Is Kiln’s food scene the Coast’s best-kept secret? We ate 3 meals in this small town.
Daniel Bourgeois has found serenity in the Hancock County countryside.
The 60-year-old Bay St. Louis native moved north after Hurricane Katrina. The storm destroyed his home in the Cedar Point area, a small community surrounded by water where his grandparents established roots in 1905.
His family’s 100-year history had Bourgeois thinking he would stay near the water, but the catastrophic storm in 2005 helped changed his mind. Like many others on the Coast, Bourgeois would start over north of Interstate 10.
Now, he hunts from the front door of his home that is comfortably situated on the back half of 30 acres of land in Kiln.
“If I want to go deer hunting, I just walk outside my camper and sit my ass on the deer stand,” Bourgeois said. “It’s pretty much quiet.”
Since moving to Kiln, Bourgeois has made new traditions of his own.
He’s one of the many residents, young and old, who have made Dolly’s Quick Stop a part of their morning ritual. Bourgeois drives the nine miles to the store on Mississippi 603 every morning. He sits and talks with other guests over a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit. It’s his “usual” order.
Some people sitting in the yellow booths have lived in Kiln for their whole lives, and they share stories of their hometown’s yesteryears. During those eras, Kiln was known for its sawmills and bootlegging of moonshine.
But others like Bourgeois are part of the new wave of residents who moved there in the 1990s or after Katrina.
And most diners eating out of Dolly’s deli agree on one fact — their home has changed a lot over the past 10 years.
Dolly’s, a few other gas stations and the Subway next to a tobacco store off the highway were the only places to find fast, hot food for a while. Restaurants were sparse. There was Rooster’s, but that was more upscale.
But as time has gone on, business has grown in Kiln, and it’s slowly become less of a food desert and more like one of Mississippi’s best-kept secrets.
Some central characters in Kiln’s food scene have been around for quite some time. Others are recent transplants who just ended up finding the right storefront by chance. The offerings of larger nearby cities mean Kiln gets overlooked. But for diners seeking unassuming atmospheres and the largest of portions, it’s set to become a food destination along the Coast.
Breakfast plates at Dolly’s
Dolly’s has become an institution in the nearly 30 years since its founding.
On one of its outside walls, you’ll see painted football helmets representing the teams once led by Hall of Fame Quarterback Brett Favre. Reminders that he grew up in this tiny Hancock County town are inescapable.
Co-owner Dolly Lee has lived in Hancock County all her life. She and the other owners of the store opened the gas station and deli in 1991 — the same period when casinos began popping up on the coastline. Gambling brought some development to the area. Favre’s success with the NFL’s Green Bay Packers also meant curious tourists.
Katrina changed things, but growth in the Kiln has been gradual, Lee said.
Nearly every morning now, there is a group of men, both young and old, who gather inside the gas station for some breakfast. They’ll spend hours swapping stories, laughing and just “shooting the sh--,” as Bourgeois describes it.
An assortment of fresh meats, biscuits, grits, and eggs sits in pans behind the glass. For about $6, you’ll get a foam container stuffed full with those items and a cup of coffee you pour yourself.
The split smoked sausage, buttery grits, fluffy eggs and flaky biscuits warm your stomach on a cold morning. You may not even finish your portion.
Even if you don’t eat it all, you’ll likely find yourself sitting at one of those booths just talking, losing track of time. Bourgeois was one of the few men left in the late morning hours. He was sitting in his booth drinking coffee.
A hot topic of conversation among customers in the booth and other residents who stopped in throughout the day was the absence of a grocery store. Many are concerned the only place to buy groceries are dollar stores that have popped up in recent years.
The closest grocery stores are Wal-Mart and Claiborne Hill in Waveland or Froogel’s in Bay St. Louis. It’s about a 20- to 30-minute drive south.
Bourgeois hopes someone will invest in bringing a market closer to home.
“It’d be more convenient, and you’ve got a lot of old people up here who don’t drive anymore,” he said.
