Mississippi takes its Gulf Coast seafood seriously. “We have amazing fish here, from the Gulf to the Mississippi River watershed,” says chef Austin Sumrall of White Pillars Restaurant & Lounge in Biloxi. Sumrall’s restaurant showcases the best of the Gulf ’s fisheries with seasonal shrimp, crawfish, redfish, blue crabs, softshells, and oyster dishes, but he says celebrating local ingredients isn’t limited to seafood, and Coastal Mississippi’s reputation as a place for outstanding food in general is on the rise. “Coastal Mississippi is a culinarily ambitious place with a laid-back attitude,” he says.
From Pascagoula to Waveland, you’ll find James Beard Award finalists, layers of international flavors, and plant-based offerings. Not to mention a master Cicerone, a rare recognition in the beer world, equivalent to a wine sommelier. And all this bounty sits along one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world—the perfect combination for a summertime destination dining adventure.
After you’ve had your fill of dishes like Sumrall’s softshell crab with crawfish curry, visit Biloxi’s other notable stops, including Fly Llama Brewing, where owner and brewmaster David Reese—the only master Cicerone in Mississippi and one of only twenty-eight in the world—brews thirty-two craft beers. Then consider making a reservation at BR Prime at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, a quintessential American steak house, for a special occasion or date night.
That should be far from your final stop, though, says Sumrall. He recommends visiting some of his best chef friends at nearby Vestige in Ocean Springs, Thorny Oyster in Bay St. Louis, and Radish in Long Beach.
In April, chef Alex Perry’s Vestige was named one of the five finalists in the James Beard Outstanding Restaurant category and is known for its prix fixe tasting menu that pairs local flavors with Japanese techniques, such as crawfish tails and tomatoes floating in a smoky jasmine-scented cream.
Similarly sophisticated tastes in a comfortable space are the vibe at Thorny Oyster in Bay St. Louis. Naturally, you’ll find riffs on the namesake bivalve, but you’ll also discover creative interpretations like frog legs with hot sauce and buttermilk ranch or bouillabaisse featuring the day’s fresh catch along with Gulf shrimp, scallops, mussels, and grilled focaccia for soaking up every drop of chef Jeffrey Hansell’s trademark broth.
Before hitting the road for home, head to Long Beach’s Radish, where chef William Rester weaves time-honored Southern techniques into farm-fresh ingredients, like the Long Beach Red, a once wildly popular local radish variety, enjoyed as a bar snack dipped in butter and salt. At Radish, you can taste it roasted with chimichurri. Then settle in with some crab beignets, Gulf shrimp scampi, or eggplant purloo with sides like collards or corn maque choux.
Ready to make a reservation?
Plan your destination dining trip to Coastal Mississippi at CoastalMississippi.com
