Where to find a good po’boy on the Coast? Try this gas station.
Sometimes white table cloths just don’t get it.
There is nothing wrong with fine dining, but there is a time and place for everything. Recently I have been on a po’boy rant and have ranged from one end of the Coast to the other, and as far north as Jackson and Starkville in search of the best.
Po’boys may not qualify as fine dining, but when you find a good one, few things are better.
I could name a dozen great shops that sell po’boys on the Coast, and to rank them would be a difficult — and dangerous — task. But I can tell you about one place that is fast becoming a favorite of mine.
You may remember the four Fayard’s Marathon gas stations on the Coast. The one on Popp’s Ferry Road in Biloxi was always my favorite, and now that it was sold, it still takes top spot in my book.
Fat Baby and Alise’s, as the deli is known, offers a lot more than po’boys. They are famous for their award-winning gumbo ($4.49 a cup) and a killer recipe for smoked tuna dip ($5.99).
They also offer hogshead cheese, crawfish and meat pies, burgers, fried chicken, and banana pudding, and just about anything you might want for breakfast. And it is all good.
But those that are in the know come to Fat Baby and Alise’s for the po’boys. My favorite — and if you know me at all you won’t be surprised — is the cheeseburger po’boy, with extra mayo, just $7.99. The gas-fired grill makes a big difference, but I have it on good authority that there is a fair amount of magic involved as well. How else could it be so darn good?
The bestselling po’boys are the roast beef with gravy ($7.95) and the fried shrimp ($9.49). That should come as no surprise. If you make your own roast beef, as any self-respecting po’boy place must, it is always going to be a winner, as will be the fried shrimp, as long as you do not overcook the shrimp.
If you know your way around a po’boy, then you know they have got to come pressed and dressed. If you don’t know what that is, then you do not belong to this club.
OK, but just this last time: dressed means it is served with tomato, lettuce and pickles. Pressed means is has been toasted in something like a panini press. A po’boy is always wrapped in butcher paper, folded in a certain way, and just one end given a twist. Don’t ask why.
Fat Baby and Alise’s is a work in progress, so look for more good things to come. On my last visit I was told that they were going to start combining the two bestselling po’boys into one: roast beef, gravy and fried shrimp. Wow! When that hits the menu, you are going to have to get in line.
If you go
Fat Baby and Alise’s
Where: The Marathon Station, 1757 Popps Ferry Road, Biloxi
Hours: 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday
Phone: 228-388-1021
This story was originally published July 27, 2018 at 12:00 AM.