Tacos and grits? MS Coast’s newest brewery has ‘pub favorites with a Southern accent’
Craft Advisory Brewing started with the gift of a beer brewing kit to an enthusiastic chemical engineer.
It’s hard to imagine that simple kit turning into the pretty impressive chrome brewery that fills the front window of the brew pub, but it is a true story.
Sandra and Martin Konrod are in this venture together, he, being the engineer, runs the brewery and she oversees the rest of the operation. It is a partnership that has produced some pretty remarkable success in the few short weeks they have been open. The is pub already the talk of the town, offering great beer and an innovative menu.
Sandra told me that when they found out a restaurant was required for brew pubs in Mississippi, she knew right away they needed an expert to create food just as good as the beer.
They were lucky to find Chef Mathew Stuart, with an impressive background in fine dining, especially in the Creole, Cajun, and soul food genres he specializes in. It is another well-thought out pairing.
During my visit there were seven house-made beers on tap, and a sampling of other Mississippi and Louisiana beers as well.
Sandra told me that “We do anything we can to be creative, such as infusing beer with fruit purees.” The brewery can make four barrels of beer at a time, which is about one hundred and twenty gallons, but they can divide the beer into smaller fermenters, so one batch and be flavored in several different ways.
Chef Stuart describes the food coming out of his kitchen as “Pub favorites with a Southern accent.”
The pimento and cheeseburger is solid proof of that claim, combining a beef patty made with Mississippi grass-fed Angus beef, house-made pimento and cheese, bacon jam, fried green tomatoes and chili aioli. Just how Southern can a burger get? As you might imagine, it is the bestseller on the menu.
The shrimp and grits are also a top seller. As soon as Chef Stuart told me he used Original Grit Girl grits, I knew he knew what he was about. OGG Grits are the absolute best I have ever tried, and I know they are sold to more than a hundred restaurants all across the country.
This dish is made with jumbo Gulf Shrimp, jalapeno cheddar sausage, beer-braised onions and peppers, Creole cream sauce over smoked gouda grits. Simply put, I have never had better.
Other notable menu selections are the pickled charcuterie, which includes house-pickled veggies, pimento and cheese, bacon jam, candied pecans on crostini, and something I have never seen before, tacos and grits. Chicken or shrimp, collard green slaw, pico de gallo, aioli and cheese make for an impressive, and very creative, taco.
Ocean Springs may very well be the epicenter of the Coast’s diverse food scene, and Craft Advisory Brewery has made it even better, adding diversity, and a level of excellence that was much needed.
Craft Advisory Brewing
Where: 1314 Government Street, Ocean Springs
When: Tuesday-Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 12 a.m., Sunday 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Call: 228-334-5000
This story was originally published July 24, 2020 at 5:40 AM.