The oldest hotel in Mississippi is now an upscale steakhouse in downtown Biloxi
The new Field’s Steak & Oyster Bar Biloxi already has a historical location and the reputation of the original Field’s restaurant in Bay St. Louis to draw people in when it opens this weekend.
The public opening is Friday, said Jourdan Nicaud, who has been restoring the former Magnolia Hotel for years.
The restaurant is owned by his brother, chef Field Nicaud, and together they’ve created an upscale steakhouse, in the historic area of downtown Biloxi and in easy walking distance to Beau Rivage and Hard Rock casinos and the waterfront.
The menu will be the same as at the renowned Field’s in Bay St. Louis, highlighted by chargrilled oysters, high quality steaks and fresh seafood.
This new Field’s in Biloxi, just off U.S. 90 at 119 Rue Magnolia, has another ingredient to make it unforgettable — wide Southern porches on the first and second floors for outdoor dining.
“Almost half our dining will be outdoor seating,” said Bill Yockey, general manager. Those tables come with sunset views and elegant lanterns to create a picturesque setting.
French doors across the building and down the sides bring light and sunsets into the dining room and upholstered chairs make for a relaxed dinner.
Combining the seating on the porches, the oyster bar decorated with oyster shells, the bar and high-top tables with a catering area on the second floor and a private dining room that comfortably seats about a dozen people, the restaurant can accommodate about 150 people throughout.
“I envision a very lively scene,” Yockey said.
Dine with style
Niccaud, who also owns and operates Bacchus, Fill-Up with Billups, Charred Steak & Oyster Bar, Rooftop Tacos and Tequila and other restaurants in South Mississippi, gave this new restaurant class.
Marble table-tops and highly-polished wood floors reflect light from the new chandeliers. Local art and wine selections decorate the walls. Even the second floor restrooms are dazzling with mirrored tile adding bling.
As it is at the Bay St. Louis Field’s, steak is the star of the menu at the Biloxi location. Hand-cut steaks range in size from a small ribeye to a 40-ounce Porterhouse, cooked to order and topped with colossal crab, barbecue shrimp, caramelized onions or additional choices.
Other entrees are a blue crab cake, steakhouse burger or lobster mac, made with cavatappi pasta, buttered lobster and mornay sauce.
Oysters are available raw or prepared five ways. Among the starters, salads and savory sides are seafood gumbo, fried brussel sprouts and bacon gruyère mac and cheese.
The restaurant will be open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday, with extended dinner hours Saturday from 3-9 p.m. and a Sunday brunch. Wednesday is steak date night and on Thursday, a half dozen oysters are offered at a special price.
Dinner served with a past
Magnolia Hotel that now houses Field’s is believed to be the oldest hotel structure in the state, Jourdan Nicaud said, built in 1847 at a cost of $2,800. It operated as a hotel for generations. After being badly damaged by Hurricane Camille in 1969, the hotel was moved north to its current site and restored. It is on the National Register of Historic Places and is a designated a Mississippi Landmark.
In 2019, Nicaud bought the Magnolia Hotel from the city and began renovations. It wasn’t just the pandemic that held up the opening. In late 2021, Hurricane Zeta caused extensive damages and Nicaud had to start the renovations again.
Now the building is restored, down to new plumbing and wiring, but it maintains a connection to the past. A portion of wall and floor were left exposed during the remodel so visitors can admire the brick between posts construction and the wide support beams under the floor.
The Nicauds have more plans for Field’s. Next year they plan to add two more spaces, expanding into the third floor of the historic building and creating a dining patio at the edge of the lawn.
