AJ’s on the River, Gibsonton
Why does food taste better when eaten beside a beautiful body of water? From a pack of cheese crackers to Chateaubriand, I love a good meal riverside, lakeside, or ocean side. A PB&J and a Yoo-hoo at the bank of a babbling brook is enough to satisfy me. Except for the Yoo-hoo; you can save that chocolate water for the rubes back home. Tell ‘em the cherry pit is on me.
When we realized there were some waterfront eateries on the Alafia River not thirty minutes from us, we got excited to try them out. There is no open-air waterfront dining in March back in Pennsylvania. I picked one and we set off in the sporty little runabout.
As I followed GPS directions, I was ear-to-ear teeth when speed-bumped Vaughn Street dead-ended at the bank of a choppy river canopied by a brilliant blue sky.
AJ’s on the River is a metal roof on a plywood box with neon beer signs in the windows—which is all a good bar-and-grub needs to be. With the addition of the deck over the bank of the Alafia River, a good bar-and-grub becomes even better. We pulled into the lot where the parking was plentiful on a late Wednesday afternoon.
AJ’s On the River
9808 Vaughn St (6.14 mi)
Gibsonton, Florida 33534
Phone: (813) 605-4621
Hours: Sunday to Monday – 11:00 AM to 10:30 PM
https://www.facebook.com/ajsontheriver/
Bypassing the inside, we walked toward the deck behind the building. No servers or hosts were present, but we think some scrawl on a chalkboard (all but obliterated by the elements) told us to take a seat and wait for service.
The weathered but well-maintained deck ran the length of the building under a shady roof. High tops, low tops and picnic tables were available as well as a few bright yellow and turquoise tables and umbrellas on a lower level where several piers jutted into the Alafia River. A small cruiser was moored in one of the slips–probably a local who boated in for a bite and a beer.
The mood was laidback with palm-tree and tropical motifs and strings of white lights were hung suspended over the deck. I imagine it looks pretty festive and inviting to boaters passing in the night. A couple tables were occupied by folks chatting over drinks and baskets of food.
The overhanging roof, no doubt a welcomed feature in July, shaded us from the warming sun, but the March winds presently chopping the river surface made the shade a bit too chilly for comfort. This was a planned trip to a riverside restaurant in March, we knew better and should have brought jackets. There were some big un-shaded picnic tables, but we decided to leave those available for a larger group and made do with the hightop we chose.
Blue sky reflected on the windows made a mystery of the inside goings-on, so we were unsure whether our arrival had been noticed. In no time a server came outside with food for waiting guests, grabbed two menus, welcomed us, and took our drink order.
AJ’s on the River offers a simple selection: Seven variations on the hamburger, three pizzas, and seven different sandwiches. Burgers and sandwiches come with a choice of potato salad, coleslaw or potato chips as sides—no fries.
In fact, there are zero appetizers. The decision making has been streamlined to either sandwiches and pizza and it’s a refreshing experience for those of us with poor decision-making skills. There is a kids menu.
The beverage menu listed ten cocktails, premium domestic and import beer on draft and in bottles, wine and cocktails, and canned soda. There were six craft beers listed including four locals: Tampa Bay Brewing co., Three Daughters Brewing, Cigar City Brewing, and Coppertail.
Within a reasonable bit of time, the server returned and took our order. I decided on The Classic Cheeseburger ($7.50) with potato salad and a Miller Lite draft, my wife chose the BBQ Bacon Burger ($8.50) with coleslaw and an iced tea. AJ’s carries soft drinks in cans only and our server suggested a can of Brisk (the tea formerly known as Lipton). My wife accepted and two shakes later, my pint arrived with the can of tea accompanied by a frozen mug—a nice touch.
We drank in the scene as we waited for our food. Just upstream of here the Alafia River widens after flowing under I-75 and at this point is set with houses, boatyards, and treelines. Piers and pilings divide the grassy shores. The steady breeze chopped the water’s surface as flapping flags beat out a rhythm. I sipped my beer, smiled, and probably sighed a few times as I watched a houseboat anchored halfway between the banks drift a narrow arc in the current.
Here’s the problem. I’m not used to taking pictures of my food and I often forget to. With all this scenic relaxing, I never thought to snap some pics once the food came. Next thing I know, the plate is empty with no evidence. I hadn’t yet decided to do a blog, so pics weren’t necessary at the time.
Luckily, several weeks later, we returned with my Aunt and Uncle after a relaxing cruise up the Alafia River in their li’l aluminum dinghy. The cruise was pleasant with lots of cooter sightings and we were growing hungry. So we happily agreed to join them for lunch at AJ’s on the River afterward. No, we didn’t arrive by boat. AJ’s was much further downstream of the ramp and our tour was farther upstream; it was easier to pull out and drive.
From here on, this entry will relate our experience during our first visit to Aj’s on the River. But will feature pictures from our second visit; it was even more enjoyable than the first.
After 15 to twenty minutes of enjoying the scenery, our server returned with our burgers and asked if we needed anything else. We didn’t, so she asked us to enjoy as we opened the sealed sets of plasticware provided in the wire condiment caddies.
The top bun was feathered with chopped iceberg, two rings of onion and two pink rounds of tomato. For me lettuce on a burger is strictly for texture–I prefer the crunch and relative tastelessness of iceberg on a burger and I find peppery greens, like too much raw onion, conflict with the complex beef flavors. The pink tomatoes were a negative, though. [By our second visit and at our third, the tomatoes were bright red and tasty.]
