EAT, DRINK AND BE JAMIAN
Jamian LaViola at the bar of Jamian’s Food & Drink, the newly reborn version of what had until recently been named Echo.
“It was time for a change — I wanted to create a place that’s more suited for everybody, not just a nightlife crowd.”
The speaker is Jamian LaViola — the time is Tuesday afternoon, and the place is Jamian’s Food & Drink, the remade/remodeled bar and restaurant occupying the Monmouth Street space previously known as Echo.
Watchers of late-night local cable surely remember the once ubiquitous commercials for the downtown Red Bank nightspot. “One look, and you know you’re in the right place,” said the narrator, as club-hopping cuties nodded in approval of their surroundings, the bartender did the Tom Cruise juggle and patrons picked at their “excellent Tapas cuisine.”
Although the owner is the same, the Echo sign has been retired into Red Bank history, to be replaced by an all new name — indeed, an all new identity, encompassing a redone interior, reconceptualized menu and a renewed sense of purpose for its owner.
Occupying one of the most venerable tavern locations in the borough — as recently as the 1980s it was a classic old-man bar, complete with photos of boxers on the wall — LaViola describes the new vibe as having enough of his stamp to make new and old clientele feel comfortable, while “not being about some stereotype of super-high-end nightlife.”
Random Test maintains their popular Wednesday night gig at the Monmouth Street nightspot now known as Jamian’s. (Photo by Diana Moore)
Except for a couple of days during which new flooring was laid and the room-length bar was shortened by a total of eight feet, the Navesink-based restaurateur (who took a hands-on approach to much of the hammers-’n-nails work) has kept the bar open all throughout the renovation process. Although the space at 79 Monmouth is presently without a sign over the door, it’s open for business tonight and every night while renovations continue — including tomorrow evening, when the new Jamian’s plays host venue for a fundraiser reception presented by the Monmouth County Arts Council.
In coming weeks, passersby will be seeing a marked transformation in the face of the storefront, as the present configuration is replaced with a set of roll-up, “garage-door” style entranceways that will allow for an open-air experience in the warmer months. The interior, furnished now with a set of comfy-looking brown vinyl booths, offers the same capacity as before — if anything, the shortening of the bar will allow patrons a little more maneuverability.
The biggest change will be less about the feng shui and more about the time of day: on or about the first week of November, LaViola will begin serving lunch for the first time.
Citing the nearby Red Bank borough hall and Hovnanian building, LaViola maintains that “there’s a real need for a nice sit-down place for lunchtime — we’re looking to attract the businesspeople, the town hall, people going to the Basie, moms going shopping; everybody.”
While offering reassurances that “certain dishes are going to stay,” LaViola plans a move toward “more American fare, including naturally raised beef and chicken.”
“One of the ideas here is about value, so we’ll be making burgers, pizza — we’ll change the specials every seven to ten days; keep a good variety at all times.”
Not everything about the place is reworked to the point of unfamiliarity, however. The Shore-based reggae band Random Test will be playing live tonight and every Wednesday for the foreseeable future — continuing a tradition that began more than seven years ago.
Other featured entertainment includes the return of the popular Latin Night every Monday, live local bands on Fridays, DJ music on Saturdays, “some form of game night” on Tuesdays, and an Art Show (LaViola continues to make a habit of spotlighting works by area artists) on the first Thursday of each month.
Jamian’s will be the scene as well for a special reception hosted by its neighbors at the Monmouth County Arts Council, tomorrow night at 5:30pm. It’s a fundraiser keyed in to the MCAC’s sneak-preview screening of Charlie Kaufman’s film Synecdoche, New York at Clearview Red Bank Art Cinemas on White Street; $50 gets you admission to the party (co-hosted by Sony Classics Pictures prez Tom Bernard) and a ticket to the film’s 7:30pm showing.
Jamian’s Food & Drink website is still under construction; comments, questions and encouragements can be directed to (732)747-8050.
Tomorrow in oRBit: We take you inside the born-again Count Basie Theatre for a look ahead at the most hotly anticipated season in its 80-plus years’ history.
Posted
October 22, 2008
in
under
[...] Jamian’s Food & Drink gets some coverage. Since most WB spend a fair share of time over there, thought you might be [...]
October 23rd, 2008 at 2:09 pm[...] couple of weeks ago in oRBit, we dropped in on Echo owner Jamian LaViola, as his Monmouth Street bar made the transition to the new restaurant/tavern known as [...]
November 6th, 2008 at 3:53 am[...] Wedgie Jackson at Jamian’s (formerly echo) on Monmouth St. in Red Bank [...]
November 26th, 2008 at 10:29 am[...] and Michael Ghegan inaugurate an all-new Open Mic event at Jamian’s Food & Drink, owner Jamian LaViola’s completely revisioned (and totally artist-friendly) update of the former Echo on Monmouth [...]
January 9th, 2009 at 2:57 am[...] be hanging around throughout the month of December. It’s all thanks to another of proprietor Jamian LaViola’s monthly art exhibits; this one a display of photographs by Mark Weiss (above), the [...]
November 30th, 2009 at 7:31 am