AJ’s Place serves customers a delicious menu ‘we all grew up with’

EastIdahoNews.com reporter Rett Nelson, right, visiting with AJ’s Place owners Alan Ritchie and JD Henderson over a burger made with mushrooms, onions, lettuce, pickles and tomato. We sampled this and other items, which you can watch in the video above. | Video by Jordan Wood, EastIdahoNews.com

IDAHO FALLS – JD Henderson and Alan Ritchie couldn’t be happier with the community’s response to their restaurant, bar and performance venue.

AJ’s Place opened last April at 1560 Lindsay Boulevard in Idaho Falls. The couple invited EastIdahoNews.com to sample some of the menu, which you can watch in the video above.

“We tried to design the menu around what we all grew up with as kids,” Ritchie tells EastIdahoNews.com.

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One of the most popular items is the build-a-burger, a hamburger made any way the customer wants it. Ours was made with pickles, onions, lettuce, tomato and bacon, and every bite was fantastic.

The build-a-burger at AJ’s Place | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com

The owners also served us a chicken cordon bleu burger, made with breaded chicken breast, ham, provolone cheese, lettuce and tomato. It’s so good, Henderson says she had two the first day they added it to the menu.

Chicken cordon bleu burger | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com

The burgers wouldn’t be complete without sides like finger steaks, onion rings, tater tots or zucchini sticks.

“I don’t even like zucchini, but I love those zucchini sticks!” Henderson says of the best-selling side. They’re deep-fried with breading on the outside.

Zucchini sticks at AJ’s Place | Rett Nelson, EastIdahoNews.com

A variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks are available. We tried two mocktails, the raspberry and huckleberry dream. Both drinks are made on the rocks with triple sec — a non-alcoholic syrup that gives it a citrusy flavor — fruit flavoring and 7UP.

Though alcoholic drinks are available, the couple says the venue is a family-friendly environment and they want locals to feel comfortable bringing their kids for dinner and a night of entertainment.

AJ’s Place is open Wednesday through Monday from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m.