Thirty-two - Biloxi, Mississippi

By Jane Feehan

IP Casino Resort
850 Bayview Ave.
Biloxi MS 39530
888-WIN at IP
Sunday-Thursday: 5 - 10 p.m.
Friday and Saturday: 5 – 11 p.m.

Up, up and away … that’s “thirty-two” – the upscale restaurant on the 32nd floor of the IP Casino and Resort, tallest building in town. With a great view of Biloxi’s Back Bay from the lounge and a view of the Gulf from the dining area, thirty-two offers a wonderful dining experience.

I started my meal with their signature thirty-two salad: arugula, mesclun greens, grapefruit, bleu cheese and walnut bits, dressed in champagne vinaigrette. Excellent. The main course of red snapper was salt water fresh and the accompanying butter lemon sauce was served appropriately on the side. No covering up these goods with sauce – as if it were a dare to find fault with the fish, which I couldn’t. Most everything is ala carte. I ordered creamed spinach, which was very light (I could actually taste spinach) instead of the usual tasteless quasi-cement mixture presented by many other dining establishments. A variety of breads was served with both baked garlic and butter. Since everything was so good – and relatively light in calories – I decided to try dessert. Their Southern Fried Fruit Pie served with sour cream ice cream was a winner; it wasn’t too heavy or too sweet, a perfect ending to a memorable meal.

Thirty-two offers Allen Brothers steaks for beef lovers. They also serve a fairly good collection of single malt scotches as well as good wines from an extensive list. This place is expensive – about $150-200 for two with just two glasses of wine each. It’s worth it in so many ways. If you seek the experience without the big tab, eat in the lounge from the appetizer menu while listening to live music. Try it either way; you’ll love it. Service: excellent.
© 2009

Tien - Biloxi, Mississippi

At IP Casino Resort
850 Bayview Ave.
Biloxi MS 39530
888-WIN at IP
Wednesday-Thursday: 5 p.m.– 10 p.m
Friday-Saturday: 5 p.m.- 11- p.m.
Sunday-Tuesday: Closed

By Jane Feehan

My search for authentic Asian food in Biloxi took me to Tien at the IP Casino and Resort. I sampled vegetable pot stickers ($6.00), “authentic” Vietnamese spring rolls ($6.00) and a main course, Tom Xao Cai or shrimp and vegetables ($18.00).

To my disappointment, none of the dishes were good: pot stickers - overcooked and presented with an unremarkable sauce with far too much lemon (out of a bottle maybe?); spring rolls - thick-crusted, oversized, greasy,obviously frozen, and certainly not the real thing. I’ve never seen broccoli rabe as the featured vegetable in an Asian dish but that’s what I got with the main course - a large, tough piece unmanageable with chopsticks and drenched in an unimaginative, tasteless sauce. The shrimp were excellent, as I expected them to be in Biloxi, one of the shrimping centers of the Gulf Coast.

Tien’s large menu also features teppanyaki, noodles, sushi and Chinese American entrees. Hopefully other selections will please some less discriminating palates. The restaurant opens to a view of the casino. Atmosphere and service: Excellent.
© 2009

Bonefish Grill - Biloxi, Mississippi

Bonefish Grill
2600 E. Beach Blvd. (at Edgewater Mall)
Biloxi, Mississippi 39531
228-388-0009
Open Sunday –Thursday 4 p.m. -10:30
Friday-Saturday 4 p.m.–11:30

By Jane Feehan

I don’t usually critique chain restaurants, but Bonefish Grill (owned by the corporation that started up the hugely successful Outback) deserves a mention. I’ve been to five or six throughout the country and only one, in Iowa, was not particularly good.

On the Mississippi Coast, if you’re looking for consistently fresh seafood that’s not fried and comes at a reasonable price, stop at Bonefish Grill in Biloxi. This eatery is kind to the dieter. Grouper is excellent as is Norwegian salmon. There’s a variety of sauces to choose from. They have an unusual vegetable medley of tomatoes, sliced red and yellow peppers, a dollop of spinach and two kinds of squash. If seafood is not your thing, try their steaks; their Outback steak savvy makes a beef entrée a winning choice. Meals are served with a basket of warm sour dough bread and a dish of olive oil sprinkled with cheese.

