by The Great Foodini
So, one of my favorite chefs on the entire MS Gulf Coast is back in action. Chef David Dickensauge is not only a genius in the kitchen, but he cares enough to locally source sustainable farms throughout the South MS region and endeavors to use local seafood and other items.
In his new restaurant called the 27th Avenue Bistro in Gulfport, you will find menu items like nowhere else within 100 miles of here.
My favorite appetizer or “small plate” is his creole devils on horseback, which are boudin and andouille, stuffed medjool dates wrapped in creole smoked bacon and piquillo-tomato sauce. These delicious items are all at once sweet, salty and savory. A perfect balance of flavors to activate parts of your tongue that have remained dormant for quite some time….as a matter of fact, most of the menu brings your taste buds alive with uniqueness and creativity that you won’t find in most eateries around the coast.
Another must try dinner item on the small plates menu is the smoked duck confit donuts with smoked bacon jam, harrisa aioli, date marmalade and cayenne powdered sugar…..cayenne powdered sugar. I want you to take a moment and imagine those flavors. The sweet cuts the heat and then vice versa.
One of his entrees that Chef David has brought back from his previous restaurant, Corks and Cleaver, is a coffee-braised short rib. Decked with rosemary-thyme, braised southern greens, sweet corn chow chow and bone marrow aioli. This hearty dish is enough to have you dreaming about later.
On Monday nights, chef David takes a page out of tradition and does a flat rate $20 steak night. A perfectly seared 18-ounce cold smoked prime ribeye or an 8-ounce tenderloin topped with ash-cured local vegetables and Manchego cheese infused twice mashed potatoes. The caramel and horseradish flavors of the home made worchestire marinade that the steak is bathed in adds to the already perfectly temperature juiciness of this steak. Be sure to ask the chef about the manchego cheese he uses and also be sure to ask him to describe the process of how he creates a wonderful seasoning out of the charred remains of used vegetables to create a unique taste. Also, be sure to look for other hidden jewels on the menu like ghost pepper caviar. In other words, unlike so many other places, this place can do it all.
