Foodies Delight in the Bay, Part 1

Tasty tidbits of local restaurant news:  The Mockingbird offers specialty libations, a sneak-peak at the new menus for Sonny's Cypress Café, Ulman Tearoom's new garden space, and Smoothie King comes to the Bay!   Lots more to come in Part 2, this weekend! 
- by Ellis Anderson 

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Veggie breakfast wrap at the Mockingbird Café, brunch

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Mockingbird Café Adds Libations Menu

​This summer, the Mockingbird Café (110 S. Second Street, BSL) added specialty cocktails and wine to their food offerings and they recently released a libations menu.
 
Owner Alicein Schwabacher says that the café will still focus on food, so the libations menu is very limited, offering only signature cocktails and a few wines that will pair well with meals. 
 
Featured on the libations menu are a Tequila Mockingbird (get the pun?), mimosas (orange, strawberry lemonade or watermelon mint) and bloody marys.  Wines are also available by the glass: red and rosé (La Vieille Ferme), pinot grigio (Riff) and chardonnay (Little Penguin).  The house cocktail is a creative concoction of watermelon/mint puree, lime juice, agave syrup and fresh muddled jalapeno tequila.
 
“It’s our intention to be a great restaurant in the original sense of the word,” said Alicein.  “The French meaning is ‘to restore to a former state.’  That’s what we want to do for all our customers.”
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Click here to open Libations Menu 

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The Mockingbird Café, an Old Town anchor.

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New Everything at Cypress Café

​Sonny’s Cypress Café, located in the historic Bay St. Louis City hall building (300 S. Second Street), is slated to reopen in September with a complete makeover. The kitchen’s been completely revamped, the dining room redecorated.  The new menu features breakfast, lunch and dinner offerings, with both Italian and Greek specialties that reflect the culinary heritage of owner and chef, Sonny Wright. 
 
Diners will find traditional breakfast dishes, along with more creative fare like “Sonny’s Puffs,” puff pastry filled with eggs, cheese and sausage or bacon. 
 
For lunch and dinner, look for Greek entrees like Mousakka and Dolmades, veggies stuffed with a savory rice and ground meat mixture.  Appetizers, salads, soups, and pastas are “made with only the freshest ingredients,” says Sonny. 
 
Panini’s and burgers round out the menu.  The restaurant will be open seven days a
 week. 
 
“Why do I need a day off?” asked Sonny.  “I love to cook and to feed people.”  

Click on menu icons to open full-sized PDFs

Sonny Wright, the new owner of Sonny's Cypress Café

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Ulman Tearoom Expands into Garden

The naming of the tree and dedication of the garden space, slated for completion in October.

​Antique Maison Ulman (317 Ulman Ave.) is expanding.  Already featuring 6,000 square feet of antiques and collectibles - as well as a tea room – it now includes a deck and garden space.
 
Called the Heavenly Tree Garden after the large live oak in its center, beginning in October, the outside dining area will be available for weddings, birthday parties, graduations and “any of the celebrations in your life,” according to owner Sylvia Young.
 
The Ulman Tearoom and Garden is open Tuesday – Saturday from 10am – 3pm, offering a menu of homemade desserts that vary (mandarin orange cupcakes, bread pudding with rum sauce, fruit scones with lemon curd, to name a few). 
 
The tea room lives up to its name with 15 types of tea, cold and hot flavored (or not) coffees and soft drinks.  High Windsor teas can be booked in advance.  Make reservations for an event or a high tea by calling 228.344.3128.

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Smoothie King Comes To Bay

On Monday, August 21st, Smoothie King opened at 1007 Hwy 90 (near Hancock Medical Center).  The store is drive-thru only and on opening day, the driveway stayed backed up to the highway with excited customers, according to co-owner Deanna Nash. 
 
“We’d think it was tapering off and then the line would be out to the street again,” said Nash.  “It was crazy, crazy busy, but exciting and a lot of fun.” 
 
This is the third Smoothie King store for Slidell resident Deanna Nash and her son, Douglas Nash, who lives in Ocean Springs.  Their other two stores are located in Slidell. 
 
Douglas Nash came on board as owner of his first Smoothie King in 2004, and his mother joined him as partner in 2005.  Deanna says they’re both proud of the brand and the product. The health-based Smoothie King franchise was started in New Orleans, in 1973 by Steve Kuhnau and has grown to more than 800 locations.
 
“We love Bay St. Louis and after research, thought it’d be a good opportunity since nothing like that [Smoothie King] was in the area,” Deanna Nash said.  “We feel that Bay St. Louis is going to grow and we want to be part of that.”
 
The new building that houses the location was designed by local architect Michael Reeves.  The business will employee eleven people, including the general manager.
 
“We’re so happy the community has welcomed us in this way,” Deanna said.  “We can’t thank them enough.  We look forward to serving them and to being a part of the Bay St. Louis community.”