Keg & Barrel is finally open in Ocean Springs. Take a look inside.
Tuesday was opening day for the newest Keg and Barrel restaurant and beer emporium on U.S. 90 in Ocean Springs.
The restaurant at The Inlet mixed-use development at 2501 Bienville Blvd. has a built-in fan base. First-day customers who are familiar with the two Hattiesburg locations — and likely also are fans of the University of Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles — stopped owner John Neal to say how delighted they are he’s opened a third K&B on the Coast.
The Coast version has a “light and vibrant atmosphere,” Neal said, with the same casual feel as the Hattiesburg brew-pub.
What’s different is this Coast restaurant comes with a sprawling oyster bar and twin roll-up doors that will let indoor dining blend with the outdoor patio seating on days and nights when the fall weather allows.
The restaurant is a mix of cool industrial and warm woods. Market lighting sets the social mood, and the beer and Coast memorabilia adds charm.
“We love the feel of Ocean Springs,” Neal said. “It reminds me a lot of downtown Hattiesburg.” When he and business partner Diana Hembree dreamed of expanding, he said, it was Ocean Springs where they wanted to open.
They brought several staff members from Hattiesburg along with a creative and extensive list of food and drinks.
Focus on oysters
Chef Clay Barney’s favorite thing on the menu by far is Oysters Elote.
“Everybody loves charbroiled oysters,” he said. He gives them a new twist by topping the oysters with Mexican charred corn, fresh lime and other ingredients to make the elote flavors.
They can be ordered by the dozen, or in a trio with chargrilled oysters and oyster Etoufee.
Manager Matt Waterman describes himself as an oyster sommelier, who has worked in some some of the top oyster restaurants in the country.
Every day he reviews the daily oyster selections with the staff so they can help the customers decide what to order.
Chef going beyond pub fare
“Everything is homemade — even our pimento cheese is made in-house,” Waterman said.
Everything, that is, but the bread. They cure their own bacon and make their own salad dressings and cheesecake.
Mississippi farm ingredients are incorporated into the menu. Burgers are made with grass-fed beef raised locally at Stonnington Farm in Perkinston to create choices like the Chalmation Sensation burger with roast beef debris, fried shrimp, provolone and garlic mayo on brioche bun.
Along with fish tacos and shrimp and grits, the entrees feature fresh Gulf pan-grilled redfish and catfish Poydras made with Mississippi farm-raised catfish.
“I love classic French cuisine. That’s what I was trained in,” Barney said. The Chalmette native said he learned at Cafe Giovanni’s in New Orleans, then bounced around, cooking in Asheville, North Carolina, in Denver, Chicago and Milwaukee, before coming almost full circle to Mississippi.
In Hattiesburg, the K&B favorites are mostly pub fare. “Here in Ocean Springs I’m set free,” he said. He plans to explore and find what people will like, adding steaks and weekend specials to the menu in a few weeks.
The menu also has plenty of pub fare for those who want a snack of kettle chips with charred onion dip, an appetizer, pizza, salad or an oyster BLT on sourdough.
Craft beer and cocktails
Keg and Barrel’s new location has 48 beers on tap along with a long list of bottled beers and wine by the bottle or the glass.
“All the seasonal drinks are just for this location,” said bar manager Derek Cowart, a native of Bay St Louis who moved home to the Coast from Hattiesburg. Among them are a Screwball White Russian and a Spicy Mango Margarita.
He’s also stacked the menu with a variety of signature and classic drinks, all of which can be served inside or out, he said.
The opening in Ocean Springs K&B was delayed first by the coronavirus and then by Hurricane Sally, but opened just in time to be ready in time for Cruisin’ The Coast the first week in October.
The restaurant will be open this week during training on Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5-10 p.m.; Thursday from 5-10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m.-11 p.m. The restaurant is closed Sunday and Monday.
