Page 54 - South Mississippi Living - July, 2019

MAISON DE LU
ADDRESS:
626 Washington Avenue, Ocean Springs
PHONE:
228.875.0032
HOURS:
Mon. - Sat. 11a.m. - 2p.m. Tues. - Sat. 5p.m. - 9p.m.
story and photos by Jeff Clark
There’s culinary revolution going
on in Downtown Ocean Springs
and Washington Street’s Maison de
Lu is right at the center of it. Chef- owner Luann Ellis has taken French techniques and products and turned
it into something uniquely Maison de Lu. The restaurant has two different vibes with its lunch service and dinner service. Lunch is about special salads and soups and sandwiches. But dinner at Masion de Lu is something different entirely.
“I wouldn’t even look at the menu because our dinner specials are exceptional,” said Ryan, our server for the night. I have to admit, that’s a bold statement and I’m a big fan of moxie. Ryan was extremely knowledgeable
of the menu and made several suggestions for appetizers and dinner
specials. He said Ellis cross-trains her staff so that everyone knows how to do everything from cooking to waiting tables and bartending.
For our appetizers, we went with
two of Ryan’s suggestions: the goat cheese tort and the mushrooms stuffed with escargot. The tort was a pretty stunning plate presentation. It was goat cheese topped with pesto and sun dried tomatoes, served with crispy
pita chips. It tasted even better than it looked. The goat cheese was tart, tangy and sweet, and the pesto and tomatoes were the perfect toppings.
Get over whatever preconceived notions you may have about escargot, unless those feelings are that escargot are incredibly delicious when properly prepared. Ellis’ version featured broiled mushrooms topped with
LEFT: GOAT CHEESE TORT is one of the best-selling appetizers. BELOW: IF YOU THINK you don’t like escargot, you haven’t tried it at Maison de Lu.
54 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • July 2019
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