Gautier, Mississippi is a small town situated on the Singing River (isn't that a lovely name?) between Pascagoula and Biloxi. It has a lovely old coastal-city feel, with marinas as well as houses with their own docks. Newer houses tend to be built on stilts unless they're already on high ground, a lesson learned (more than once) from hurricanes and storm surges. There's a lovely little park, formerly part of the Mississippi State Park system but turned over to the City of Gautier; the City has upgraded the recreational facilities and repaired damage from severe storm flooding a few years ago. Bike trails, hiking trails, a disk golf course and an extensive archery range are all part of it. We like to come here partly because the park is a good stopover point when we reach the Gulf, but also because there are some great opportunities for seafood.
Last night it was Huck's Cove. It took us several stopovers before we were able to catch the place open; the owner seemed to have scant respect for the posted hours of operation during our visits. I don't know whether it's under new management now or we're getting luckier, but we managed to try the place a couple of years ago. We keep coming back.
Huck's Cove is the kind of place that greets you with gentle party lights strung outside, and signs that inform you that this is not a fast-food place: things are cooked to order, after you order, and you should be prepared to relax and enjoy the time. There's a deck on the waterfront, with a dock for customers' boats. We're told that boaters often come in for lunch and dinner. The deck has a sign warning you not to feed the alligator ($2000 fine in Mississippi). This poster board greeted us at the entrance:
The interior is festooned with license plates, Hollywood memorabilia, life rings from bygone boats, surfboards...you name it, you'll probably find it. TV sets were turned on, with the sound off, to various channels so you'd have your choice of viewing if you so desired.
The kitchen and part of the bar:
The ceiling:
Despite the admonition that the food takes time, this crew was very fast. It took little time for a waitress to stop by to see, first, what we wished to drink and second, whether we wanted any appetizers. Last year I'd order fried green tomatoes. I wanted to see if they were as good this time. We ordered a Blue Moon Hefeweisen for him, a Southern Pecan ale for me. This southern beer is produced in Mississippi and has a limited production range; we enjoy getting it when we can.
The 'maters were as good as I remembered.
They were served with ranch dressing by default, but remoulade was quickly added when I asked. Once again they left my darling cold. What a shame: more for me! This could and should have been my dinner.
The waitress quickly engaged us in conversation: where we were from, where we were headed, what had brought us here. When we mentioned Texas she recommended San Antonio and the River Walk, and talked about how HOT it was there during the day. That assertion surprised me, coming as it did from a southern Mississippi native; I guess in her case the humidity doesn't much matter. A local customer joined in the conversation. They all described how much busier the place is - absolutely packed - during the height of the summer and fall, and told us we should be arriving earlier in the year to see the place at its best. Meanwhile, we pondered the menu and ordered. Here's a menu excerpt:
Our dinners arrived. Based on posts by @kayb and @Shelby, nothing would do but I had to try their catfish. It isn't a regular menu item, but they had ordered some as an experiment.
I'd written catfish off before now as muddy-tasting and uninteresting (at best), but this was good. I'm glad I tried it although I couldn't do it justice after the 'maters. (The leftovers became breakfast the next day.) Not shown in the picture: the accompanying hush puppies, which came out very hot from the kitchen, slightly behind the rest of the meal. That cook was hustling! Later, he was happy to let me snap his picture:
My darling considered catfish or some other unusual-for-us dinner, but in the end opted for fried shrimp and onion rings: one of his favorite meals that I really hate to make. I still hate frying.
The local customer, sitting at another table, continued the conversation. He was a distinguished-looking gentleman who reminded me of member John Whiting (whom I never met in person), based on demeanor and depth of knowledge. Along the winding conversational way it came out that he'd worked as a chemist and food scientist, and had traveled extensively negotiating food safety agreements between the USA and other countries before he retired. When I asked about the safety of China's food chain, he said he'd be more worried about the US food safety, particularly because US companies own a significant portion of the Chinese companies that sell our food. I don't know how to corroborate or refute this, but I thought of @Thanks for the Crepes when he said it.
By the time we left - waddled out, really - we'd made friends with Mr. Garrett and with the staff. They all assured us that we needed to come back earlier in the season to see the place at its best. ("But come prepared for mosquitoes...oh, but you have them in Minnesota too, don't you?") We'll be back. Maybe we'll be able to hit the high season.
