by The Great Foodini

Seafood and sports are two major passions of the people of South Mississippi and for the past two years Tasty Tails has done their best to meet both of those demands.

With large-screen TVs visible from every seat, owners Tai Nguyen and Addis Villareal do their best to draw in the crowds throughout various sports seasons. The superior quality seafood is their trick to keep them coming.

The most popular food for appetizers are the fried or sautéed crab claws. Another frequently requested albeit uncommon item on the starter menu are the Cajun-seasoned turkey necks, which are chocked full of bold flavors with a slight hint of heat on the backend and are so tender the meat can be simply pulled off the neck bone with a fork.

Tasty Tails strives to always have fresh, local seafood on the menu by only ordering from distributors nearby. Addis, one of the owners believes in buying local. “I am a mom and I am particular about what I will let my kids eat. I feel the same way about my customers. They are here because they trust us to give them the best ingredients possible and they can go anywhere, but they chose to come here and we take that seriously. Taking care of our customers with service and superior quality food is my main priority,” said Villareal. Tasty Tails can be divided into two seasons. Shrimp is the first one and crawfish is the second one. Villareal pits her crawfish against any other seafood restaurant even out of season. If a diner is having a hankering for crawfish in the wrong part of the year, Tasty Tails may satisfy their craving.

“We will offer crawfish year round. We have a special way we season and cook them that ensures that most would never know the difference, but of course we always prefer fresh, live ones,” said Villareal.

The crawfish, even out of season are tender with a manageable heat. They finish buttery and garlicky, but not overpowering, but you will need an after dinner mint. The seasoning soak for their crawfish has grown such popularity that the owners are now working to begin bottling and distributing it.

“Customers began putting it on rice, wings, pasta and anything else they could think of,” said Villareal. Although they are not adorned with a tail, there are several delicious options for oysters.

The flagship oyster offering on the menu is the Oyster Fusion. The oyster fusion immediately sets off the taste buds with a tangy ponzu-based sauces and some savory “secret” ingredients.

The oyster nachos are kinda self-explanatory, but unique enough to try out of curiosity. They are excellent and worth the gamble. An oyster is placed on a wonton style cracker drizzled with spicy mayo and pico de gallo.

Next door, the owners opened the Tasty Lounge so the party can continue into the wee hours of the morning with an over-the-top Cajun Bloody Mary that is adorned with a butterflied broiled shrimp and a crawfish.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or comments at (228)224-6781 or editor@thegazebogazette.com.  Thank you for reading!