Try the starter menu if you don’t have a big appetite. You can make a meal out of such items as Bang Bang Shrimp, crab cakes or Mussels Josephine. They have a great wine list and interesting cocktail menu. Good happy hour. I recommend sitting in the lounge area at a booth. Smoking is permitted there, however. Menus vary by location. Check out their website for full menu and prices. Service is good.© 2009

Other Outback Restaurants: www.outback.com
Carrabba's Italian Grill: www.carrabbas.com
Roy's Restaurants: www.roysrestaurant.com
Fleming's Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar: www.flemingssteakhouse.com

White Cap Seafood Restaurant Gulfport, Mississippi

White Cap Seafood Restaurant
560 Beach Blvd. (new location since Hurricane Katrina)
Gulfport, Mississippi 39507
Tuesday-Thursday 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m.
Friday and Saturday 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m.
228-604-4444 (Note: Phone seems to be infrequently answered)


By Jane Feehan

(Also see Dec. 17, 2009 post for more details)

After nearly four years the White Cap Seafood Restaurant is back. As it did to so many other restaurants, Hurricane Katrina knocked this one out of its original location - dockside at the Gulfport small craft harbor. It’s now on Beach Boulevard with an unobstructed view of the Mississippi Sound. Best of all, the kitchen is turning out the same good food it has during its 37-year history.

I knew I was in for a treat when the dinner salad came out on a perfectly chilled plate. It was just about the freshest salad I’ve had along the Coast. Dressed in thinly sliced dill pickles and onions and with firm tomato wedges, the salad - with bleu cheese dressing on the side - set my taste buds on alert for the main course. I ordered lump meat crab cakes, which were made fresh and set atop a serving of perfectly cooked pasta with a white sauce. Quite toothsome, indeed. A signature White Cap hush puppy came with the dinner – the best I’ve had in years.

With oysters, shrimp, seafood platters, and po’boys aplenty, there’s something for everyone with nearly any sized pocketbook. This inexpensive restaurant offers a very casual setting. I recommend eating in the bar area for more atmosphere – no smoking. There are two large televisions for sports enthusiasts and a number of tables in that area. Service – good. Open, serving the same menu for lunch and dinner, seven days a week. © 2009

For restaurants in Oxford, Mississippi, visit www.eatingoxford.com

Back Bay Seafood Restaurant - Gulfport, Mississippi

Back Bay Seafood Restaurant
1458 Magnolia Street (east and off Cowan Rd.)
Gulfport, Mississippi 39507
Phone number: 228-248-0505
Lunch: Monday through Friday – 11 am – 2 pm
Dinner: 5 pm – 10 pm Monday through Thursday
Dinner 5 pm – 11 pm Friday and Saturday
No lunch Saturdays
Parking underneath and around the building
Stairway to dining area – no elevator

By Jane Feehan

Back Bay is located at the old site of Tug’s Wharf in Gulfport. It was opened in mid-June by Rob Stinson who, with partners, also owns Lookout 49 and Salute, both in Gulfport. That said, it may be a bit premature to give this place a proper review, but because of its early popularity warrants a comment or two.

My visit wasn’t a culinary experience BUT the place has lots of potential and is already a busy watering hole for the over 40 crowd.

Don’t let the spot and the exterior of the place throw you off. It’s on stilts - a rustic looking joint on its façade – with a newly renovated interior. The full bar is a semicircular affair with a great view of the back bay, thus its moniker. An upper level porch encircles the interior dining area providing a great place to gather with friends for a casual meal and interesting vista, especially at sunset.

Now for the food.

The menu, a large one (and perhaps one of the problems), offers a variety of appetizers from $4.25-$9.25. I chose to start things off with their Sea Bread, dressed with small shrimp, bits of crawfish and ham and dressed with a light, flavorful sauce. It was tasty and enough for three or four people.

For the main course, I picked grouper for $13. About eight or nine sauces are listed to choose from ($2.99-$4.99) so I decided on “Sway Sway,” a lemon juice and basil concoction, but was told they were out of basil. My second choice was a spinach, artichoke and parmesan mixture – far too heavy for the grouper, which was not freshly caught but frozen. Not a good thing for a place claiming to be a seafood restaurant.

The mixed vegetables I ordered as a side was a medley of squash, zucchini and onion. Cooked in the same spicy mixture as the grouper, the vegetables didn't complement the meal; rather, save for the difference in textures, it was difficult to discern fish from vegetable.

When I return (and I plan to), I’ll stick to one of their many appetizers – perhaps seafood stuffed mushrooms or a shrimp-filled martini glass topped with remoulade. Or I may try their pasta and crawfish. There’s pork, chicken and steak dishes for the landlubbers. Service:Good
© 2009

More about the Mississippi Gulf Coast at: http://www.gulfcoast.org/
How about some Paula Deen Cajun Seafood Balls at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/cajun-seafood-balls-recipe/index.html