Page 48 - South Mississippi Living - July, 2015

The Oyster Reef Club
Long Beach
ADDRESS:
217 East Beach Blvd., Long Beach
PHONE:
228.206.7868
WEBSITE:
www.oysterreefclub.com
HOURS:
Wed. - Thurs. 11 a.m. - 10 p.m. Fri. - Sat.
11 a.m. - 11 p.m. Sun.
11 a.m. - 9 p.m.
story and photos by Julian Brunt
A lot of new restaurants have opened on the Coast this year, but none are
as impressive as the Oyster Reef Club in Long Beach. It dominates the Long Beach harbor and seems to be the tallest building in town, making an impressive first impression from miles away.
Architecturally it’s slick. There’s nothing old school about it and the interior fits the same bill. You can’t help but first notice the view, and it is grand, but once you have taken the elevator,
or bravely trod the stairs, you’ll find
an interior that’s far from what you might expect. Remember, it’s a harbor restaurant, and the scruffy floors and slightly blemished metal tables and chairs seem very much at home.
The menu strikes an easy compromise between the seafood you would expect, and a few “land” choices, as well as some local favorites. Located almost in sight of Mississippi’s vast oyster reefs, you should not pass up the opportunity to try fresh oysters raw, chargrilled,
Rockefeller, or coastal — an intriguing combination of shrimp, crab meat, diced jalapeños that’s topped with brie and parmesan cheese.
There are six starters, and while I would normally go for the fried green tomato with crab and ravigote sauce — the classic French sauce that’s so good with seafood — the tuna tower looked just too tempting. It’s made with tuna, avocado, red onions tossed with a soy and ginger glaze and is served over a rice cake. It’s killer good.
There are also six entrées; all heavy hitters. As you might expect, there is a fish of the day, prepared at the chef’s inspiration. Keep a sharp eye on this one, as it will change daily. The triple crab almondine is made with soft shell crabs, lump crab meat, and a good brown butter sauce, but, even though the royal reds are not a local shrimp, the flamed tossed reds in cilantro lime butter are unbeatable.
There are also a few pastas and po-
THE OYSTER REEF CLUB
48 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • July 2015
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