Downtown Red Bank to Get a Good Sear

The message is simple: “Up from the Ashes rises Char.”

Char Steakhouse, located in Raritan on Route 202, is opening a new location in downtown Red Bank at the site of the long-closed Ashes Cigar Bar, at least according to signs posted in each window.

Char, which dubs itself a premier steakhouse, provides a New York City-style atmosphere in central New Jersey. Calls seeking comment from Char ownership were not returned Monday evening or Tuesday morning.

Ashes Cigar Bar has been closed for more than a year after its owners lost their liquor license. owner George Lyristis said previously he had been interested in . While that never came to fruition, he said the centrally-located storefront on Broad Street was a mark against Red Bank as long as it remained empty.

It appears as though that’s no longer the case.