FORWARD, MARCH O’ DINES
Tommy’s Coal Fired Pizza is among the three new participating Red Bank restaurants, as the townwide Dine Downtown promotion returns every Tuesday and Wednesday in March.
Make no mistake — we’re finished with the Feb. We even take back some of the mean things we said about January.
In fact, every one of us deserves to be wined and dined just for slushin’ and survivin’ these past four weeks of record-crushing snowpocalypse, lost productivity, snowmageddon, cancelled flights, snow-er-dammerung, quiet cash registers, dreams deferred, cabin fever — and did we mention snow?
Everywhere you look, sooty reminders of that shortest and cruelest of months abound in the streets and parking spaces of the greater Red Bank orbit, piled up like mounds of chocolate-chip gelato but scarcely as sweet. As the foul Feb-breezes become the lion’s roar of early March, however, we’re picking up an end note of lamb in there — a phenomenon fostered by one of the friendliest of seasonal signifiers, the return of the Dine Downtown promotion.
As they’ve done with great success in seasons past, Red Bank RiverCenter joins with the NJ Restaurant Association in presenting a promotion designed to entice hibernating diners from their burrows, and take advantage of a slate of midweek Prix Fixe dinner deals at some 20 participating restaurants in the borough’s downtown and theater/antiques districts. It’s a list that includes no less than three first-timers, all of them brand new to town and eager to make new friends — and the owners of Tommy’s, Monticello and Mangia Mangia are teaming with a great group of returning favorites to offer a choice of special event menus that include appetizer, entrée and dessert for a lusciously low price (beverages, tax and gratuities not included).
The Dine Downtown deal kicks off tomorrow night, March 2, and continues Tuesday and Wednesday evenings through March 31. Returning once more are the three distinct pricing levels ($15, $25 and $30) offered in past promotions — giving frugal foodies an expanded choice and a streetside smorgasbord of cuisines that ranges from Thai, seafood, Italian, contemporary American, vegetarian and European, to some cool fusions that we’ve yet to triangulate with our gastronomic GPS.
The list of participants spotlights both long-established landmarks and buzzworthy newcomers; a romantic jacket-required dining room and a jam-packed nitespot. There are vibes that span the comfy side of casual to the cutting edge of cosmopolitan — and, with eight of the twenty located west of Maple Avenue, Dine Downtown is just as likely to mean Bridge Avenue and the banks of the Navesink as it does any address in or around Broad Street.
There are also several opportunities to pair dinner with a live show, such as a discount-priced preview performance of Aaron Posner’s much-anticipated Orestes: A Tragic Romp at Two River Theater (begins Tuesday, March 23). There are even a couple of opportunities to chase that Prix Fixe dinner with a free event at the Count Basie Theatre, including a big-screen showing of Alfred Hitchcock’s suspense epic North by Northwest (March 3), and a special indoor preview of July’s annual KaBoom! Fireworks on the Navesink event, starring the pyrotechnic artists from Garden State Fireworks.
We’re getting peckish just contemplating it, so flip the menu over and Continue Reading for an annotated list of participants.
$15.00 PRIX FIXE
Mangia! Mangia! 15 North Bridge Ave./ 732-383-5424 A neighborhood landmark (the former Chiafullo’s/Red Bank Pizza) is reborn, with a variety of pizza creations augmented by their signature Foccaccia Burgers.
Murphy Style Grill 26 Broad St./ 732-530-6659 The perfectly-positioned downtown landmark remains a great place to step away from the Broad Street shuffle while staying part of the action; serving up American classics like burgers, panini and a famous 24-oz. steak.
Racioppi’s Kitchen 107 Oakland St./ 732-933-5989 Chef Joe’s always-creative space on the Left Bank transportation hub is a best-kept-secret spot for dinner; enjoy a midweek repast from the dining room’s center-island kitchen or copper oven, and be sure to return for one of their special Demo Night Thursdays. BYOB.
Tommy’s Coal Fired Pizza 2 Bridge Ave. (The Galleria)/ 732-747-1683 New to the former location of 2Senza is this fossil-fueled fast favorite, a gourmet take on the pizzeria classics with some family-style sides and even a selection of homemade gelato.
$25.00 PRIX FIXE
The Bistro at Red Bank 14 Broad St./ 732-530-5553 As fine a place as any to watch the world go by, this essential downtown fixture has been positioned by the brothers Lyristis as a culinary world tour in itself.
Danny’s Steakhouse, Seafood & Sushi Bar 11 Bridge Ave./ 732-741-6900 Visionary owner Danny Murphy pioneered destination dining on his block, with a place that’s stayed fresh and current while losing none of its neighborhood-landmark status.
Dish, A Restaurant 13 White St./ 732-345-7070 A tiny titan where a seasonally-changing menu features accents of practically anywhere on the gastronomic globe. BYOB.
The Downtown 10 West Front St./ 732-741-2828 “Posh pub grub” creations to this reborn (and double-sized) nightspot, while retaining the brick-lined warmth and sushi bar.
Gaetano’s 10 Wallace St./ 732-741-1321 Tom Capello’s bustling bistro with the convertible-front dining space is a fine place for a gourmet pizza, special entree or intriguing dessert.
La Pastaria 30 Linden Pl./ 732-224-8699 The family Angelo’s recently relocated favorite offers an expanded menu, custom-sized portions and an array of personalized pizzas.
New Corner Restaurant 22 East Front St./ 732-530-1007 The popular eastside pizzeria puts on no airs but packs ‘em in with a full menu of robust ristorante favorites.
Pearl at the Oyster Point Hotel 146 Bodman Place/ 732-530-8200 The hotel’s refurbished dining space is the polished and lustrous thing within; a place to enjoy a billion-dollar view of river life and the RB skyline while dining on a seasonally morphing menu of “knock-out contemporary American cuisine with tastes of Asia and the American Southwest.”
Red 3 Broad St./ 732-741-3232 Downtown’s cool and designey multi-level meet-and-greet has an intriguing way with traditional steakhouse/seafood fare, along with signature specialty drinks.
Torcello 91 Broad St./ 732-530-0602 The former Osteria Dante is reinvented by original owner Mike Bitici and family as “an Italian restaurant with a kick” of Tuscan/Roman emphasis. BYOB.
$30.00 PRIX FIXE
Ashes Steakhouse and Cigar Club 33 Broad St./ 732-219-0710 A superstar selection of steaks and seafood specialties.
The Melting Pot The Galleria, Bridge Ave. and West Front St./ 732-219-0090 Fondue is for lovers at this tantalizing dip into communal dining.
Molly Pitcher Inn 88 Riverside Ave./ 732-747-2500 Million-dollar panoramic views and bracingly fresh seafood classics at this grande dame of Navesink River hospitality (gents wear jackets after 5pm).
Monticello Bistro Cafe 69 Broad St./ 732-450-0255 New to the former site of Sogno (and relocated from its first location in South Amboy) is owner-chef Katerin Giambalvo’s elegant take on the neighborhood bistro; a spot that pushes the “pasta place” envelope with a wide array of internationally flavored seafood and meat dishes.
Siam Garden The Galleria, Bridge Ave. and West Front St./ 732-224-1233 A dining experience that’s put Red Bank in the forefront of Thai cuisine in the region, with a diverse daily menu of traditional favorites and seafood specials that’s augmented by two-person “set” dinner options (such as the “King and I’ and the “One Night in Bangkok”).
Via 45 45 Broad St./ 732-450-9945 Claudette Herring and Lauren Phillips-Daly brought this very exciting new place for Italian and vegetarian fare to Red Bank’s own “crossroads of the world.” BYOB.
Posted
March 01, 2010
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