Down the Shore

Vol. 20 - Week of January 25th

For those of us who like to explore, there wasn’t much adventuring to do beyond our living room this past weekend. However, hunkering down is always a great time to research and plan for when, you know, the Real Feel isn’t 4 degrees. 

Valentine’s Day Roundup

For this edition, Valentine’s Day is now less than two week’s away, and it falls on a Saturday this year! We’re rounding up some ideas for you based on where we’ve recently gone for date nights: 

Pascal and Sabine: Their Valentine’s Day dinner may already be booked, but you might still snag a pre-Valentines Day rez or Sunday brunch with your Galentines. From the menu: escargots, duck liver mousse, steak frites, and milk chocolate pot de creme. 

Judy & Harry’s: Chef David Viana,  a James Beard Award nominee this year, is offering a three-course prix fixe dinner for Valentine’s Day. Book your tickets soon before they’re gone. 

Undici - Recently re-opened after renovations, this Italian staple in Rumson is a date-night must! From the menu: house made focaccia, mozzarella di bufala, cacio e pepe, Aperol (or NA’perol) Spritz/

River Pointe Inn - This sister restaurant to Undici with an American/French bistro feel is perfect for a cozy Valentine’s evening. From the menu: moules frites, champignon gratine, chicken au poivre, and caviar and donuts (if you’re going all out).

Palmetto - For a southern twist if you’re missing warmer days, this playful boardwalk spot is perfectly situated to catch some live music at Low Dive after. From the menu: Hot honey brussel sprouts, oysters Palmetto, pimento mac and cheese, boneless fried chicken. 

Of course, romantic dinner dates aren’t the only way to celebrate in February. Here are some other fun, alternative events we’ve seen on the calendar: 

Thursday, Feb 5: Pasta class hosted by Bee’s Pasta Co. at Minnow’s Cafe in Brielle - 6 pm (tickets required)

Thursday, Feb 5: Valentine’s Macaroon Workshop at Anderson Market - 6:30 - 8:30 pm (tickets required)

Thursday, Feb 12: Galentine’s Night Out at Anderson Market ft. local vendor pop-ups, cocktails, and live DJ 6-9 pm (tickets required)

Friday, Feb 13: Anti-Valentine’s Day Songwriting Competition with Meg O’Shea at the Asbury Hotel Soundbooth - 7-10 pm 

Sunday, Feb 15: Singles Awareness Day at RBar, featuring a Pampering Pop-Up in the Greenhouse from 1-5 pm, + Singles & Sob Stories from 5-8 pm on the Main Stage

Monmouth County People in the News

Judy & Harry’s Chef David Viana is one of two NJ chefs to be named a semifinalist for the 2026 James Beard Awards.

Alix Earle Lands a New Reality Series on Netflix - Even though the Rook-drinking dancing queen didn’t take home a mirrorball after DWTS, looks like we’ll still be able to catch her on our TV screens in this new unscripted series about her and her family (Earle grew up in Wall, attended Red Bank Catholic High School, and used to work at Hazel Boutique in Belmar). 

We have gift certificates to the following restaurants that are burning a hole in our pockets! Which one should we try first?

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Weekly Forecast

With the freezing temperatures for the week, it looks like this snow will be staying around for a little while:

Monday 1/26 - 29°/10° Light Snow

Tuesday 1/27 - 22°/8° Sunny

Wednesday 1/28 - 22°/12° Sunny

Thursday 1/29 - 20°/10° Sunny

Friday 1/30 - 22°/10° Sunny

Saturday 1/31 - 26°/15° Sunny

Sunday 2/1 - 26°/15° Party Sunny

And if you were interesting in braving the cold weather to surf, here are the weekly surf conditions in Belmar courtesy of Surf Captain:

Surf Conditions

Mon 1/19

AM: Fair, 4-6 ft

PM: Clean, 3-4+ ft

Tues 1/20

AM: Clean, 1-2 ft

PM: Clean, 1 ft

Weds 1/21

AM: Clean, 0-1 ft

PM: Clean, 0-1 ft

Thurs 1/22

AM: Clean, flat

PM: Clean, 0-1

Farmer’s Market Roundup

Even though it’s the dead of winter, there are still some farmer’s markets that are going strong. Here are our weekly roundup of farmers markets to check out:

And if we are missing any other markets, let us know!

Happenings Down the Shore

Here's our curated list of recommendations this week including a history talk in Fair Haven, 90s hip hop on strings, and plenty of other live music up and down the Shore.

As always, let us know if there’s an event you want the DTS community to know about (just reply to this email).

Monday 1/26

Oceanport - Trivia Night at Skinny Flowers Brewing (6:30 pm)

Tuesday 1/27

Long Branch - Sip and Paint by Renegade Book Club at Beach Bee Meadery (6 pm)

Wednesday 1/28

Fair Haven - Tales of the Peninsula 1880-1930 Historical Talk at Fair Haven Community Center (6:30 pm)

Long Branch - Bingo Night at Beach Bee Meadery (6:30 pm)

Thursday 1/29

Red Bank - The Gab Cinque at Jamian’s (9 pm)

Red Bank - Moses Patrou at Triumph Brewery (8 pm)

Friday 1/30

Asbury Park - Return of Abandoned Outcasts at Low Dive (9 pm)

Belmar - E-Boro Bandits at Marina Grill (7 pm)

Manasquan - Frankie Palmer at Harpoon Willy’s (8:30 pm)

Oceanport - Cranston Dean at Skinny Flowers Brewing (5:30 pm)

Red Bank - The Black Ties at Jamian’s (9 pm)

Red Bank - JoGo Project at Triumph Brewery (9 pm)

West Long Branch - 90’s Hip Hop on Strings at Monmouth University (8:30 pm) (tickets required)

Saturday 1/31

Asbury Park - Pepe Loco, The Gathering at Low Dive (9 pm)

Belmar - Eddie Testa Band at Marina Grill (8 pm)

Holmdel - Samantha Dress at Fox Hollow Vineyard (2 pm)

Manasquan - Kids at Play at Harpoon Willy’s (8:30 pm)

Red Bank - New Jersey Symphony’s Romeo and Juliet at Count Basie Theatre (7:30 pm) (tickets required)

Red Bank - Organ Fairchild at Triumph Brewery (9 pm)

Sunday 2/1

Asbury Park - Swinging Sundays Jazz Night at The Asbury Hotel (7 pm)

Holmdel - Cranston Dean at Fox Hollow Vineyard (2 pm)

Did we miss a an event? Let us know.

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