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Food is the Name of the Game in BiloxiBeau RivageBy Carole Kotkin
Some people call Biloxi the “Mississippi Miracle.” The miracle is how this sleepy Gulf town has become the Vegas of the South in a little more than ten years time. Ante-bellum-style summer cottages, souvenir shops, and deep sea fishing charters lining the 26 miles of sandy beaches were once the main tourist attractions of this historic Mississippi beach community. Now, features of the coast blend with the neon signs of huge new floating casinos. Casinos in Mississippi are required by the state legislature to float, so those in Biloxi and neighboring Gulfport are lined up along the Gulf of Mexico and the bay side of the gulf. The casinos are not like gambling riverboats; most are on giant, anchored, floating barges. They are so stable that, unless you are looking out a window, you’d never know that you are floating. Many of the casinos are attached to hotels that are built on land. The centerpiece of the Gulf Coast is the 1,780 room Beau Rivage Casino and Resort. It is the brainchild of famous Las Vegas casino impresario Steve Wynn, and is now part of casino conglomerate MGM Mirage. The Beau Rivage was recognized in 2003 by Travel and Leisure as one of the “Top 500” hotels in the world and as one of the five “Greatest Hotel Values in the U.S.” Biloxi doesn’t have a “strip” and unlike Vegas, you won’t find thousands of people strolling the streets at night, walking from hotel to hotel and checking out the sights. All the action is inside the casinos. Between rolls of dice you can take in big name entertainers like Wynonna Judd, Tony Bennett, Willie Nelson, or Ann-Margaret or see Balagan, a Cirque du Soleil-style show, or Michael Flately’s Lord of the Dance in Beau Rivage’s 1,550-seat theater. Biloxi is following Las Vegas’ lead by marketing itself as family-friendly with spas, pools, beaches, up-scale retail shops, and entertainment for kids. The barrier islands have made the Mississippi Sound a great breeding ground for flounder and redfish—wonderful for sport fishing. For the fishing enthusiast, the Beau Rivage offers a unique opportunity—a 5,000 square foot floating resort called the Sportsman’s Lodge anchored about 32 miles south of the Beau Rivage. Biloxi boasts some winning options—golf courses, Beauvoir (retirement home of Confederate President Jefferson Davis), and the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art. Plus, New Orleans is only a short 90 minutes away by car. Of course, you can still gamble 24 hours a day in the Beau Rivage’s 76,000 sq. ft. casino, but the new Biloxi of elegance and opulence has added a whole new twist to the party. The real winner is the customer who cares about food. Win or lose, most gamblers feel they get their money’s worth. Where to Stay:Beau Rivage, 888-595-2534 or www.beaurivage.com to reserve rooms, 800-261-9548 for air and hotel packages. Attractions:Beauvoir, 800-570-3818 Orh-O’Keefe Museum of Art, 228-374-5547 |
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The big news in the gaming world emanates not from Las
Vegas, but from Biloxi, Mississippi. With the opening of the elegant $650
million Beau Rivage Hotel and Casino, Biloxi now rivals Vegas in glitz,
games and gourmet cuisine. Mississippi now ranks third in annual casino
revenue, right behind Vegas and Atlantic City. Gambling, which was legalized
in 1992, focused new attention on this part of the country and last year,
Gulf Coast casinos logged 10 million visits. There are 12 casino resorts now
and 18,000 rooms in the area. For gamblers on the east coast who prefer the
moonlight and magnolia atmosphere of the South, or don’t want to make the
trek west to Las Vegas, they can get their gambling fix much closer to home. 
Las Vegas may have Biloxi beat on the glitter quotient,
but when it comes to Southern hospitality, you’ll hit the jackpot at casinos
here. Everywhere you go, you will be greeted with unfailing friendliness.
People who come to Biloxi don’t just want to gamble. They want a full-blown
resort with nightlife, art, culture and cutting-edge kitchens, because
today’s tourists know good food and plan their vacations around the best
dining available. Superior ingredients and service introduce a new level of
sophistication to the scene. Menus are laden with lobster, crab, smoked
salmon, foie gras, truffles, morels, pounds of caviar and just about every
other luxury food item you can imagine. Presentations are appropriately
exquisite. Pastry chefs are in nirvana, stacking desserts to the heavens,
challenging gravity with spun-sugar fantasies. There are twelve restaurants
at Beau Rivage, running the gamut from gourmet five-star dining to easy
informal meals that have helped to make this a AAA Diamond Award Hotel.
Anywhere from 12,000 to 20,000 meals are served per day. The bakery alone
turns out 60,000 delicious macaroons daily. Executive Chef Joseph Friel,
formerly of the New York’s Plaza Hotel, has taken fine dining to a new level
at The Port House. The Port House offers exceptionally presented seafood
flown in daily from Hawaii, and prime aged beef-- including
melt-in-your-mouth Kobe beef. Four 10,000-gallon aquariums containing
hundreds of tropical fish, coral reefs and undersea plants surround the
dining area, making it a visual feast. Under the guidance of Chef Anthony
Caratozzolo, La Cucina features traditional Italian flavors in an
open-kitchen trattoria. The 650-seat Beau Rivage Buffet features 175
different items including made-to-order cooking stations and 2 dessert
stations with 30 to 40 selections. The Coast Brewing Company is the first
brewpub in Mississippi and provides a wide selection of 40 lagers and
seasonal beers complemented by a menu of traditional American food. The
thirty million dollar brewery features nightly entertainment. For
those looking for barbecue, Memphis Q offers award-winning ribs and chicken
and for Asian food check out Noodles or the newly opened Asian fine dining
restaurant, Anna Mae, with sushi bar, and live fish tanks.