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Barnaby's
306 East Beach Blvd, Long Beach, MS (228) 864-0329
" A varied menu prepared with regional & all American flair. Great views of the Long Beach Small Craft Harbor. Casual dining overlooking the Gulf"
When I began to review restaurants as The Covert Diner I took it as a given that I could find something that every restaurant did well and something that every restaurant could do better. Today, as I write this, I am stumped as to how to fit this review of Barnaby's into that criteria. I will begin with what I can offer as a few positives.
Barnaby's is located, quite picturesquely, in a former bait shop and strip mall directly across from the Long Beach Small Craft Harbor. They offer 5 or so tables on an outdoor patio that at first glance appears to be appealing. It only took one moment to notice that the noise from the highway and the auto exhaust fumes would make this spot much less enjoyable than it at first appeared.
Secondly there is a wonderful room toward the rear of the restaurant that has a very nice waterfall type fountain with fish swimming in it. Unfortunately we were told that this pleasant looking space was only used as a banquet facility and were seated in an area near the front of the facility with a section cordoned off due to wet carpet and sheetrock from a recent broken water pipe. The entire area smelled of old water and mildew. I ask, "Why not block off the entire damaged section of the restaurant and seat people in the much more attractive and undamaged fountain area?"
The smoking and non-smoking sections were nicely separated. I am afraid that is as positive as I can get.
Upon inspection I found the rest room facilities to be ancient and in very poor condition. All of this spoke loudly in my head as I proceeded to sit down and attempted to overlook everything and judge the menu.
We were presented with a 2 page menu of typical tourist town fare. A smattering of appetizers, none particularly inventive or unique. The usual soups, salads, sandwiches, steaks and seafood. " Well", we said, " I suppose you don't have to be creative if you just do the traditional things well."
We ordered dinner salads with the house dressing described as a Creamy Italian. Anyone out there ever encounter "Clear" cream? What we were served was a bowl of Iceberg lettuce broken into rather large unmanageable pieces with the obligatory cucumber slice, carrot strips, tomato wedge, and a few croutons (which could have in fact been made fresh in house) and just a typical clear Italian salad dressing that strongly resembled Wishbone.
The less than desirable salads behind us we moved on to the entrees as the appetizer menu failed to capture our attention. We decided to create our own version of Surf & Turf by ordering a Fried Flounder and a French Pepper Steak. What we were presented with were a large whole Flounder fried in such a way as to oddly resemble an Onion Mum. It was almost totally lacking in seasoning. This should not have been a major problem as a good fresh Flounder requires very little in the way of seasoning. This, however, was neither good nor fresh. Within a stone's throw of all the boats in the harbor one would think they could offer fresh fish especially now at the height of the season. This Flounder had all the "tell tale" signs of an old or previously frozen fish. It was gummy with that very unpleasant strong fishy taste and smell.
Well so much for the Surf, on to the Turf. The French Pepper Steak was a 1/4 inch thick (perhaps 6 oz) Ribeye Steak grilled and drenched in a combination of Mustard and Peppercorns. I failed to detect the Brandy mentioned as the base for the sauce on the menu. The steak was not overly tough nor fatty but it was hardly prime beef. I suspect it would barely qualify as Choice.
Each entree was offered with our choice of Baked Potato, French Fries or Potato Salad. How original, We opted for the fries after seeing the lumpy potatoes at tables around us. These were typical frozen steak cut fries. This place must keep Super Wal-Mart in business. This meal for two with an iced tea and soft drink was $43.00 tax and tip inclusive. I will point out that I broke from my norm and only left a 14% tip as our service was rudimentary and while several, presumably, regular customers around us were chatted up and spoken to very politely we were virtually ignored by both wait staff and management. One major flaw of note in the service was that upon removing our plates and obviously noticing that the Flounder was less than one quarter eaten the waitress did not so much as question if there was a problem.
This restaurant was once a bait shop. I would wager the food was better in those days. But alas, I have vowed to find something positive in every restaurant. They have a nice fountain and the Goldfish looked fresh.
Accept VISA, MC, Discover, and AE
Reservations not required
Mon-Sun 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM
Oysters on the half shell
Full service bar
Patio dining
Banquet Facilities
Last Updated: 5/18/02
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