“It’s All Good!” at BSL’s Newest BBQ Joint

Coast Cuisine - August 2024

To call That Boy Good the talk of the town would be an understatement. BSL's newest source of mouth-watering barbecue is earning legions of fans, and the word is getting out.

- by Lisa Monti

Chef Mark Millwood, left, and general manager Chris Stewart welcome guests to That Boy Good, TBG for short.

The slogan of That Boy Good Soul Food & BBQ Joint is short and sweet: “Our menu is simple, it’s all good!”
 
Since “TBG” opened, locals and visitors are finding out for themselves exactly how good the food is. 

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​From the delicious deviled eggs to the fall-off-the bone ribs and crisp catfish strips, Chef Mark Millwood’s dishes are earning such reviews as fantastic, amazing, awesome and excellent, with some customers promising to return for more. Even the laid-back vibe of the music filled dining area gets high marks.
 
At lunch on a recent Thursday, just about every customer left with containers of leftovers or carry-out orders. One told the wait staff that “it was all good.” Another customer, on his fourth visit, said “everything is good.”
 

Oh, those deviled eggs: different every day, and one of the many reasons customers keep coming back to TBG.

 
TBG is in a building on Washington Street at U.S. 90 that was originally a drive-in chain and most recently a barbecue place. Chef Mark and general manager Chris Stewart devoted six months to transforming the dining area and installing all new kitchen equipment before opening April 1.
 
The bright dining space has room for 65 guests and is filled with Saints jerseys, portraits of iconic blues musicians, and a great Highway 61 playlist. The lunch crowd was served by the friendly staff who answered questions, took orders, and delivered dishes while keeping things moving smoothly.
 
TBG’s menu leans heavily on the chef’s Southern family roots and shows off the cooking skills he started learning as a child helping his mother in the family kitchen.
 
During his service in the Navy, Chef Mark cooked from Pascagoula to Hawaii. He’s also worked in kitchens at several casinos and fine dining restaurants across the country.

Soaked in buttermilk and dredged in cornmeal, TBG's catfish is just like homemade - if your mother was a chef!

 
Chris, a business partner and longtime friend of the chef’s, has “front of house” experience working in fine dining restaurants and still looks the part. He regularly wears a bow tie, black pants and shirt topped with a vest to greet and tend to customers.
 
The restaurant’s unusual name also comes from the chef’s childhood. He recalled how his mother would take him to road houses where his uncle, a guitarist, played country western music. He said audience members would often shout out, “That boy good,” to show their appreciation for the musicians. The “old country slang” phrase stayed with him and became the name of his first restaurant in California. (A second restaurant followed.) His customers included Marines from nearby Camp Pendleton who were looking for the barbecue dishes they enjoyed back home in places like Memphis, Kansas City and the Carolinas. Chef Mark said his unique style is a hybrid that combines all the best of the flavors from those barbecue-loving regions.
 

Beautiful baby-back ribs from That Boy Good.

 
I went to lunch thinking about what friends and neighbors had told me about their meals at TBG, and with help from Chris, I picked a few small items from the Beginnings section of the Everyday Menu to get a taste of both the BBQ and the soul food.
 
Even though I’m not a big fan of deviled eggs, I tried a half-order of the deviled eggs of the day because people have raved about them so much. The three halves were piped with a swirl of pimento cheese blended with yoke, then drizzled with hot honey and topped with pieces of crispy bacon. Delicious and with the right amount of spice. The kitchen turns out more than 100 deviled eggs a day to meet the demand.
 
Chef Mark grew up catching catfish with his Mississippi-born dad and then frying it up, so it’s no surprise that TBG’s cornmeal-crusted Delta catfish strips are amazing. The catfish is marinated in buttermilk for 24 hours before being seasoned and fried to perfection. Drizzle the grilled lemon half over the strips and dip into the house-made tartar sauce spiked with seasonings – and enjoy.
 
The double-cut baby back ribs were tender and tasty and served as a good introduction to TBG’s barbecue that’s served in sandwiches or plates. The ribs were served with a generous square of Miss Lequita’s cornbread, made from the chef’s mother’s recipe. “She always used good cornmeal,” Chef Mark said. “Through the years I’ve taken her recipes and put my own twist on them.”
 

​recipes and put my own twist on them.”
 
The popular side dishes include mac & cheese, cole slaw, and collard greens, about as down-home as you can get. The mac & cheese gets lots of five-star reviews, and the collards have earned many fans as well.
 
TBG’s menu offers three desserts: a root beer float, a waffle ice cream sandwich, and ice cream by the scoop. Specialty cocktails and wine are also available. With football season approaching, TBG is a great place for game days and nights.
 
Chef Mark and Chris want the restaurant to serve food that is consistently good, but they also want TBG to be involved in the community through service projects.
 
“We found that in Bay St. Louis, the community is not only very supportive of us as a restaurant but also very welcoming. We work very hard, and it’s nice to be appreciated for that hard work.”
 
 
T.B.G! - That Boy Good Soul Food & BBQ Joint
1100 U.S. 90, Bay St. Louis
(228) 344-3031
Thurs - Mon 11 am – 3 pm, 4:30 pm – 8 pm
Closed Tues & Wed
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