All men deserve to be indulged.
Some, with women. Some, with whiskey. Some, with wine.
Some, with a hand, razor shave and a warm (piping hot, actually) towel preceded, first, by a first class barber cut.
You kinda get all four indulgences here.
So, I'm staying at the Molly Pitcher Inn for (another) wedding (my brother's this time, again) and it's 3:30pm and pictures are at 4:30pm on a Saturday. So, I run into Red Bank and pray to the Barber & Beauty Gods (if there be Gods at all) that I might find a miracle: a Shave and a Haircut in less than 30 minutes so I can get back to the hotel room and shower, shampoo and shine my shoes after slipping into my new suit for pictures (admit it, you didn't think I was gonna say 'shine my shoes', but I digress...)
So, back to the very real and true story on May 16th of 2009, where the Beauty Gods bestowed one of the best barber cuts and hand, straight razor shaves ever. Every bit as good as (gasp!) that love of my life: Frank's Chop Shop in NYC (Lower East Side).
So, I walk in. I get offered some wine (nice!) by a lovely lady (very nice!) and then this brilliant barber comes swaying out to the sounds of Elvis and leads me to The Chair, surrounded by dark wood paneling and feeling every bit as swank as a cigar bar, except I'd leave that chair looking better than when I walked in. Who wouldn't love that?
Best part: my barber LOVED what he does / did. He's the owner. Comes from like 42 generations of Italian? barbers. Seriously. Ok, not 42. But from a long line (his dad, his grandpa, etc.). And after his stints in military and corporate life, he went back to what he loved: being a barber. That's the kind of guy I want holding a straight razor to my neck, if I have to have a guy holding a straight razor to my neck.
It rocked. All of it.
Now, I'm a real, bona fide customer. I got paid nothing. I got nothing for free (but, dang, only $50 bucks for a straight razor, hand shave and a haircut and tip!!!). I just really loved my experience here that much and had no problem dropping a few Andrew Jacksons on the lovely lady at the counter.
My only complaint: he hasn't advertised enough, cause if I'd known he was there I would have treated the male part of the wedding party to some cuts and shaves that day as a treat for my brotherly soon-to-be ex-bachelor and reserved the place for a few hours that afternoon for just us. He said he'd even do it for a wedding party, etc. Also said he was going to put a deck out back to lounge and drink and smoke cigars. Real men do that kinda stuff.
Be a real man. Indulge yourself with some Old World lovin'.
Bottom line: Great barber. Great atmosphere.
Warning: This is NOT the kind of $8 barber cut where you go in and see Wayne, who's like 60, and then you get the same buzz cut everyone else got who has walked into that barber shop for the past 23 years. Nope. This place is NOTHING like that. It's straight up Style. Real barber cuts. The dude is a straight up Maestro with the clippers. read more