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Bay City Grill
136 Blaize Avenue Bay St. Louis, MS (228) 466-0590
"Gulf Coast classic seafood, grilled steaks and more, prepared with a contempory flair"
Four blocks north of South Beach Blvd. at the corner of Bookter St. and Blaize Ave. sits a string of businesses set up in the old train depot of Bay St. Louis. Among these sites is the Bay City Grill a spot most recently occupied by a grocery store, then converted to a restaurant in 1997 by owners Steve and Rebecca D'Angelo.
Upon entering, I was struck by the sparse furnishings and limited decorations. This meager decor plays well with the turn of the century industrial restoration flavor of the building. Ancient 18 foot brick walls flank a large open room with a cement floor centered around a mufti-tiered functioning water fountain. An authentic looking reproduction of a French Quarter wrought iron fence separates the bar and dining areas. During my last visit (late afternoon) the place was quiet and nearly empty, however, on other occasions all the hard surfaces have caused it to become very noisy at times.
In just 4 years the Bay City Grill has established itself as a popular spot among locals and is gaining prominence along the entire Coast and New Orleans. They were one of the first restaurants to assert themselves with a unique style that attempts to be more than just an extension of the New Orleans scene. Don't misconstrue this, the influence of New Orleans is clearly present in such items as the Shrimp and Oyster Po-Boys and the standard fried seafood platters, but there are several dishes on the menu that I classify as a Gulf Coast / New Orleans fusion. The Bay City specialties consist of such items as:
"The Rum Runner" - a grilled Mahi Mahi with a decidedly Caribbean twist.
"The Snapper St. Croix"- in contrast to its name, a Southwestern style broiled Red Snapper.
"The Bronze Bay" - a pecan encrusted fried rainbow trout with a spicy crawfish sauce.
On this occasion I settled down to try the "Eggplant Orleans". An Italian dish of fried eggplant strips and sauteed shrimp in a marinara served over penne pasta. I found the coating on the eggplant to be bland and did nothing to balance the natural bitterness of the eggplant. The marinara was basic and not as spicy as I had hoped. The shrimp were very fresh and of a medium size that I feel works best with a dish of this type..
I also had the "Jersey Devil". This was by far the better entree of the meal. This was a much more flavorful marinara filled with nice big chunks of onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, an excellent andouille and the same shrimp as the eggplant, served over a lightly battered and flavorful chicken breast with angel hair pasta. The spiciness of the sauce was accentuated greatly by the smokiness of the andouille.
Each entree was served with a dinner salad for a small additional charge. The salads were entirely Romaine lettuce with tomato, red cabbage, and carrots with my choice of the house Creole vinaigrette dressing. One point of note, each salad was served with a crisp piece of freshly fried bacon on top. A very nice touch.
The desert menu was so limited as to be practically non-existent.
Again I find a restaurant that is sorely in need of a house bread. Even the French Bread used for the Po-Boys, sliced and toasted would have been a welcome addition to the meal.
I found the prices to be quite reasonable. The entire meal for 2 described above was 36 dollars inclusive. Cocktails and an appetizer could be added and easily stay within the 50 to 60 dollar range. There is also a very reasonably priced lunch menu offering more than 10 Po-Boys and Burgers all for under 6 dollars and several creative salads offered as entrees.
All in all, I found the Bay City Grill to be a very pleasant experience and well worth a trip to beautiful Bay St. Louis.
Accept VISA and MC
Reservations Recommended
Mon-Thu 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM
Fri-Sat 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM
Lounge open later
Closed Sunday
Last Updated: 5/11/02
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