Battle and Brews: Rediscovering Bound Brook
Bound Brook is the oldest and most historic town in Somerset County, New Jersey. In early April 2017 I had the opportunity to tour the downtown area on a bar crawl called “Battle and Brews”, where we toured different restaurants and bars to learn about all the new things coming to Bound Brook.
Bound Brook, located along the Raritan River, was settled in the late 1600s. Although the downtown area was once affected by flooding from the river, it is now out of the flood zone thanks to the Special Improvement District (SID). Working with the SID, the Bound Brook Revitalization Partnership is bringing new businesses and events to strengthen the area. The vision of the Bound Brook Revitalization Partnership (BBRP) is for Bound Brook, NJ to be a preferred destination where people want to live, work and visit.
We met in front of the The Historic Brook Arts Center (10 Hamilton St) a classic vaudeville theater that was built in 1927. The theater remains mostly unchanged, however due to flooding they are going through a major renovation. They do a few shows a year there, and once it’s fully restored will be welcoming big acts like they did in the past.
Now for the bar crawl! The event was organized by EMI Strategy, a very cool consulting firm specializing in economic development marketing and tourism planning services.
Stop 1: Cheers Sports Bar Cafe (13 Hamilton St)
This local watering hole features latin cuisine, DJs, and sports on TV.
After Cheers, we stopped in the Hamilton Street Gallery to view their latest exhibit, “The Elephant in the Room”. The gallery is an exhibition space for contemporary visual art featuring established artists residing in Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey. Shows last for 6 to 8 weeks
On our way to the next bar we also learned about this plaque:
The tavern was where they read the Declaration of Independence out loud to patrons in 1776.
Stop 2: The Wine Room (12 Church St)
The Wine Room is a really cool space where people can make their own wine by the barrel by using a step-by-step process with professional winery equipment from Italy and grapes shipped from California. We had a wine tasting, got a tour of the space, and got to know what they do there including hosting private events.
Stop 3: Imperial Bar (200 Talmage Ave)
The Imperial Bar is a restaurant, bar, and club where you can host private events. It was there I fell is love…with the largest paella I’ve ever seen:
They also have live music…so it’s a fun spot to check out!
Stop 4: Trackside Bar & Grill (204 E Main St)
The Trackside is a bar, grill, and lounge. We had an AMAZING sampler of food from there as well:
Stop 5: Mama Rosina’s (350 Main St)
Located next to the train station, the building for Mama Rosina’s has been unchanged since 1913. Mama Rosina’s has been there since 1963 featuring fantastic Italian food.
The event changed the old ticketing booth into a bar!
Stop 6: Bound Brook Hotel (507 E Main St)
This old hotel has been around since the 1700s and features original decor from the Waldorf Astoria in NYC. It’s currently a sports bar that hosts live music. I enjoyed a $2 mimosa…or 3.
Along the tour we also learned some fun facts about Bound Brook including the knowledge that the Graham Cracker was invented there in 1929 by a local pastor, Sylvester Graham, who thought the his cracker would cure lust.
I can’t wait to see what is coming to Bound Brook! I look forward to visiting again!
About the Bound Brook Revitalization Partnership:
The mission of the Bound Brook Revitalization Partnership (BBRP) doing business in the Special Improvement District (SID) is to serve the Bound Brook Community by aggressively working to improve and enhance the business climate and development opportunities within the downtown SID. This mission shall be accomplished through the creation of a non-partisan, comprehensive, Five Year Business Strategy accompanying, action-oriented, annual work plans based on the philosophy as listed below:
1. The development of a dynamic promotional campaign that includes general image/branding building, special events promotion and retail event sponsorships.
2. The enhancement of Downtown Bound Brook’s physical environment through promotional thoughtful planning and control of business district design, including window and signage design, maintenance issues including those dealing with historic preservation and safety as well as coordination of zoning issues.
3. The expansion of cultural, commercial, institutional, transportation, recreational and residential opportunities through aggressive economic restructuring programs and committees.
You can find them on their Website and Facebook.
