Beau Rivage has one of the best pool layouts
Best BBQ when you need
a time-out from seafood
Best oysters
any which-way
Half Shell Oyster House takes
great pride in serving the finest
quality, hand selected Gulf oysters.
They continually shuck them
throughout the day to ensure the
freshest oysters possible. The
no-stress way to go is with the
Best of the Best, a combination of
three Charbroiled Oysters, three
Oysters Bienville, three Oysters
Rockefeller and three Oysters
Orleans. All I needed to go along
with this was a half-dozen, pristine
raw oysters to get my juices flowing.
Extra credit points for the warm
French Quarter decor which includes
wrought iron, high ceilings, brick
walls, classic lighting fixtures,
stained glass and a copper bar.
IT: Non-oyster lovers (horrors) can
enjoy a variety of other seafood
specialties, steaks, pasta, Po’boys,
salads and New Orleans favorites
such as gumbo and shrimp & grits.
After my very first visit I joined
the ranks of “Shed Heads”- loyal
followers of The Shed, Barbeque
& Blues Joint. What started out as a
little 300 square foot take-out spot
has grown into 9,570 sq.ft. hangout.
The Shed offers the complete
package…superb, fall-of-the-bone
“Que”, a whole line-up of awardwinning Junk Free sauces, great beer
selection, bonfires to huddle around,
and kickin’ live music (for free!!!)
There’s even a Shed Pimp (with his
own business card) to hold open the
door for you. No wonder it recently
scored 1st Place Winner in Whole Hog
Competition at Memphis in May 2013!
IT: A nother resto that helpfully
offers combo platters, for peeps
like me who can never decide which
way to go. The go-to answer is their
Shed Sampler Platter with Baby
Back Ribs, Spare Ribs, Pork, Brisket,
Chicken, and Sausage served with
3 sides and 2 BBQ breads.
Best swanky steak house
fit for your highest
Jimmy Choo’s
BR Prime, located in the Beau Rivage
Casino & Resort, is the Coast’s
premier, upscale steakhouse and
a perfect choice for a glam evening
on the town. Exemplary service
(every request was met with a
sincere “My pleasure”) stylish décor
(more sparkle than a Swarovski
boutique due to the dining room’s
glass wine towers that house over
3,000 bottles-with at least another
10,000 in the cellar) and a
sophisticated menu virtually
guarantee a memorable evening.
Kick off the festivities with a little
wizardry provided by the liquid
nitrogen added to a unique line-up
of fruit martinis followed by the
Grand Seafood Platter, laden with
Maine lobster, shrimp, oysters, king
crab legs, crab cocktail. BR Prime
specializes in USDA Prime beef,
much of which is dry aged in-house
for 28-days, so this would be the
time to get down for some serious
meat-eating.
IT: B.R.’s Executive Chef, Joseph
Friel, cooked for years at NYC’s
finest restaurants (before moving
South and taking over the Beau
Rivage restaurants) hence the
Steak tartar “21 Club” on the
menu and the fabulous bread
from NYC Tom Cat bakery.
Best sky-high
continental cuisine
Breathtaking panoramic gulf views
provide the backdrop to thirty-two,
perched (you guessed it) on the 32nd
floor of The IP Casino, Resort & Spa.
This Four Diamond Winner features
all the classics- fresh Mississippi
seafood and Prime USDA steaks,
as well as some novel twists such
as Escargot Hush Puppies and Salt
Dough Grouper. It was hard not
to overindulge on the tempting
breadbasket, particularly the
crispy cheese crackers.
The whole staff could not be more
accommodating, but kudos to Kendell,
71
our almost psychic server, who steered
me to the Cuke-Enrobed Salad, a
still-art beauty consisting of Nueske
Bacon, Roasted Tomatoes, Radishes,
Rye Croutons, and Point Reyes Bleu
Cheese, wrapped in long cucumber
ribbons. Per Kendall’s advice,
I followed it up with a delectable
piece of Sea Bass generously
topped with lump crab meat.
IT: For a dramatic finale, order
Bananas Foster, cooked tableside by my man Kendell- with
great pizzazz!
Best place to lay your
head while you groan,
“Why did I eat all that
whole slice of Mississippi
Mud Cake?”
Southern hospitality is alive and
well at the Beau Rivage Resort
& Casino, Las Vegas Bellagio’s
charming, more subdued, little
sister property. Offering tastefully
appointed guestrooms, ove-rsized
Italian marble bathroom with soaking
tub and separate shower, a gorgeous
pool and lounge area, full-service
spa and a perfect beachfront
location, make this a perfect home
base for grazing the Gulf Coast.
IT: They also have a state-of-theart fitness center...I’m just sayin’.
When you go
Be sure and check out the
informative Mississippi Gulf Coast
site, which is chock full of helpful
information. www.gulfcoast.org/