Thirty Two

***** (5 stars)

This restaurant far exceeded my expectations. The decor is great, and there’s a lovely view across the cay toward the Beau Rivage, which is a lot nicer hotel but without this caliber of restaurant.

We started with table-side tuna tartare and escargot. Both were excellent. Our server did a masterful job with the tartare, and it was interesting to see the ingredients and proportions. The escargot was the Bourguignon variety which is sometimes too wine-based for me, but this was perfect, with a nice balance of brown butter.

Our second course was the soup sampler and lobster chopped salad. The soups were all delicious, but so rich we couldn’t even eat the small servings on the sampler. The chopped salad came with a wonderful wasabi vinaigrette, the highlight of the meal as far as I was concerned.

We finished by sharing a prime New York Strip. It was perfectly cooked and very tender. The accompanying creamed spinach was much too salty, and I didn’t feel like the goat cheese went with the side of cauliflower.

Thirty Two offers an excellent wine list, and we were fortunate to be there on a Sunday during the fall off-season, when all the bottles were half price. We took full advantage of that boon.

Service was perfect, and we had a delightful meal.

Thirty Two
850 Bayview Ave
Biloxi, MS 39530
(228) 436-3000
http://www.yelp.com/biz/thirty-two-biloxi

Pepe’s Bosque Mexican Grill

**** (4 stars)

This popular place offers good Tex Mex cuisine (on the simpler side, such as upscale fast food) at very reasonable prices. I had the number 7 lunch, which includes a beef taco, enchilada and burrito, plus a chalupa (like a tostada). That’s a lot of food for not much money. There’s little difference between the beef items except for the wrapper, but they were tasty.

Chips and salsa are good, and the guacamole was a bargain. Sangria is very sweet, but a bowl of lime wedges fixed it.

Service is attentive and food delivery was almost instantaneous.

Pepe’s Bosque Mexican Grill
10027 Central Ave
Diberville, MS 39540
(228) 396-0044
http://www.yelp.com/biz/pepes-bosque-mexican-grill-diberville

Babalu Tacos & Tapas

**** (4 stars)

This very popular spot offers a combination of Mexican inspired dishes and small tapas plates. As noted elsewhere, the table-side guacamole is extremely good, and I really liked the homemade tortilla strips served with it.

Ceviche is actually diced tuna with citrus and avocado. Shrimp and grits we classically prepared.

Service was very friendly and our server was obviously very proud of the quality of her restaurant.

Babalu Tacos & Tapas
622 Duling Ave
Jackson, MS 39216
(601) 366-5757
http://www.yelp.com/biz/babalu-tacos-and-tapas-jackson