Susan Ericson. Click to enlarge)

By SUSAN ERICSON

A regular stop for many Count Basie Theatre ticket holders, Jamian’s Food and Drink, on Monmouth Street in Red Bank, has a loyal local following, showing up for dinner, ever-changing art shows, great music and a lively bar.

At a regular Tuesday night trivia game, PieHole noticed a customer tucking into an enormous burger that seemed to require larger-than-average hands to hold and a strong jaw to get a good bite.

The standard menu burger has never disappointed, so with curiosity piqued, we went back the next day to try that Monster Burger for lunch.

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April 3, 2015 - 11:00 am |

LINCROFT: LUNCH AT THE INN

Mar 27, 2015

A pastrami Reuben at the Lincroft Inn served in the antique dining room, below. (Photos by Susan Ericson. Click to enlarge)

By SUSAN ERICSON

From outside, the Lincroft Inn, located on Newman Springs Road in the Lincroft section of Middletown, appears a lot like many of the buildings in the strip malls surrounding it: blandly contemporary.

But step inside, and the exposed rafters and wood-paneled walls exude an Old World charm that’s real, because it dates back to 1697, according to the backstory provided in the vast tome of a menu.

As PieHole discovered on a recent What’s For Lunch outing, the inn offers a range of dishes, from elegant Continental fare to a grubby Jersey favorite: a porkroll and cheese sandwich.

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March 27, 2015 - 10:30 am |

ON THE GREEN: A BLUSTERY ST. PATRICK’S DAY

Mar 18, 2015

It’s a day of wearin’ of the green, donnin’ of the caudeen, and greenin’ of the hair when St. Patrick’s Day rolls around on the Greater Red Bank Green. The 2015 edition was accompanied by the usual revelry beginning Tuesday afternoon, as seen here in photos from the Dublin House Pub, Walt Street Pub, Molly Maguire’s Gastropub and Murphy’s Tavern. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

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March 18, 2015 - 6:15 am |

AT THE DUB: IRISH COFFEE THE IRISH WAY

Mar 5, 2015

A traditional Irish Coffee at the Dublin House. (Photo by Susan Ericson. Click to enlarge)

By SUSAN ERICSON

There was a time, not so long ago, when most restaurants would hand their customers a menu of coffee-based, alcohol-laced, sweetened beverages at the end of a meal. But food and drink styles are as susceptible to change as runway garb, and tend to be described in the same way. Does your taste go to something retro or classic? Or are you always looking for the next new thing?

Café mocha double lattes may come and go, but there are some classic drinks that are always in style. And with stores bedecked in shades of green reminding us that the Saint Patrick’s Day holiday is on its way, PieHole went in search of an old standard at the Dublin House Pub on Monmouth Street in Red Bank.

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March 5, 2015 - 10:25 am |

WHAT’S FOR LUNCH? A WALT STREET CUBAN

Feb 27, 2015

The Cuban sandwich, served in a retro-fun basket, comes with chips and a pickle, while the order of Crabby Fries is served in an oversized cone. (Photos by Susan Ericson. Click to enlarge)

By SUSAN ERICSON

In the man cave Walt Street Pub on Monmouth Street in Red Bank, women held forth on which dish is best.

“I order the boneless wings,” said barmaid Kelly Martin. “Mild, though, always mild.”

Sitting next to PieHole at the bar, Jen Disney, informed us that “the beef chimichangas are the best. We go elsewhere, but always come back here.”

Jen Rodriguez, our waitress, said her son, “who is one of the pickiest eaters ever,” gets the chicken cheese steak, but she likes the chicken burrito.

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February 27, 2015 - 10:21 am |

IN GOTHAM: HOLY SOUR MASH, BATMAN

Feb 20, 2015

Gotham’s Arty Homes helped PieHole navigate the Red Bank bar’s eclectic cocktail menu. (Photo by Jim Willis. Click to enlarge)

By JIM WILLIS

Late on a winter afternoon with a bitterly cold wind howling down Broad Street in Red Bank, PieHole stopped in at Gotham. A few loyal readers mentioned to us the new bar’s vast whiskey selection, and it seemed like a good time and place to warm up with a Manhattan before heading home for dinner.

It was just at the early side of Happy Hour, and a half-dozen patrons, mostly well-dressed couples catching a pre-dinner cocktail, hung around at the bar, but otherwise there was not much of a crowd.

We grabbed a seat and spied at least three American rye whiskeys behind the bar: Michter’s, Bulleit and Dad’s Hat. Most area bars don’t stock even a single rye whiskey, and PieHole typically settles for Canadian Club when ordering a Manhattan, so this was a nice selection indeed.

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February 20, 2015 - 2:18 pm |

RUMSON: NEW JERSEY’S BEST BAR?

Feb 12, 2015

Among the watering holes featured as NJ.com, the website of the Star-Ledger, searches for New Jersey’s Best Bars is Murphy’s Tavern, the Prohibition-era speakeasy hidden in the basement of a Rumson house. Heather Racioppi, who bought the place with fellow Red Bank bartender Robb McMahon in 2005, give NJ.com’s roving reporter Pete Genovese the history. His story is here. (Video courtesy of NJ.com.)

February 12, 2015 - 10:17 am |