Its food and service make Anthony J’s a star
ANN BALDELLI/SPECIAL TO THE DAY your table — you cook your own protein. The menu offered a Seafood Scampi ($28), Steak Teriyaki ($24), or Spiced Chicken ($22) on the rocks, and we listened to the sizzle of steak cooking at the table beside us as the customers there prepared their dinners.
We went traditional, ordering Veal Parmesan ($28) from the regular menu and the Pork Chop ($28) from the day’s specials.
The pork chop was the standout. It was prepared perfectly — Panko-crusted and pan fried and cooked medium, as requested — and served with double vegetables. The dish typically comes with mashed potatoes, but we asked for something green to be substituted instead and got a delicious arugula salad on top of the chop that was resting on a bed of cooked asparagus. I don’t want to use the word perfectly a second time — but, well, the asparagus was perfectly cooked. Not too hard and not too soft, but firm, and, well, here I go again, perfectly seasoned and flavorful.
The Veal Parmesan was not nearly as good. It was tasty enough and pretty much what you would expect, but it couldn’t stand up to the pork chop. The veal was nestled on a bed of green and white fettuccini with San Marzano sauce on both the pasta and the protein, and it was just too much red sauce. The veal was kind of swimming in it. We had been tempted to order the Yellowtail Flounder ($28) from the day’s specials but were foiled by the Veal Meatballs, convinced we needed more veal.
Our waitress couldn’t have been more helpful and attentive and, in talking to us, said she’d been at Anthony J’s a dozen years. That says something about a place.
Tourists definitely find their way into the downtown Mystic restaurant, but for decades, a contingent of local, loyal followers have filled the bar and dining room. Known as AJ’s by the regulars, the establishment bills itself as “an intimate Italian bistro offering a jazzy international ambience,” and well, yes, it does kind of feel like that. Depending on where you sit, it can be dark inside, with some brick and stone walls, but there’s another space, with good-sized windows looking out over Holmes Street. And in season, there are bistro tables along the sidewalk, and customers happily fill them.
We were too full for dessert on our recent visit, but we momentarily considered the Chocolate Bag for Two ($18), just because it sounded so decadent. It’s a chocolate shell, filled with dense pound cake and seasonal berries, soaked in blackberry brandy and topped with ice cream and rolled cookies. Holy moly.
Lunch is also good at AJ’s, and I can attest to having had several of the salads, the soups, and the Broccoli Rabe with Sausage ($14), and they all exceeded expectations. One day when we went, they had a special salad piled high with Romaine, cucumbers, red onion, kalamata olives, and feta cheese, and we topped it with grilled chicken. It was light and filling at the same time, and worth ordering again.
There are multiple dining options in and around Mystic, and Anthony J’s certainly should be high on your list.