Southern Eats at Vilano Beach
- Aunt Kate's
- 612 Euclid Ave. St. Augustine, FL 32084
Aunt Kate's
My husband was looking for a family-friendly lunch destination on our latest trip to St. Augustine. After driving south down 95 for a bit and doing some shopping, we'd worked up an appetite. We weren't feeling like diving into the heart of downtown St. Augustine and getting our usual fix at The Florida Cracker. We were open to something new, uncharted. This waterside dining location was a fantastic find for our slow Saturday family adventure day.
Near Vilano, Feeling Hungry
Aunt Kate's isn't on the St. Johns River or even directly facing the ocean. It is right near the shore, on the intercoastal. The tables overlook the bank of the Tolomoto River. Head to Vilano Beach, drive up the Jimmy Buffet Memorial Highway until you get to The Reef. Right about then, take a left into the lush wooded area and down the side road.
It's over 100 years old, and it has the broad boughs of the Cypress trees protecting over the roost of cars in the restaurant parking lot to prove it. The large building was older, and the decor was casual, classy, down-home. The name truly fits.
Peppers, Ribs, & Wings
The menu offers a range of seafood items, including peel and eat shrimp, crab legs, Ahi tuna, fried fish baskets, and much more. I was intrigued by the number of items featuring Datil Peppers. So, rather than opting for buffalo chicken, we ordered wings with Datil Sauce. It was amazing! Just the right amount of spice, sweetness, and lots of flavor. It was very different than the heaps of barbecue sauce globbed onto the ribs we also sampled. The ribs were also delicious and had plenty of tender meat.
But back to the wings. They have sizable portions, with 10 wings in the appetizer. These wings also were plump, and totally doused in sauce. I'm not a fan of that dry rub or drizzled sauce life. I prefer to have wings that require extra napkins. The Datil wings did.
My husband got a sizable, tasty, and perfectly cooked hamburger. My daughter had a kid's serving of ribs covered in sauce. She ate half and the restaurant, and the other half when we got home.
I had an IPA from a local brewery that was refreshing. Lucy had lemonade. Michael had a Coke. It was a hot September day, and the libations were necessary.
You Ain't Ever Had Their Cornbread
Maybe we just went in hungry, because everything we had was a hit. The THREE different kinds of cornbread we tried were great too. They had datil (naturally), applesauce, and pumpkin bread. And in true Southern form, there was a special sweet butter to add to it.
There are large seating areas inside and outside. There are some nice docks to wander down and look at the water. It has some of the same waterside charm as The Conch House, but is much more down home, and the food flavors were more complex.
