Newly posh Downtown Café poised for summer
Renovations double size of popular venue
BY MELISSA KARSH Staff Writer

RIC SUCAR staff Renovations doubled the space of the Downtown Café in Red Bank and revamped the interior of the popular club, which its new owners say retains its casual ambiance.

RED BANK- As the days get longer and the temperature rises, the owners of the Downtown Café are gearing up for their first summer season in the newly renovated venue.

"We are just looking to see what the summer months bring us," said Matt Wagman, co-owner of the West Front Street establishment.

After 18 months of renovations, Wagman along with Downtown co-owner and Red Bank native Dan Lynch are finally enjoying the fruits of their labor and are going about "business as usual" for their first summer back.

"Opening these places is a lot of work, and the last three years of our company has been a really intense period of expansion besides the Downtown," said Wagman. "We are going to sit tight and do the best job we can with the existing venues."

Besides the Downtown Café - or the Downtown, as it is referred to by locals - Wagman and Lynch, who first met in the financial arena, also own upscale Red Bank restaurant Red, located on Broad Street.

Wagman said that in addition to the two restaurants they own in Red Bank, the entrepreneurial duo have opened five venues in Manhattan over the past 10 years.

"The reception so far has been overwhelmingly positive," Wagman said of the new Downtown. "We've had an unbelievable turnout every day we've been open so far."

He added, "We really want to get everyone in and see the Downtown."

Although, he warns that due to capacity issues, those who turn out on weekends may have to wait in line before gaining access to the venue.

Wagman said the first thing most people notice is that they have expanded the size of the Downtown.

"We bought the building next door and knocked down the wall in between and combined the two buildings, essentially," saidWagman.

He said the expansion included the top and bottomfloors of the restaurant, resulting in theDowntown doubling in size.

"We removed the third floor so we essentially have a double height area where the live music is," saidWagman.

He said the newly opened watering hole has continued in the tradition of the old Downtown with live music downstairs Sunday through Thursday and then upstairs and downstairs Friday and Saturday.

"The great thing about livemusic is, on different evenings you can appeal to different demographics. Some nights music is definitely geared toward people in their 40s, 50s or 60s, and then we've had some groups that pull a crowd that's average age is 25," said Wagman, adding, "So it's really been all over, and it's really been great to see."

The Web site is currently under construction, but when it is finished it will include a full calendar of upcoming acts, Wagman said.

Other changes to the interior of the Downtown include a larger, more easily accessible rectangular downstairs bar, larger windows and storefront, and large panel flat-screen televisions installed throughout.

Changes to the outside include a cleaned-up, brighter façade with attention to the original detailing of exposed brick and dark brown mahogany wood.

The bathrooms and kitchen have also been expanded and revamped.

"[The Downtown] was pretty run down before the renovation," said Wagman,who alongwith Lynch purchased the property in 2004. "The Downtown was an awesome venue, but I think anyone who went there and loved it would agree it needed a little love. The idea all along was to create a nice, cleaned-up version of the Downtown."

Wagman said the Downtown's menu has also changed with the addition of new chef Dominick Guliano from one of the New York City venues.

The newmenu is a casual diningmenu with large plates meant to be shared and includes burgers, sandwiches and salads.

In a nod to the old Downtown, sushi is still served in the back room, said Wagman.

He said the most popular itemon the menu is the sliders (mini burgers), which are loved by both adults and children.

Wagman said an excess of $1 million was invested in the project.

"We wanted to make it a really casual experience where you can come through with no pretense and just enjoy yourself and come back to that basic experience of just going out," said Wagman.

The Downtown, located at 8 West Front St., is open from 11:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. seven days a week.