I tried Bacchus on the Beach for the 1st time and had dinner on the patio. Here’s my review.
As storms rumbled across the Coast on Wednesday, I skirted underneath the clouds and made my way down Highway 90 to a restaurant I’d heard of in telegrams and scrolls, but had yet to try myself.
I had reason. I enjoy seafood restaurants around the water and generally for the vibes. I find the food is solid and the drinks are great, but the actual quality of taste typically ticks up once you start heading a few miles inland to smaller establishments.
For this reason, I had not worked up the energy to make the drive out to The Pass to give Bacchus on the Beach its fair trial. Until Wednesday, of course.
It was the perfect day to find a seat under Bacchus’ gorgeous outdoor patio complete with views into the harbor. The weather was the coolest it had been in weeks and dark clouds hung nearby, but never released its torrent during our meal.
I knew what had to be done first. After writing about margaritas this week, I wanted a margarita. Shocking, I know. But I had been informed by Hermes himself of a particular drink this establishment holds close. The server smiled as I ordered it. I took it as a good omen.
The Nectar of the Gods arrived.
It was as if I had taken a sip from the deep ocean itself, I experienced Poseidon’s fury in a salt-rimmed glass. Lemon, lime and orange intertwined to form a taste even the occupants of Olympus would be jealous of.
It was almost warm, but yet still as refreshing as a dip in the gulf. Most importantly, it didn’t burn away my essence. Though it did do the trick and burned up my face a bit.
Then the food came. A beautiful pirogue plate that aced the presentation test. For just $30, a petite steak filet and blue crab cake on a bed of mashed potatoes and decorated with gris gris shrimp greeted me on a sea blue plate.
I brought my Louisiana born-and-raised little cousin with me to give me an authenticity scale.
As he dove into his fried gris gris po’boy, he came up surprised. “This is spicy. The good kind of spicy.”
The spice permeated more than the shrimp. The crab cake was some of the best I’ve had on the Coast and that was greatly due to the kick.
“These people are definitely from Louisiana,” my cousin, Riley, said following the disappearance of his po-boy.
Our meals were perfect. The pirogue required several aspects to go right and each did. The steak? Cooked to order. Shrimp? Well-seasoned. Crab cake? Unreal. Mashy Tatoes? Yummy delicious.
All this after starting my evening with a $5 rum and coke from the bar.
Bacchus on the Beach stands out along the coastline as a high quality and affordable restaurant that caters to both the relaxed and the cuisine-particular.
The hype is real and the staff delivers.
This story was originally published July 7, 2023 at 8:30 AM.
