Cuvee Destin

**** (4 stars)

Cuvee, as you might expect, offers an excellent wine list. The list is oddly divided into two parts, essentially the cheap part and the expensive part. Pricing varies, but seems to be about double retail. For me the highlight was the two pages of half bottles, something you don’t see a lot of anymore.

I thought the food was good, but there weren’t really any home runs. We tried the portobello mushroom, fried green tomatoes (which were more about crawfish), and the pecan crusted grouper (be sure to get the very sweet sauce on the side).

Our server was excellent, and we liked the quiet back corner of the back room, as the bar can get quite boisterous.

Cuvee Destin
36120 Emerald Coast Pkwy
Destin, FL 32541
(850) 650-8900
http://www.yelp.com/biz/cuvee-destin-destin-2

Pepe’s Bosque Mexican Grill

**** (4 stars)

This popular place offers good Tex Mex cuisine (on the simpler side, such as upscale fast food) at very reasonable prices. I had the number 7 lunch, which includes a beef taco, enchilada and burrito, plus a chalupa (like a tostada). That’s a lot of food for not much money. There’s little difference between the beef items except for the wrapper, but they were tasty.

Chips and salsa are good, and the guacamole was a bargain. Sangria is very sweet, but a bowl of lime wedges fixed it.

Service is attentive and food delivery was almost instantaneous.

Pepe’s Bosque Mexican Grill
10027 Central Ave
Diberville, MS 39540
(228) 396-0044
http://www.yelp.com/biz/pepes-bosque-mexican-grill-diberville

Thirty Two

***** (5 stars)

This restaurant far exceeded my expectations. The decor is great, and there’s a lovely view across the cay toward the Beau Rivage, which is a lot nicer hotel but without this caliber of restaurant.

We started with table-side tuna tartare and escargot. Both were excellent. Our server did a masterful job with the tartare, and it was interesting to see the ingredients and proportions. The escargot was the Bourguignon variety which is sometimes too wine-based for me, but this was perfect, with a nice balance of brown butter.

Our second course was the soup sampler and lobster chopped salad. The soups were all delicious, but so rich we couldn’t even eat the small servings on the sampler. The chopped salad came with a wonderful wasabi vinaigrette, the highlight of the meal as far as I was concerned.

We finished by sharing a prime New York Strip. It was perfectly cooked and very tender. The accompanying creamed spinach was much too salty, and I didn’t feel like the goat cheese went with the side of cauliflower.

Thirty Two offers an excellent wine list, and we were fortunate to be there on a Sunday during the fall off-season, when all the bottles were half price. We took full advantage of that boon.

Service was perfect, and we had a delightful meal.

Thirty Two
850 Bayview Ave
Biloxi, MS 39530
(228) 436-3000
http://www.yelp.com/biz/thirty-two-biloxi

Oak Alley Plantation Restaurant

**** (4 stars)

This is an unexpectedly good restaurant, much better than one expects at a tourist attraction. The food is authentic, diverse, and well-prepared. And the service is gracious and attentive.

I particularly enjoyed the shrimp poboy, which was better than any of the cajun lunch foods I had during the week in New Orleans.

If you’re planning a visit to Oak Alley Plantation, I encourage you to make time for lunch at the fine establishment.

Oak Alley Plantation Restaurant
3645 Hwy 18
Vacherie, LA 70090
(225) 265-2487
http://www.yelp.com/biz/oak-alley-plantation-restaurant-vacherie

Sylvain

**** (4 stars)

This intimate gastropub is a great place to dine by candlelight.

The wine list is a bit limited and the selections rather quirky, but there are plenty of cocktails.

The short menu is heavy on gastropub staples like pork and beef cheeks, but they also have a good hamburger, and a fairly sophisticated scallop entree.

My favorite was the chicken sandwich, which has been voted among the top 25 in the country, and with good reason. A think, succulent slab of white meat is  sealed in a wonderful crust without being greasy at all. Served with house made pickles on a bun, with fresh from the fryer crispy fries. Four condiments elevated it even further.

The root beer float was a great dessert.

Service was friendly and attentive. Recommended.

Sylvain
625 Chartres St
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 265-8123
http://www.yelp.com/biz/sylvain-new-orleans