| Bridge Street Pier's New Face! |
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| November 27, 2007 |
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Sunday evening my fiance and I decided to drive down to one of my favorite islands, Anna Maria, and have a look around the newly renovated Bridge Street Pier. Bridge Street is not a contrived name. The bridge between Bradenton Beach and the mainland used to connect to the island at Bridge Street. It is the bridge my parents used to drive to Bradenton Beach.
Bridge Street used to be the center of attention in Bradenton Beach, but when the new concrete bridge was built at 5th Street North many decades ago, Bridge Street was bypassed and, quite literally, passed by. The east end of the old wooden bridge was left intact and turned into a fishing pier. But for the shops along Bridge Street, the glory days were over. However, Bridge Street has quietly undergone a remarkable transformation and a facelift. Most recently, the pier on the east side of the island where the old bridge used to be has been nicely renovated.
The pier has a new facade, a lighted boardwalk along the bay with a clock tower, a floating 300 foot day-dock on the south side of the pier, and the restaurant is now operated by Rotten Ralphs, which has for many years had a presence on Anna Maria. The pier also has a bathhouse and restrooms, a bait
and tackle shop, and a Harbormaster's office.
The pier still attracts the usual fishermen and women and kids hoping to catch their own, rather than eat in a restaurant. It's free to fish on the pier. We didn't have our fishing poles with us, so we decided to try our luck at Rotten Ralphs. Not all piers in Florida have their own restaurants. All the piers on Anna Maria Island do. Rotten Ralphs has indoor and outdoor seating. To enjoy the view, I recommend coming before the sun goes down and eating out on deck. You'll have a great view of the bay, the bridge to the island, and the sailboats moored nearby.
We enjoyed strolling along Bridge street before dinner and took a walk out on the beach to enjoy the sunset. Bradenton Beach is a small community, so everything is within two or three blocks.
Don't expect a gourmet meal on a pier, but you can expect a good selection of the staples at Rotten Ralphs. It's no dive.
Another plus: Rotten Ralphs on the pier also serves breakfast! They open at 7am, and we made a note to come back one morning to enjoy a leisurely breakfast as the sun rises over the bay.
Served are the usual seafoods, mostly fried, as well as steak, ribs, and chicken dishes. Dinners are about $13 to $19, but you can get Alaskan Cod British-style fish & chips all-you-can-eat for $9. And they always have free beer, tomorrow.
I ordered the sauteed seafood sampler, which came with carrots and a baked potato. It wasn't gourmet, but it was good. The portions were generous. My dish came with huge sea scallops, shrimp, and a small grouper fillet. I think it was the largest serving of scallops I've ever had. Service was
youthful and inexperienced, but very friendly and enthusiastic.
We enjoyed the fresh breeze off the bay while dining and watched the people walking by to take an evening stroll on the pier, which is exactly what we did after dinner.
We both agreed that we'd like to come back for an outdoor breakfast on the pier.
Soon. Very soon.
Google map of Bridge Street, Bradenton Beach, located at the south end of Anna Maria Island. |
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| The new entrance to the Bridge Street Pier and Rotten Ralph's Restaurant. |
| Credit: David McRee, VISIT FLORIDA Beaches Expert |
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