Page 52 - South Mississippi Living - December, 2018

ADDRESS:
IP Casino Resort Spa 850 Bayview Avenue, Biloxi
PHONE:
228.436.3000
HOURS:
24 hours a day
BAYVIEW CAFÉ
Chef Shannon Johnson
story and photos by Lori Beth Susman
You don’t have to know Chef Shannon Johnson to know he loves
his work and is good at what he does. You just need to taste his food. The executive chef at IP Casino Resort Spa, Johnson is the creative force behind the menu at the resort’s new Bayview Café and 850 Wine & Spirits.
Located in the hotel lobby, just
inside IP’s main entrance, the new restaurant serves food and drinks around the clock. The lounge offers
the Enomatic wine system, allowing enthusiasts to sample a variety of wines in optional pour sizes. There is a full bar with a creative cocktail menu and bar food options.
The 375-seat, open cafe is beautifully decorated with eye-catching artwork in each section of the dining room. But it’s the food that makes the Bayview Café an experience not to be missed. Johnson,
from Louisiana’s Cajun country, works his magic on all the dishes.
The bayou beignets are one of the more popular appetizers along with
the Mater Cakes. The savory beignets feature local blue crab and shrimp encased in beignet batter and gently fried until golden. They are served
atop a crawfish corn maque choux. The Mater Cakes result from layering an order of crab cakes with an order of fried green tomatoes under a blanket of velvety Creole crab and crawfish sauce. All flavors shine through with each bite.
The dinner menu features entrees ranging from slow-roasted prime rib, the favorite Southern pot roast to the crispy seafood platter and country fried steak, which Johnson said is “as big as a hubcap.” He wasn’t kidding. The buttermilk-batter-fried steak, so tender to the cut, was topped with
ABOVE: CAST IRON Shrimp RIGHT: CHICKEN Fried Steak BOTTOM: CHOCOLATE Pretzel Bread Pudding
52 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • December 2018
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