Chef Joe and Michelle Beauregard are back and better than ever, serving their most popular dishes – and a whole lot more – at their new home on Highway 603.
- By Lisa Monti 
This upsized version of “Beachside” opened June 29 in what once was home to Cuz’s and, most recently, Starfish Café. Chef Joe and Michelle Beauregard refreshed the large dining room and hired kitchen and serving staff to cover lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch. 
Sous Chef Cat Freeman, formerly of Radish, and Executive Pastry Chef Karen Cerami are among those now on board. The owners are still tweaking their “soft opening” menu, which includes Chef Joe’s signature burgers and wings, alongside new items, including steak, scallops, and pasta dishes. The dining room seats 60 between tables and the bar, and 30 seats in the renovated downstairs area will be ready in time for football season. A few tables will also be added on the back balcony overlooking the scenic bayou. Michelle designed the Beachside Bistro logo and chose the dining room wall color to match her grandparents’ home in the Cedar Point neighborhood. That’s just one of the many family connections at the new Bistro. 
Chef Joe puts the finishing touches on this beautiful amberjack.
Michelle’s mother operated a local restaurant in the Bay, and her grandmother, aunts, and uncles were in the restaurant business in New Orleans. While she mostly works back of the house these days, Michelle’s special-order Sicilian stuffed artichokes earn raves from Beachside customers who can’t wait for the next batch. Chef Joe, a graduate of the Florida Culinary Institute, worked in fine -dining restaurants in South Florida before taking over the kitchen at his parent’s Bay Marina. That’s when his hamburgers started gaining local fans and winning popular choice awards. 
Michelle's Sicilian stuffed artichokes
The new Beachside Bistro’s lunch and dinner menus are topped by a selection of small plates to get things started. The Bay Tower, which we tried at lunch, has thick slices of Leidenheimer French bread topped with Gulf shrimp and Conecuh sausage mingling in melted Sharp cheddar. There’s just the right amount of richness and a bit of spice in the sauce. Other lunch menu small plates feature fried green tomatoes and burrata, a French bread pizza with red gravy, and Bayou debris fries made from Chef Joe’s roast beef, gravy, and cheddar. The dinner menu's small plates include Margherita Flatbread. We moved on to two of the Bistro’s most popular items, wings and hamburgers, which appear on both the lunch and dinner menus. Both come with hand-cut fries. 
One of Beachside's legendary burgers
The 1/3-pound burgers are served as single, double, or triple grilled patties dressed on a soft sesame bun. The “Hangover Burger” is capped with a fried egg; the “PB&J” Burger includes house-made pepper jelly, and the “Carolina on My Mind Burger” is topped with house-made pimento cheese, hot honey, and bacon. The wings, naked not breaded, come eight to a serving in several flavors such as the classic Buffalo. the Bistro’s own Gawlic, and garlic parmesan. Chef Joe’s house-made pepper jelly alongside ranch, just-right-spiced Cajun ranch, and chunky bleu cheese are for dipping, all made in-house. Both menus have a nice variety of greens, and you can add grilled chicken or shrimp to your insalata. The house-made dressings are Meyer lemon, ranch, Cajun ranch, bleu cheese, and oil and vinegar. 
Poboys on Leidenheimer feature one, two or three burgers, Italian sausage and peppers, slow-roasted beef, and chicken parmigiana. Dinner specialties include fresh scallops and chicken piccata, and steak fans can order certified Angus steaks, including a 16-ounce ribeye, 8-ounce filet, and the Bayou Bistro Steak. The generous shareable sides are asparagus, mac-n-cheese, creamed potatoes, and spinach. 
Pastry chef Karen Cerami worked previously at Willa Jean and John Besh restaurants in New Orleans. Her creations include a chocolate cake of the week, a two-layer caramel cake called the Tallulah Belle, and the new Bronze Age, a pistachio cheesecake with brown-butter graham crackers. The Bistro’s desserts are all generous and as delicious as they are photo-worthy. Michelle said customers lately have raved about the Bistro’s Grillades and Grits and specials such as amberjack with mushroom sauce. Another customer new to the area told her after enjoying his first meal at the Bistro, “I finally found my restaurant.” 
Tables have been filling up at lunch and dinner, and as word spreads about the new Beachside Bistro, more customers are heading to the new location. Check their Facebook page for news about daily specials and more about what’s to come from Chef Joe and Michelle. Beachside Bistro 10408 Highway 603, Bay St. Louis | (228) 363-9191 Mon-Thurs 11 am - 8 pm; Fri-Sat 11 am - 9 pm; Sun 11 am - 2 pm Enjoy this feature?
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