Page 67 - South Mississippi Living - May, 2025

Blue Rose.
Evergreen.
At the historic Blue Rose Mansion, where brunch is served on Sundays, owner Herbie Pursley says, “I think people really enjoy it because it’s the end of the weekend and they want to relax.” Reservations are required.
This venue overlooking the Pass Christian harbor was built in 1848 and
is listed on the National Historic Trust. Pursley and partner Philip Lagrange have owned it since 1990.
“We serve four courses and diners can stay as long as they want,” Pursley said. “We have soup or salad – blueberry
salad is our most popular and shrimp cream chowder is our most popular soup, fruit with local honey, eggs Benedict
and shrimp and grits. The third course changes every month and might be something light such as chicken salad or heavier such as pork loin, and we have a full bar.”
Blue Dog owner Joshua Lord calls himself a breakfast guy through and through but felt brunch was an untapped market when he opened his first Blue Dog. “There are now seven different restaurants that were not serving brunch or have opened and started serving it since we opened,” he says. “Our brunch is good people serving high-end produce at a reasonable price point. Quality and consistency are important.”
A barista makes coffee drinks – the image of a dog might be in the foam on top – and cocktails are served from a bar. Some of the most requested dishes are smoked salmon bagel from the Good Dog side and blueberry ricotta pancakes and cochon Benedict from the Bad Dog side.
The Blue Dog also serves vegan,
gluten free and keto friendly foods even though it’s not a health food place. “People need to be able to go out and eat healthy,” Lord says. “I think brunch is growing in popularity because the Coast demographic is changing and becoming younger. We see more 30 to 50 year olds now.”
Evergreen owner Ken Williams owns other restaurants but serves brunch
only at Evergreen, an eatery that’s been open two years. “At Evergreen, brunch
is less of a meal and more of a dreamy Sunday poem – slow, soulful, and a little bit bohemian,” he says. “We honor the classics with just enough flair to make your grandma proud and your foodie friend want to take photos. Surrounded by art, good vibes, and the hum of easy conversation, it’s the kind of place where time forgets to hurry.”
Williams believes brunch has always been popular and is basically a Southern love language – a slow, social ritual where comfort food, conversation, and
hospitality come together with really great cocktails. “We are always evolving our menu, but brunch pretty much stays the same,” he says.
While the menus at his restaurants are always evolving, he says brunch pretty much stays the same, and it’s not the usual fare. For example, oysters are served three ways including crab Rangoon with lump crab and house made sweet chili sauce. An unusual dish is the fish and grits consisting of fried catfish, gouda grits and braised collards. There’s also crab cake Benedict rather than the regular eggs Benedict. Breakfast martini and mimosa flights are popular as well.
Blue Rose
228.342.2598
120 W. Scenic Dr., Pass Christian bluerose.passchristian.net
Evergreen
228.447.3298
1019 Government St., Ocean Springs evergreenoceansprings.com
Blue Dog Bistro
228.447.4023
1801-A Government St., Ocean Springs 228.284.2696
829 Lorraine Rd., Gulfport bluedogbistro.com
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