Page 42 - South Mississippi Living - November, 2023

DINING 701 CRAFT
Triple Pickle Pizza.
ADDRESS
701 Bienville Blvd. Ocean Springs
CONTACT
228.217.7160
WEBSITE
www.701craft.com
SOCIAL
Instagram & Facebook
@701craft
HOURS
Tuesday
11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Wednesday-Thursday 11a.m.-11 p.m.
Friday-Saturday 11a.m.-midnight
Sunday-Monday closed
story and photos by Kimberly C. Rasmussen
42 | November 2023
www.smliving.net | SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living
Date night with your significant other has the potential to be such a fun experience. After a long day at work or a busy week with one too many commitments, date night is a great way for you and that someone special to relax, unwind, and come together over a few drinks and a great meal.
Unless of course, your better half is like mine and doesn’t want to go anywhere. Ever. At all. I want somewhere with
great drinks, delicious food, and a super cool atmosphere. My husband prefers
the couch. Luckily, we came across an amazing little gem in Ocean Springs that, by some miracle, provided the perfect backdrop for a fun and breezy date night: 701 Craft.
Located above Eat Drink Love, 701 Craft is another brainchild of the effortlessly clever Lauren Taranto. Having been a fangirl of Taranto’s for many years, I was all too eager to check out 701 Craft and, naturally, I was not disappointed. Boasting a very cool speakeasy vibe, 701 Craft is
the ying to Eat Drink Love’s yang. Taranto wanted an elevated bar atmosphere, combining the incredibly delicious elements of her lunch and catering menus with a craft cocktail offering like no other. Everything fuses together in perfect harmony and 701 Craft is easily a premier destination for drinks after work, a night out with the girls and, most importantly for me, a perfectly executed date night.
Taranto and her team of skilled bartenders wanted to better understand the science behind the drinks before piecing together a well thought out cocktail menu. All of their syrups and drink accents are made in house, using as much of the fruit or herb as possible. Each drink is handcrafted to order and while the menu showcases only a number of drinks, there’s definitely something for everyone. The Oh. Wow. features a mixture of Fernet Branca along with strawberry shrub, lemon, and ginger beer. The small addition of rhubarb bitters cuts the sweetness and makes this a scrumptiously