larry olmsted, special for usa today posted at 8:03 a.m. on March 10, 2016 | Updated at 8:34 am. m. and March 10, 2016
(photo: larry olmsted)
Reading: Darwell’s art cafe
The Scene: It doesn’t get more laid back than Darwell’s Café, a true roadside dive that is literally across the tracks. Oceanfront Beach Boulevard is the main drag in these parts, along the longest man-made beach in the United States, but Darwell’s is on Railroad Street, which runs parallel several blocks inland, to along the tracks. Long Beach, a small neighbor of Biloxi, is home to the University of Southern Mississippi, and was once known as the radish capital of the world. The area is now a major tourist destination, with Biloxi and Gulfport filled with marinas, museums, golf courses, and casinos. but although darwell’s is very close to these, you would never pass by or find it if you weren’t looking for it. however, loads of people come looking for it, and darwell’s, while much larger than it looks, is often overcrowded with a long line out the door, especially on weekends.
the main building has several indoor dining rooms and there is a large outdoor dining room filled with large tables. at its maximum capacity it can hold a couple of hundred people and it does often, with live music every night, indoors or outdoors. as soon as you walk in, you’re at the counter, where the normal greeting is to ask if this is your first time, and if you say yes, you’re handed a sample of their crayfish etouffee. you order at the counter, which has handwritten specials and menu items hanging above it and on the walls to either side. You are then handed a number, head to the iced tea stand for a drink (it’s byob for adult drinks), then find a table. the food is delivered to you with the same ultra-friendly service that permeates the place.
darwell’s is modern, and the walls are covered with quirky art, caricatures, song lyrics, and cartoon drawings, mostly by the owner’s father, “papa d,” who is known to wander around and draw caricatures of customers in polystyrene foam. he mugs for instant souvenirs, or pulls out a harmonica and starts jamming with the band. Colorfully painted guitars hang from the walls, endless strings of Christmas lights hang from the ceilings, and it’s a wonderland at every turn. even the otherwise barren concrete floors are whimsically painted with colorful designs. The exception is the front dining area, by the counter, which is covered with awards and clippings from more conventional framed items, and a signed poster-size photo of TV character Guy Fieri. He brought his diners, drive-ins and joints here specifically for the crayfish etouffee, which he loved so much he included the recipe in his ddd cookbook.
reason for visit: crayfish etouffee, shrimp creoles, melted crab sandwich
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must try cajun fare at darwell’s mississippi coffee
The most popular order is the darwell’s sampler with (from left to right) crayfish etouffee topped with spiced blackened shrimp, shrimp creole and gumbo, plus plenty of warm French bread. larry olmsted
The Food: If the food at Darwell’s was just okay, it would still be a great place, because the place is so colorful and the staff so friendly. but the food is better than fair, it’s fantastic, made to order every time, with a focus on fresh, wild-caught seafood from the gulf of mexico, the source of some of the best shrimp in the world, along with great oysters and blue fish. crab. While most seafood, especially shrimp, is sold in the US. the restaurants are imported, often from foreign fish farms using drugs and chemicals, these are authentic, wild, natural and sweet, and it shows. but it’s not just the ingredients, it’s the kitchen that makes the food here amazing,
The menu is extensive, ranging from barbecue to po’boys, but the two most popular dishes by far are the darwell’s sampler and the crab melt sandwich, followed by larger portions of the individual sampler components. this consists of three bowls, crayfish etouffee, creole shrimp, and gumbo, with a healthy side of buttered toasted french bread. the crab melt is a layer of fresh blue crab meat piled atop ham and swiss cheese, served hot on thick grilled texas toast with a side of au jus for dipping and a bottle of thick vidalia yellow onion vinaigrette, or “house sauce”, which is highly recommended as a sandwich garnish by the staff. you’re right, it’s delicious. There’s a variety of southern staples, but the portions are already large, and as the woman at the counter said, “skip the coleslaw, no one comes to darwell’s for vegetables.”
It’s the etoufee that they’re looking for en masse, and it’s amazing. this part of the mississippi coast is close to new orleans and is heavily influenced by the same type of cajun and creole dishes but in most places the etouffee is reddish whereas here it is creamy mustard colored and topped with a healthy pile of blackened. gulf shrimp spiced just for the sake of deliciousness. Owner Darwell Yeager III makes it completely from scratch, going so far as to make his own lobster broth, then adds healthy dollops of butter and cream (the color) along with the so-called “holy trinity” of Cajun and Creole cuisine, celery, onion and pepper. there’s also old-fashioned bay crab seasoning, cajun spice mix, garlic, flour and parsley, plus lots of local crab meat, a layer of white rice and blackened shrimp, with a house-made seasoning. the etouffee sauce is thick, creamy, rich and delicious, the seafood makes it even more so, and it’s impossible to stop eating. the french bread served on the side is to mop up every last drop. But as good as it is, Creole Shrimp is even better, and just as addictive to the last drop. For this dish, the trinidad is sautéed in lots of butter with the same duo of spices, plus healthy slices of andouille sausage, homemade shrimp broth, and tomato sauce, slowly cooking into a delicious thick red batter. Some regulars order it as a main course with spaghetti, and Darwell’s is the kind of place that will make just about anything you ask for. the gumbo is also thick, original, and very good, but the other two dishes on display are so superlative that it seems a bit average by comparison.
lots of people sharing the sampler and the melted crab – we were the fifth couple that night to place exactly this order, and it was still early. the sandwich is exceptionally rich, creamy and meaty, the crab and ham make an unlikely but successful combination. though it’s already messy, it’s worth slathering on house sauce and juice for a juicy, dripping flavor fest.
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The friendly staff, from the free samples to the smiles to the drink refills, add up to a great experience. one of our waitresses told us that she met her future husband here, she got married here, had her reception here and still loves working at darwell’s.
This is one of those places where it’s really hard to go wrong, if not impossible. it’s all bursting with flavor and freshness, and it’s spicy in a good way, not spicy, with layer after layer of complementary flavors, like the tangy blackened shrimp contrasting with the creamy, buttery etouffee, or the prosciutto offsetting the beef. crab. even the desserts, baked specifically for darwell’s by a local baking genius, are great. the prices are very reasonable, the portions are big, the smiles are bigger, the food is delicious, and with the byob, it’s a great place to eat out as a group with a couple of bottles of wine or beer, while enjoying the music. Of the hundreds of great American restaurants I’ve visited in the last five years, Darwell’s is among my favorites.
Pilgrimage-worthy?: yes, this is the best cuisine in the south of the gulf, in a wonderful setting
punctuation: oh my god! (scale: blah, ok, mmmm, mmm, oh my god!)
price: $$ ($ cheap, $$ moderate, $$$ expensive)
details: 127 east first street, long beach; 228-868-8946; darwellscafe.com
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