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Coast Cuisine - April 2019
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An array of delicious items on their new Pub Menu adds a new facet of dining to this favorite Bay St. Louis café.
- story by Lisa Monti
- story by Lisa Monti
The Mockingburger is hearty, delicious - and a good value as well.
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When there’s a chance to try something new at an old favorite like the Mockingbird, that’s welcome news to fans of the popular coffee shop/cafe on Second Street. Earlier this year, the breakfast and lunch menus were expanded and an evening Pub menu was introduced, providing customers with more choices to eat and drink.
Based on the good reports from earlier diners, I was ready to dive into something new, though it was a bit of a conflict to skip my go-to choice - the Mockingburger - which is also on the after-5 menu.
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Coast Cuisine
is sponsored by 
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Loaded fries are a challenge to finish.
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House-made crunchy pork rinds are a perfect starter.
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The Mockingburger is the perfectly named and simply dressed patty on a toasted bun spiked with jalapeño and cheddar and served with a pile of homemade chips. Who knows how many of those have capped off Second Saturday or after a day of shopping and showing off Old Town to visitors.
At $10, the meaty Mockingburger and its delicious counterpart, the Summer Garden Burger, are at the high-end of offerings on the Pub menu, which is available Thursday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to closing and on Second Saturday from 2 p.m. to close.
The new Charcuterie Board is $10 for a nice assortment of cheese, meat and fresh fruit that could easily be shared. Also new are the crunchy pork rinds and pretzel bites, both $5, and loaded fries that start a $7 and are elevated by $3 with the addition of pulled pork.
Click on the menu for a full-sized version
I finally went for the tacos, prompted by an enthusiastic recommendation for their taste and thrifty price. You can have one taco for $3, $5 for two and 3 for just $7. Choose from pulled pork, grilled chicken and the Summer Garden or have one of each for a range of tastes.
The pulled pork is sauced with rich espresso BBQ. The chicken is dressed with pico, cheddar and a sour cream Sriracha mix. The Summer Garden taco is filled with the aforementioned patty made with chickpeas, black beans and fresh vegetables splashed with red pepper aioli.
All the sauces are made in house, not a surprise to Mockingbird regulars who enjoy what the talented kitchen staff produces. Each of the three tacos was tasty in its own style, and the pulled pork was especially good thanks to the bold espresso sauce.
The Mockingbird's taco trio: pork, chicken and garden tacos.
And of course the Pub food menu is balanced with a menu of drinks, all $5, and some with bird-themed names like Bird Brew Martini (cold brewed coffee, vodka and vanilla) and the sublimely named and tasty Tequila Mockingbird, a refreshing blend of rosemary honey, blood orange juice and of course tequila.
There’s a lot of variety in the drink selections, from the secret recipe Mockingbird Sangria, the Lushy Lemonade with vodka, the made-for-summertime Lavender Gin and Soda, a rosé wine-based Froze and the classic Mimosa.
Coffee lovers can sip a Bright Eyed Irish coffee or a Bird Brew Martini in keeping with the coffee theme. You can even match a trio of tacos with three beers that are paired for the pork, chicken and veggie versions. That’s just $12.
There’s also house wine and beer ($15 for a pitcher) available to cover all the bases for a visit to the Mockingbird.
Mockingbird Café
110 S. Second St.
Bay St. Louis
Telephone (228) 467-8383
Monday-Wednesday : 7am-5pm
Thursday-Saturday : 7am-9pm
Sunday : 7am-2pm