Stuffed flounder at Dempsey’s
Less than a minute away from Dolly’s is one of the Kiln’s most popular restaurants, Dempsey’s Seafood and Steak. Owner Diane Hennessy moved her business to Kiln after Katrina.
The original Dempsey’s opened in Waveland in 2003 and was destroyed in the storm. Hennessy was looking for a new storefront and knew the people who owned the newly vacant spot on Kiln-DeLisle Road.
She bought it, and Dempsey’s was reborn. Hennessy has found success there for almost nine years.
“This just had more potential,” she said. “I was very nervous about coming down here because there was not a lot of traffic. So, it was kind of scary move. ...But I serve good food, so I knew people would come.”
She’s seen more housing and several restaurants open, including burger joint Ward’s, MacBe’s Seafood and Cafe and a newly reopened Jourdan River Steamer. Local makers of both beer and liquor are expanding, too, with Lazy Magnolia Brewery and Crittenden Distillery.
“It’s growing all over now and starting to take off,” she said. “Everybody is just going up north. ...Every day, I see something going up.”
As the name might suggest, Dempsey’s is known for its massive seafood platters and steak. The stuffed flounder is a well-seasoned fillet that sits atop a massive mound of house-made shrimp and crab meat stuffing. It’s huge, dominating every inch of the plate.
The shrimp and grits portion may be even bigger. A handful of grilled shrimp, crawfish and a generous helping of savory, creamy sauce covers a piece of redfish. Below that are fried grit patties.
The crunchy outer layer paired with well-spiced shrimp elevates the Southern classic, and customers may wonder why more restaurants don’t serve it up this way.
Oysters at MacBe’s
The midafternoon crowd at MacBe’s filled nearly all the booths on a recent gloomy day. The address on Google might say Bay St. Louis, but the gas station-turned-seafood restaurant is less than a minute from the Kiln line.
On Thursdays, a dozen raw oysters cost $9. A dozen chargrilled are $12.
The crab ball appetizers are fried and stuffed with dressing and huge chunks of crab meat. With a little bit of ranch and someone to share them with, the balls are gone in no time.
The raw oysters come to the table on ice in a blue plastic platter you’d expect to see at a baseball game. It’s shaped like an empty barge. Off to one side are two cup holders that can be used for dipping sauces or beverages.
The chargrilled oysters are just as noteworthy, and the balance of cheese, butter and garlic is near perfection. The buttered and lightly toasted pieces of french bread are perfect for sopping up whatever juices are left in the shells.
The man behind those oysters is retired Slidell firefighter Theodore Macke and his wife, Vanette. In the mid-1980s, Theodore ran a small but similar seafood restaurant in Slidell. For a time, he also shucked oysters for Acme.
He retired from the department in October 2015 after 33 years and wanted to get back into restaurants. So, he started looking for a building with a cooler. That’s how he came to the property just off I-10. He made an offer below the asking price and didn’t think the owners would take it, but they did.
It’s been two years since they’ve opened, and word of their dishes travels. People from as far as Hattiesburg, New Orleans and Metairie come to dine.
Theodore said there still aren’t enough people in the area to support a major influx of businesses, pointing to empty storefronts not too far from his seafood cafe.
But things are looking up, he said. The Mackes are still living in Slidell now, but they plan to move to the Coast soon. Kiln is a possible destination.
“The area is seeing a lot of growth,” Theodore said. “Kiln would be awesome. ...I think the area is only going to get bigger. It’s going to grow.”
Other new or favorite Kiln restaurants
- Favorite: Jourdan River Steamer
- New: Mr. Wok Chinese restaurant
- New: El Gallo
- Favorite: Cruise-In Cafe
- Favorite: Meme’s Diner
Did we miss your favorite food spot in Kiln? Email Nick Wooten, nwooten@mcclatchy.com, and we’ll add it to our list.
This story was originally published March 2, 2020 at 5:00 AM.