I am glad you liked it. I thought you would enjoy it. Interested in the full report
I think I’ve been going there since that mall was built to be honest. I’ve had quite a few meals there and also at ruby palace. Ruby became my “go to” when it opened. I also worked down the street on Bethany Rd so I would eat there like 2 or 3 times a week. It never got old too.
Do you remember the special for 2 at ruby? It was like 29 bucks I think or 24.95 and it was more food than you could imagine. I think you got 2 soups, 2 nerf football sized egg rolls, a pupu platter for 2 with the classic sterno, two main dishes, a giant bowl of fried rice, 2 alcoholic mixed drinks, and dessert. You could pig out and get easily 4 meals out of that thing. It was unreal! 2 people could barely get past the pupu platter. Man I miss that place a lot!
@seal I have the exact same memory from RP. My parents would have their Mai Tai’s, and I was just enamored with the actual Sterno flame on the Pu Pu Platter. Not many places do that anymore.
We decided to do a drink in Red Bank on Sunday night after dinner at Reyla’s. Granted the weather was crappy and cold, but Red Bank WAS DEAD. We figured on Memorial Day weekend there would be plenty of action. Such a different feel than Asbury Park.
When I moved to the area in 1994, Red Bank was appreciating the reinvention of itself from the dark days of the 70’s and 80’s. I spent A LOT of time in Red Bank, I was an original cigar club member of Ashes, I was one of Chris’s best customers at Buono Sera, when it was a good small Italian restaurant. At some point though, I matured and the Red Bank “scene” just didn’t fit me well anymore. It’s a great town to live near, my kids went to school there…and I love it around the holidays etc. however as far as the nightly “vibe” of the town, I just don’t care for it anymore.
It just kind of sad to me. So many empty store fronts. I want to like Red Bank and keep giving it the benefit of the doubt but it continues to fall short.
Sadly it sounds like Montclair. Nowhere to park and the world’s greediest landlords. I did love what Montclair USED TO BE but pretty much detest what it’s turned into.
I’ve compared RB to Montclair MANY times since I moved down here…the reputation is one of a town full of “great” restaurants and lots to do, but I don’t find that to be the reality at all.
Dining in Montlcair was a chore - no where to park. In all the years we lived in Montclair (1950-2012) we usually frequently places in adjacent towns - places that had parking and great food. Of course Asbury can get like that, especially in season - planning and timing seem to be the key.
What is/was the name of the Jazz club/ bar in Montclair? Trumpets? I wound up in there after dinner one night, I had a “few” in me, and the place was almost surreal. Like lost in the 70’s and they took their jazz very seriously, I was not a warmly welcomed patron. lol
I fully agree. The parking is impossible, especially on Bloomfield Avenue. The majority of the very few available spots are for residents, and you need a permit. The greedy landlords have chased a few of the really good restaurants away with their ridiculous rent increases. I stopped going to a lot of the restaurants on Bloomfield Ave. because of the parking situation. Who wants to walk 3 blocks from the parking garage to a restaurant, especially in the cold snowy winter, or on a rainy day? I now mainly stick to restaurants off the beaten path with plenty of local street parking like Laurel & Sage or Corso 98.
I was eating a lousy, overpriced dinner at Catch19 Sunday night and I am a little offended that my presence alone didn’t liven it up. Seriously though, it was nasty and it was a Sunday night. I’ve been spending a lot more time in Red Bank lately and I find it has a mellow vibe and less of that high energy of youth.
