Gulfport's Blow Fly Inn

A short time ago on a drive back from Birmingham with Jeremy Wells, author of the blog Faire Les Courses, I received an invite from Andy, of EatJXN anonymity, to meet him in Gulfport, MS for dinner.  Not being one to pass up a meal with a stranger and a chat about food blogging, Jeremy and I happily met Andy at Gulfport's famous Blow Fly Inn.  

Roasted Red Pepper Piminto Cheeseburger at the Blow Fly Inn

I'll get to the burger, which easily proved to be the highlight of the meal, in a few.  But first, a little tidbit about the restaurant.  The Blow Fly Inn is one of the more historic restaurants around Gulfport, Mississippi.  It got started around 40 years ago, but in 2005 it was completely wiped off the face of the earth by Hurricane Katrina.  Now rebuilt and better than ever, the restaurant gladly serves up Gulf food for the locals and travelers alike.  You can arrive at the Blow Fly Inn by car or boat, which is always enjoyable.

Our meal began with crab claws, onion rings, and a cup of gumbo.  The claws were rather meaty and nicely fried.  They weren't anything too special since I can get fried and sauteed crab all over the place in Baton Rouge, but they were still worthy of the name Gulf seafood.  The onion rings were plentiful and delicious.  The batter had some tasty seasoning and they dipped well in both ketchup and ranch.  I figured we were close enough to Louisiana that the gumbo would be worth a try.  While it may have been worth trying, I don't know that it was worth a whole lot more than that.  It had a typical restaurant texture and flavor which never blows me away.  Oh well... I still had a burger to enjoy!

The roasted red pepper pimento cheeseburger easily took home the prize for best thing I ate.  The pimento cheese added a unique flavor, but the beef itself really set the burger apart.  The half pound homemade patty sat tall on the bun.  Inside it had a pink medium rare color and plenty of beefy, juicy, goodness.  

I've seen some mixed reviews on the Blow Fish Inn as a whole.  My experience was above average for sure, though I'd have a hard time recommending anything that looks like a Cajun dish.  Do yourself a favor and make the short drive to Louisiana if that's what you want!  Still, there are some good things on the menu, a good story, and water access.  Enjoy!

The Blow Fly Inn at night