Sycamore House — Restaurant in Bay Saint Louis

The Sycamore House, a Bay St Louis institution.

This spot is claimed to be the best and most exclusive restaurant in town. And one might understand and agree with that arriving with the appealing novelty of the old house and the beautiful oaks that adorn the grounds. You will be convinced of the previous until you walk through the doors….then one by one the dominos begin to fall like the twist of a good book.

Walking into the house we were immediately greeted by the wonderful wait staff that made it very apparent how rude my girlfriend and I were since we were late to our reservation. Being as someone else made the reservation on our behalf, and the time was miscommunicated to us, we payed no mind and politely apologized before being ushered to our table in the dining room.

The dining room was as one might expect with the older and slightly classy appearance of the furnishings and adornment of the room. However a closer examination of the facilities leaves me wishing I had the ability to have some chips and salsa with their interior decorator; to get to the deepest parts of their inspiration.

Being from Louisiana I take for granted the abundant places to find flavors like that out of the movie Ratatouille. I enjoy attending new places across the country and normally order a couple extra plates to ensure a wholistic understanding of the culinary experience at hand. This night would be no exception.

We began our dinner with ordering a bottle of Rose that was lukewarm. I should have politely asked for more ice in the wine caddy, but did not want to inconvenience the staff that were attending to the abundance of other tables in the room. So we sat an enjoyed each others company.

As we were waiting we felt the warmth of the kitchen come over the dining room like that of fog from a sailors tail. From the age of the house and that it was not built to be a restaurant I can understand this. So one should expect a slight sweat throughout your experience.

We ordered the crabmeat cheesecake and flautas as our appetizers. The cheesecake was something to be expected from this place with its appealing twists on classics like that of a crab cake. The flautas were also enjoyable with their fresh arugula. They were served piping hot, not be advisable to eat straight away, but normally an exciting sign of that to come.

We did not waste time with soup or salads and moved straight into the entres. A needed highlight of any good dinner. I ordered the posesión almonde with the fish being black drum. And my girlfriend ordered the off-menu blackened mahi mahi. The presentation of both being expected. Served on plates appearing to be authentic to the house and a plating presentation of quality. And then came the first bite. All of the preconceived notions and expectations riding on this moment. So when the first bite of the wonderfully fresh black drum tasted like that of something that just came out of a microwaved popcorn bag; you can begin to see the dominos falling faster and faster. The rice seller to be cooked in butter and nothing else. Next was my girlfriend’s mahi mahi. Thankfully part of the taste was saved by the blackened seasoning, but stopped there. Both entres were served with cooked vegetables seasoned with salt and pepper. A welcomed addition, but unfortunate that salt and pepper was no where else to be found.

Following this entre experience one would not be amiss to end dinner at then. But I am one for a wholistic experience, and that was what happened. So we moved onto the desserts.

We ordered the key lime pie, creole cream cheese ice cream, and the brandy cherry brownie. All appearing to have the ability to end this dinner on a high note. But our story does not end that way. Leading up to our desserts being served we continued our conversation under the occasionally flickering lights. The deserts weee served in the same manner the entres were. Authentic plates and a setting to be expected. The first bites did not communicate that of homemade desserts, but rather one with access to...

Where to start? First I am NOT a review person however this experience was so bad I felt strongly it needed to be done. Parking. There is very limited parking in the “yard” $20 parking however across the street per vehicle. Do not book a large party for this restaurant and sit on their porch in the scorching summer. The single $12 Walmart fan is not adequate to cool 14 people. When we asked for more fans we were told “sorry the outlets don’t work”. We were also told by the staff to keep the doors leading to the porch closed so we do not let out the air conditioning. Prior to being seated I asked to add a family member to our table and was told no. I asked a second time stating we would make room at the table we had no need to change anything. Again told no. When I asked why I was told it was a kitchen accommodation issue so I said I would not eat to allow our entire family to be together. The waitress said “let me ask the owners” and I was told no yet again. So after baking for approx 45 min our appetizers arrived. The 6 bbq shrimp were very good. The only reason there is 2 stars on the food. After reaching a good medium well myself from the heat my “garlic butter” steak arrived. I would not say the steak was completely flavorless but closer to what I would imagine cardboard would taste like. Costco filet at best. In closing I would like the owners to know when we stay on our yacht in the harbor we eat out regularly and there is usually a bunch of us. As a business owner I know there are certain things in business that can be done to make patrons feel appreciated. This is NOT the place at all!! Lastly to whom ever the owners are that did not take the time to greet me and my party of 14 when I desperately tried to add another seat to the “porch” seating I would like to say even if your food was superb (which it was not) and even if your yard parking was adequate which it is not! And even if your porch had at least adequate air circulation which it DID not. And even if 1 of your staff was not rude and condescending know this. This was the last money you will ever get from me and my family. We will take our unlimited dining budget and eat...

My work has taken me to many places in the world, and this restaurant stands right up against any I’ve eaten at in London or Paris. Not in terms of pomp, circumstance or fanfare, but in the ways that matter - the way they treat their customers with grace and respect, they way they treat their food with grace and respect. Everything here is super high-quality, creative, warm, and welcoming. You can dress up when you come here or dress down, and you will be treated the same. The chefs know what they’re doing. The front of the house and wait staff know what they're doing.

The food is exquisite. The kitchen is quite accommodating, too; I like really spicy food, and most places don’t believe me ('middle-aged white woman can't possible really mean spicy!') and won’t spice up my dish. But this kitchen can take their fish almondine and make it extra spicy while still retaining the buttery richness that makes this nutty dish a star. I have a hard time ordering anything else, because it is so good and they make it so perfectly, just for me. My husband is stuck on their shrimp and grits; the shrimp sauce is dark and redolent of long-stewed seafood stock and the grits are perfectly al dente with a creaminess that is outta this world. We’ve had seared callops and ropa viejo and daily specials at Sycamore House, too, and everything has been excellent. The salads are perfectly dressed, very lightly.

Every detail is perfect, but nothing is fussy. The ambience is charming, and you are always greeted with a warm smile. It’s a home run from the outset, starting with the crispy French bread and whipped, creamy butter. The wine list is good, too. You absolutely can’t go wrong here. I almost forgot to mention the desserts, because we're almost always too full, but they are also fab! I can personally vouch for the key lime pie and the...