32°F clear sky

RED BANK: PARKING GRIPES, IDEAS ECHOED

Parking consultants Carrie Krasnow and Brian Bartholomew listen to restaurateur George Lyristis at the Red Bank Middle School Monday night. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

Like visitors circling the White Street lot in search of a spot, Red Bank merchants and residents took another spin at solving downtown parking issues Monday night.

In the same auditorium where a similar forum was held 14 months ago, about 50 participants showed up at the borough middle school to advocate for improvements, many of them echoes of long-standing complaints and suggestions.

More →

RED BANK: 5K TO RUN AGAIN IN 2018

Runners head down Branch Avenue in the 2015 edition of the George Sheehan Classic, which was cancelled a year later. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

Filling a gap left by the departure of the George Sheehan Classic a year ago, Red Bank will again host a 5k race in June, 2018. And this one will be run entirely within the town’s borders.

The borough council gave a green light Wednesday night to the event, which is being organized by the Red Bank Business Alliance.

More →

RED BANK: BOULANGERIE OPENS ART SHOW

100214 boulangerie2Exhibit No. 9 gallery owner Tom White, center, discusses the artwork now showing at Antoinette Boulangerie in Red Bank. (Photo by Susan Ericson. Click to enlarge)

By SUSAN ERICSON

100214 boulangerie5Curated art exhibits that could previously only be seen in Asbury Park at Exhibit No. 9 gallery can now also be enjoyed avec croissants and other treats onMonmouth Street in Red Bank.

Antoinette Boulangerie opened its doors last week to art and pastry lovers alike with in an exhibition titled “Dessert for the Eyes.”  The stylish opening reception, hosted by bakery owners Ayca User and her sister, Zeynep Ozdimer, featured works from around the globe, chosen by Exhibit No. 9 owners Tom and Lois White.

“The art in the gallery will change often, so it won’t always be the same thing on the walls,” User said, while guests snacked on decadent chocolate-covered strawberries and coconut macaroons.

More →

RED BANK: ANTOINETTE SHOWS ITS ART TOOTH

Ayc User Susan EricsonAyca User, co-owner of Monmouth Street’s Antoinette Boulangerie, has partnered with Asbury Park-based gallery Exhibit No. 9 for the first in a planned series of contemporary art events. (Photo by Susan Ericson)

Having quickly found their way to the hearts (and sweet teeth) of the community’s foodies through Antoinette Boulangerie, the artisanal bake shop that they opened in Red Bank last , sisters Ayca User and Zeynep Ozdemir were said by many to have elevated the notion of the neighborhood bakery to the realm of fine art.

In a further blurring of the lines between the contemporary and the culinary arts scene, the Boulangerie has entered into a partnership with one of the area’s newest and most acclaimed galleries, for the first in a planned series of exhibitions at the Monmouth Street storefront.

The exhibit is entitled “Dessert for the Eyes” — and it represents a collaboration with Tom White, founder and director of Exhibit No.9 on Asbury Park’s Cookman Avenue business corridor. Opening with a reception on the evening of Thursday, October 2, the group show of works by local, regional and international artists will remain on display inside Antoinette Boulangerie through December 27.

More →

RED BANK: CHECKING IN ON BOULANGERIE

081514 boulangerie 2Ayca User of Antoinette Boulangerie with a platter of croissants. (Photo by Susan Ericson. Click to enlarge)

By SUSAN ERICSON

morsels mediumWhat could be better than café au lait and a fresh-baked croissant? How about a coconut chocolate croissant specially made for the season?

This is just one of the delectable sweets to come out of the kitchen at Antoinette Boulangerie on Monmouth Street in Red Bank. Opened just eight months ago in the middle of a snowstorm, the French pastry shop has garnered serious attention and appreciation from the local public. It is often busy, particularly on the weekends.

More →

RED BANK: FINALLY, A LOCAL BAGUETTE

boulangerie22Sisters Zeynep Ozdemir (left) and Ayca User (right) with executive pastry chef Gina Roselle-Broschart in the Antoinette Boulangerie kitchen. (Photo by Jim Willis. Click to enlarge)

By JIM WILLIS

HOT-TOPIC_03Sisters Ayca User and Zeynep Ozdemir were hours away from opening the doors to their French bakery on Monmouth Street in Red Bank when PieHole stopped in to find out what we can expect when Antoinette Boulangerie opens to the public on Friday morning.

The bakery was buzzing with dough mixers and we were engulfed in the smell of sweet pastries. Within seconds, we realized that PieHole‘s New Year’s Resolution to  “cut down on bread” did not stand a chance.

More →