First-Class Mexican

  In Red Bank, there are two restaurants that most people think of when they are craving Mexican food. First, people think of Jaunito’s, a very popular Mexican restaurant in downtown Red Bank. The second place that pops into people’s minds is Carlos O’Connor’s, a small, festively dressed Mexican eatery. The Mexican restaurant that deserves the most attention and often fails to get it, though, is La Chalupa.
  La Chalupa is a decent sized Mexican restaurant conveniently located right near the Red Bank train stationat 60 Bridge Avenue. In comparison to Juanito’s and Carlos O’Connor’s, La Chalupa definitely has better food and more reasonable prices. I’d say that’s a winning combination.
  First off, La Chalupa is almost always filled with Mexican people. Wouldn’t you think that to be a true testament to the authenticity of the food served there? Personally, I hardly ever see people of Mexican descent entering the doors of Jaunito’s or Carlos O’Connor’s. The taste of true Mexican cooking certainly beats out that of unauthentic Mexican cooking. The difference can be tasted in any dish, even the guacamole.

La Chalupa

  Freshness is another main reason why I enjoyed the food at La Chalupa. All the vegetables were crisp and everything down to the rice was prepared with care. You can tell that pre-prepared dishes have no place in that kitchen.
  Another factor that sets La Chalupa apart from the rest is its prices. Within the past couple years, Juanito’s has remodeled a bit and with that reconstruction came the inflation of their prices. Now, their dishes are pretty expensive. Very reasonable prices can be found at La Chalupa, which is only a block from Juanito’s, and the food is also better than the food you’d pay even more for at Juanito’s. All in all, the food and the prices are just right at La Chalupa. So next time you find yourself craving a good Mexican meal, remember the option of La Chalupa

 -Erin Ziess

Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor of NJCoast.com,
  I was a little disappointed to read the review of Red Bank's Street Life event in your most recent newsletter. I actually performed in this event for the 3rd (or 4th?) year in a row this past July, and I must say I thought the crowd was altogether fun, energetic, appreciative, and superflous (in fact, more so than those of the previous years). As a matter of fact, I actually had a crowd of (at least) 35 people between the ages of 14 and 65 gathered to watch me perform in front of "Down To Earth" on the corner of West Front and Broad for a good 50% of my show. We even had the police pull over on the corner for crowd control when the teens and college-aged listeners started to sing along (at the top of their lungs!) and slam dance/ mosh!! When the crowd wouldn't disperse at 10 (our scheduled stop time) we wound up playing until almost 11, having to turn in our signs and pick up our checks the following day because Funk
‘N’ Standard (the "headquarters" of the event) was already closed by the time we packed it all up! The beauty of it is that we got it all on video (one of my students came with her parents, who in turn brought a camcorder!)
  So as you can see, I was surprised to read the review of the event in your newsletter!
  Maybe next time the reviewer could continue down to the end of Broad Street for a more accurate account ?? We had a great time, and I think River Center did a wonderful job at drawing a crowd... at least in our area.

 -Samantha Kane
Local singer-songwriter & Berkley College of Music graduate