Not Just Another Roadhouse
By Rosanna Trestman

Lucky for us, Norfolk now has a choice of four local dining establishments. But it may come as a surprise that a fifth restaurant has been quietly tucked behind the scene all along.
Located in Goshen, just a quarter of a mile west of the rotary, A.J.’s Steak & Pizza has been serving up fine food in an unpretentious atmosphere for 18 years. From the road, A.J.’s looks like your typical pizza parlor, but insiders know to circle around the back where an undistinguished door opens into a classic bar and grill.
Mark Wasco, A.J.’s founder and owner for almost two decades, has been in the food business since he was a boy growing up in Naugatuck, Conn. His father owned restaurants in the region. The younger Wasco started doing dishes at 14, working his way up to owning his own restaurant at 23.
Despite her son’s passion for his father’s line of work, Wasco’s mother emphatically discouraged this choice of career. “I saw the downside from my mom’s point of view,” Wasco acknowledges, “she raised us kids practically alone while our dad worked late hours, weekends and most holidays. She threatened that if I followed in his footsteps, I should pack my bags and leave.”
Which he did. After pursuing an optical career for five years, Wasco bought a historic, very dilapidated Connecticut inn, which he and friends single handedly renovated. It was here that he cut his teeth as a restaurateur. After working briefly in Florida, Wasco chose to return up north and headed for Litchfield County, where a realtor steered him to the present location of A.J.’s.
The building previously housed “Punky’s Pub.” The kitchen was trashed, video games and pool tables took up most of the floor space and it was a popular hangout for a very rough crowd. An evening at Punky’s might feature a knife fight or brandished guns.
Wasco wanted to erase any association with the former establishment. His first order of business was to rid the joint of Punky’s clientele. “It took 15 years to evict them,” says Wasco. Part of the purge was to change the name to A.J.’s after his children, Alicia and Josh.
These days most people don’t remember a time when the spot on Route 4 was called anything but A.J’.s. Old timers will tell you that the food gets better every year. It also evolves with the times. Craft beers now round out the draft selection. Following culinary trends, bison meat and produce comes from Goshen farms. Wasco shrugs, “Living where we do, we’ve been swept up in the farm to table trend. You know the produce is fresh when it’s grown down the road.”
Free peanuts are an A.J.’s trademark. Not just a basket, a barrel. After ordering their beer, regulars know to grab a basket at the peanut barrel and fill ‘er up. Shells are swept to the floor. A sign over the barrel proclaims, “Since opening in 1995, A.J.’s has given away over $74,880 in peanuts. That’s over 33 tons. And that’s not peanuts.”
Despite its remote location and low profile, A.J.’s has quite a following, which rotates with the seasons: skiers in winter, fishermen from the Housie, spectators from Lime Rock, summer lake people, and the Harley crowd anytime it’s nice out. Wasco remembers when his customer base grew to include children, “Suddenly, one Friday night I looked around and saw all these little kids jumping on peanut shells.” Punky would faint.
The menu ranges from typical bar food to pan-seared tuna. Nightly specials are a big attraction: Monday is burger night. The burger is huge with limitless toppings (try jalapeños, sautéed mushrooms or gorgonzola). It comes with sides for an impressive $7.99. Even more remarkable are Tuesday’s hand cut steak dinners for $10.99 and Wednesday’s seafood menu that features raw oysters. Nothing starts frozen.
Alicia and Josh, now grown, have been lured to restaurant life. Alicia manages, waits tables and orders food and Josh is in training while he attends school.
With their recipe of great food at great prices, it looks like A.J.’s will be serving food to a full house for decades to come.
And that’s not peanuts.