The beef had the telltale signs of being hand formed patty—variable thickness and irregular edges. I’d be great if it was fresh ground beef, but I don’t mind frozen, as long as they taste good. Though in these days of burger prices pushing the $10 mark and rising across the board toward finer dining prices, I may start revoking those passes; that’s for another post.
Our server hadn’t taken a temp on the burgers and on my first visit to a new place I don’t offer if not asked. I like to see what the kitchen puts out by default. The burgers were fully cooked, not a hint of pink, but were juicy and tender; I didn’t need to add salt. If I were to come here again, I don’t think I’d request a rarer temp—the time on the grill made for some crusty browned texture and increased complexity of flavor, and since they stayed moist and tender, why go redder?
The cheddar was nicely melted into the charred nooks of beef and though the flavor wasn’t remarkable it had a nice melty feel and stuck nicely to my teeth when I took a bite. Christa’s melty cheddar blanketed a pile of crisp bacon, topped by a drizzle of barbecue sauce.
Under the patty was a bare, toasted bun. The menu didn’t indicate condiments on the Classic, so I expected to have to squeeze on my own from the tabletop caddy. I have a habit of forgetting to ask for mayo in these situations and my fault is not the server’s responsibility–I stuck with the classic ketchup/mustard duo. Disappointingly, there were no pickle slices, but a dill spear was included on the side with my potato salad.
I married the halves and pressed for full fusion. I noted it’s substantial heft as I brought it to my mouth and sunk my teeth through the soft bun, crisp veg, and tender meat. No additional seasoning was necessary and that cheddar-enhanced, char-grilled beef flavor, though not stunningly complex, made this a tasty burger.
I enjoyed each bite, rotating in a fork-full of potato salad or a bite of pickle here and there to keep time with my wife’s more controlled eating pace. Left alone, I’d have devoured it in a blur of earth tones and flashing teeth.
The potato salad and coleslaw were likely readymades, but I didn’t care. They were both seasoned well and had good flavor with a vinegary tang. The slaw was creamy, the mustardy potatoes held their shape but yielded easily to the bite. The pickle spear was cold, crisp and…a pickle. I popped the last morsel of burger and bun into my mouth, wiped my lips and dusted off my hands: A satisfying meal.
It wasn’t an extraordinary burger, but it is not strictly for the burger that I’d necessarily return. It was an adequate and delicious burger and, with the scenic and bucolic setting, worth the price. A solid burger for under eight dollars with a side included is an endangered species and a pleasure to find. I’d definitely come back to enjoy few cold beers with a view and the comfort of a tasty, reasonably priced sandwiches.
Try as I might, I could only slow my eating so much. As I returned focus to my surroundings I eyed my wife’s plate. A full half remained while she nibbled finch-bites from the other. She was enjoying it, but I made a silent wish that she’d fill up on only half and offer the rest to me. It was not to be so.
I waited patiently for her to finish while watching a new arrival tie up his small cruiser to the pier and walk up to the deck. Our server greeted him by name. We should get a boat….
I like this place and I get it. AJ’s on the River is an unpretentious waterfront bar with a kitchen. They serve adult drinks and tasty, reasonably priced food to people that appreciate the view and the tempo. It’s just what it needs to be and nothing more. And better than a pack of crackers.
AJ’s satisfies the thirsts and growling stomachs of a few friends out cruising on two wheels, a couple taking a Sunday drive with the top down, a family on a weeknight after little-league, a couple of bro’s after a round of golf, or a crusty crew at the end a long, sweaty day at work. Jeans and work boots, chino shorts and top-siders, yoga pants, and training shoes, all seem to fit in on the weathered planks at AJ’s.
AJ’s on the River’s Facebook page is a cascade of images with idyllic views from their deck, past and upcoming live music acts and announcements for specials, Sunday Fundays, TGIF and the like. It looks like a happening place on those particular nights. Live music seems to be standard on Saturdays, Sundays, and Tuesdays with regular acts on schedule and a feature group appearing here and there.
If low key nights are more your thing, a relaxed and inexpensive date night could be had by catching a movie at the Riverview GDX and then scooting on over to sip margaritas and chew on some pizza in the moonlight
The Alafia empties into the Hillsborough bay almost three miles west of here. I imagined the sun setting over the point where the banks come together downstream and made a mental note to come back To Aj’s for dinner and the view in the near future. I’ll try a different sandwich and maybe a margarita or one of the local craft brews.
We’ll see how they cope with a larger crowd, a live band and the mosquitos and heat of late summer. Maybe we’ll put our kayaks in downstream, paddle up, grab bites and beers and then float back down to our car. We need to visit AJ’s a few more times to determine if they are consistent, but online reviews give me hope.
After only one visit, there’s not much I’d change about AJ’s on the River. I wasn’t thrilled with the pink tomatoes [Again, have improved with the summer], but being new to Florida, I don’t yet know much about their tomato growing seasons and need to investigate more. It doesn’t seem right to have a bland pink tomato in the Sunshine State, but it is March so I’m giving a pass here, too. [
It’s reassuring to find a bar menu not beleaguered by mozzarella sticks, wings, and fried pickles. I’d like the option of french fries, but I understand how adding a couple deep fryers would throw a monkey wrench into the kitchen workflow. Buying, filtering, and disposing of oil is more costly than it initially seems, and the proprietors seem focused on nailing down and maintaining quality basics.
That pretty much sums up AJ’s on the River: The basics. Cold drinks, tasty sandwiches, a shady deck on a river bank. Throw in the bonuses of sunset views, the occasional live band, and neighbors docking their boats to join in the fun and you’ve got a simple recipe for easy living. I’ll have some of that. We’ll be back.
Thanks for reading!