Spending the day in Ocean Springs

Over the weekend, I began to feel extremely self-conscious because as I began to bounce back from the head cold/sinus infection that came from the depths of Hades, I also got my appetite back.  With a vengeance.  I kid you not.  It was almost like I was hungry. seriously. every. other. minute.  It was the story of my life:  We had just eaten and I was hungry again.  (No, I'm not pregnant.) 


I was the epitome of a bottomless pit and kept asking the guys if they were hungry like every other second it seemed like.  

So, that leads me to the next restaurant we visited during our trip...The Shed in Ocean Springs.

This is a BBQ joint that I've heard a lot about and QB perks up considerably when BBQ is the topic at hand.  

Of course, since it's Mississippi (me) vs. Texas (him), there is a considerable amount of BBQ trash talkin' before, during and after a carnivorous barbecue frenzied food fest : smoked pork vs. beef brisket, tangy mustard & vinegar vs. sweet & spicy tomato-based sauce - you get the idea.  You should hear us discussing the subject of tamales!!


I digress.


First of all, you know it's good 'Cue when this is the first thing you see from the road.  BBQ joint adjacent to the RV Park.  You know it to be true.

You order, sit down at one of the picnic tables and wait for your name to be called.

They call you first name, verify your last name and the food is yours, awaiting consumption.  I ordered the baby back ribs, potato salad and baked beans and sweet tea - QB and Nate got the beef brisket.  

This barbecue is no joke!  The meat had been cooked "low and slow," no doubt about it.  It fell off the bone and if I do say so, I licked my fingers and smacked my lips.  Oh what?  We're in public? 

The beans were pretty good (not the best I've ever had but good) and the potato salad I lurved most especially - the kind with potato skin and bacon in it.  The sauce was tomato-based, sweet with a subtle spicy kick to it.  QB grabbed and applied Crystal's Hot Sauce because he could have taken it a little spicier.  We didn't hear much from Nate during lunch.  He was busy eating.  

Truth be told, I grew up on the tangy mustard & vinegar-based sauces, so I'm still partial to that.  But the sweet and spicy is a good change and it wasn't overly sweet - it was a good balance.  I would definitely go back, but honestly, I'd probably get the beef this time around.  The sauce just seemed to compliment the brisket better, in my opinion.  But I'm also curious about the pulled pork, so further inspection is needed.  !


Afterwards, we went to the Walter Anderson Museum of Art.  The live oak trees on the coast are gorgeous.  They lined Washington Street and the surrounding areas of Highway 90 and I love they way their tree limbs can drag the ground.

The museum was amazing.  The rowboat Anderson used to travel to Horn Island was hanging in the gallery above our heads and the bike he rode was on the other end.  

The connecting Community center really is incredible.  Anderson wanted to and was then commissioned to paint the interior walls in the 1950s and it is mind-boggling to me how the different murals he painted have such a cohesive fluidity to them. 

There were no breaks in the design and each design, conceptually, blew me away - from far away what looked like a mere pattern was in actuality an animal or wave or whatever it happened to be.  (I could take pictures as long as I didn't use flash) 

His daughter, Martha Anderson, stopped by the museum while we were there and QB spoke to her briefly.  The University Press did a book with her and he worked with her.  Who knows where I was wondering at the time, so I didn't get to meet her.  :(

Below is his room from his home on Horn Island.

And below, some Shearwater pottery he did and a really cool table he carved!  QB and I wanted one for our very own.  Oh well.

Other works from Coastal artists were on display.  Dusti Bongé was one of the artists on display - Mississippi's first modernist.  Really cool stuff.   (See Anderson's bike at the far end?)

I don't remember who did this one but I loved the spider web!

Sadly, the one place we didn't make it to during our Coast weekend was Le Bakery in Biloxi, the Vietnamese-owned bakery with traditional cuisine, French bread and other goodies.  It's on my list for next time!!