A favorite NOLA restaurant is finally here on the MS Coast. Here’s what I ordered
Coterie Restaurant and Oyster Bar’s first Mississippi Coast location has been open since September in Long Beach, serving New Orleans-style dining straight from Decatur Street to South Mississippi customers.
The restaurant held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday with city officials and corporate members to commemorate that opening at 300 E Beach Boulevard along Highway 90.
“We’re really excited to be here in Long Beach,” co-owner Jeff Rogers said at the ceremony. “We feel like we’ve been well-accepted. We’ve had a tremendous amount of support and love and great reviews.”
Coterie replaces the former Cajun Crawfish Hut and brought its own unique interior that fits in well with the Mississippi Coast scene.
The restaurant is elegance on stilts, yet still carries a casual vibe. Low-hanging chandeliers set a dim-light mood and Big Easy jazz floats through the rafters.
There are colorful maps of the many past lives of the Mississippi River adorning the walls. There’s a private table and an auxiliary Mississippi Sound-facing outdoor seating area that’s bathed in natural light.
“Everybody seems to like what we offer,” Rogers said.
“We’ve given everybody a different place where they can eat at, an outside view or an inside that is upscale but also comfortable to come enjoy lunch or brunch, as well,” co-owner Kristian Wadleigh added.
The menu is Cajun and Creole, through and through. Oysters five different ways can be had, including the popular chargrilled platter.
Starters include dishes with boudin, alligator, crab and shrimp. There’s pasta, Po-boys, tacos and gumbo. The Napoleon is a house favorite, a meal with fried fish topped in andouille cream sauce with a side of mashed potatoes and brussels sprouts.
My trip yielded a plate of blackened alligator with remoulade sauce and a bowl of crab cake pasta served under a house-made crab cake.
Both were cooked perfectly and prepared with the signature Louisiana kick. The customer service from both servers and bartenders was equally as strong.
Coterie opens at 11 a.m. and closes at 9 p.m. each day. There’s a brunch menu Friday through Sunday and doors open an hour earlier for the occasion.
This story was originally published December 15, 2023 at 10:24 AM.
