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.
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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.
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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.
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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
Yes–that’s Trumpets. It’s still EXACTLY as you’ve described. 
But you can definitely catch some GOOD music there…not so easy to find in NNJ.
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.
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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.
would love to hear more about the experience. I think those guys screwed themselves with this place.
That! In a nutshell. You really want a full review?
Define “night,” please. 
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Lmao! We did finish up by 7:30, but I would have started earlier if I had any say.
This is hilarious to me because my friend scoped out Catch around 10 PM and said it was the weirdest scene. A few couples making out and there was no music so the place was silent haha! Did you “catch” that action!?
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Actually, yes I do!! Honestly that’s the point of the forum, to be honest I think i was the author of the current Catch 19 thread on here and I was “less than impressed”. You should share your experience and perhaps save someone the expense and experience that you had. Just my $ .02
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Full review please. I’ve only been once to eat and once to meet Jr for a beverage…my experience is limited.
I do miss the old catch. I liked that place. What’s up with the Cuban place? Any signs of life?
We were six people at Catch at 6 pm this Sunday. I called at 5:50 and they said they would check and see if they could accommodate us. Eventually they came back and said it was fine. When we got there, ten minutes later, there was only one other table filled, so I wonder why they had to check for so long. That one other table, btw, was so loud, I mean clapping hands as you laugh like a bad joke out of Seinfeld, loud. Turned out that was the owner and friends. Really made me feel welcome…not at all.
The food has gotten impossibly more expensive and less good than it was in the old space but it is pretty much the same menu. I wasn’t paying so I didn’t want to have my host spend $60 for a steak and I had the scallops and an overpriced watermelon with one teeny piece of goat cheese salad. I tried some of a lobster salad first. Bad sign when the lobster is overcooked. My salad was fine but I would have bristled at the cost.
My scallops were a tad less overdone than the lobster and the accompanying corn/couscous thing was way too sweet. We saw only two other tables filled before we left, again begging the question, “What were you looking at before you told us we could come?” We left saying we should have gone to Nicholas, or Via45, or basically anywhere else.
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Yep. Not as good.
That place was good when it opened as Bluewater, but still had issues.
Three iterations later it just keeps going downhill.
So… Dead Bank !
Or, mostly dead bank.
Safe for the blue hair set.
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You didn’t get the $5 bowl of popcorn?!?! Trust me the $60 steak wouldn’t be worth it at half the cost so you didn’t miss out on much.
(Do you think this would be better served in the actual Catch 19 thread? Your call)
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Considering Catch these days the better serving is just to scrape everything in the bin.
I think they are perfect proof of the Monmouth singularity regarding liquor licenses.
And that anything that starts out good goes downhill fast.
