Welcome to Lady May located in downtown Ocean Springs on Washington Ave. Directly across the street from the Villa Maria, Lady May has a perfect spot for downtown OS shenanigans with rear parking that leads out to Government St. and all it has to offer. Rather you are shopping for art or checking out the exclusive boutiques, downtown Ocean Springs is a tourist and local destination any day of the week. The restaurants and bars line the streets as well for a day into the night adventure like no other little town has to offer. Lady May is definitely one of our very favorite spots to dine at any time. Inspired by family and tradition, The Lady May celebrates the art of home-cooking passed down through generations, with dishes influenced by both Italian Catholic and Southern cuisine.
We were able to get patio seating that is wonderful for most of our weather with a bubbling fountain and outdoor bar and live music! This place offers so much with a very different menu, each item unique and mouth tantalizing! The General Manager Adian Koltenbaugh does a smashing job keeping busy insuring consistency in excellence. Our server Dani who has been my waitress on many occasions, took great care in making sure our experience was excellent while fully covering the food menu as well as cocktails. Cheli began with a Cold Brew Martini – Tito’s, Kahlua, cold brew coffee and crushed candied pecan rimmed, while I enjoyed a Craft Mimosa called Summer Lovin – champagne with pineapple juice and strawberry puree, both delicious!
For starters we began with the Snack Board – our sausage was cheddar jalapeno, pepperoni, gouda and cheddar, goat cheese with honey, bacon jam, mango sriracha hummus, sliced pear, bread and butter pickles, spicy pickled okra, and we added a side of pimento cheese, served with toast points and candied pecans. This was a perfect combination of treats, and I thoroughly enjoyed creating a different combo with each bite! (Imagine goat cheese with honey topped with bacon jam and a candied pecan on a pear slice!) This is more than a meal in itself and great for sharing with a party. All of the specialties can also be ordered as their own board if you’re not looking for the full monty! We had an amazing Avocado Chicken Salad – mixed greens, chicken, bacon, sliced avocado, corn, red onion, peppers, house-made croutons, and pepperjack cheese with house-made honey-lime vinaigrette. They offer four salads, all really unique: the Santorini – baby spinach, chicken, pears, red onions, bacon and goat cheese with raspberry vinaigrette; Mango Sriracha – mixed greens, seared tuna, avocado, tomatoes, red onions and red bell pepper served with mango sriracha; and the Cranberry Pecan – mixed greens, chicken, sun-dried cranberries, candied pecans, honey goat cheese served with honey balsamic vinaigrette. All salads creating their own mouthwatering experience individually, using flavors that are fused together for a true delicacy!
While we absolutely love the Bacon Jam Burger – bacon jam, lettuce, tomato, onion, pepper jack and mayo, there are also three other tempting choices. McDonald- bbq, ranch, bacon, red onion, pickles topped with cheddar, Louisville Slugger – garlic aioli, red onions, pickles and cheddar cheese, and the Mississippi Slug – yellow mustard, pickles and add pimento cheese. All served on a toasted brioche bun with shoestring fries or whole fried okra. We chose the Braised Beef Sandwich – braised beef shank, pepperjack, onions, peppers and garlic aioli on French bread. Wow, just unbelievably tender beef on a supped-up sandwich, we also love the beef shank with gouda grits and fried eggs. Other amazing sandwiches offered include Hot Ham & Cheese – with gouda, pesto, onion and garlic aioli on a Hawaiian roll, White BBQ Chicken – with gouda red onions, bacon, pickles, and white bbq on a brioche bun, Chicken Salad dressed on 9 grain bun, and the Hummus Avocado – mango sriracha hummus, avocado, cucumber, bell pepper, onion, arugula, with honey balsamic vinaigrette on a 9 grain roll.
Moving on to Plates, we had amazing Crab Cakes – made with lump crab over pasta, cream sauce, with mixed greens, lemon basil vinaigrette and a biscuit, the flavor enhancements are wonderfully complimentary and the crab cakes are actually loaded with flavor. The Stuffed Tuna – ahi tuna filet with smoked tuna dip, mixed greens and lemon basil vinaigrette and a biscuit, Honey Butter Fried Chicken – dark meat with whipped honey butter, mac and cheese and a biscuit, and the amazing Braised Beef Shank are other options. No bad choices, everything is so fabulous!
From the Flatbread options we enjoyed the Crawfish May – garlic aioli, crawfish, red onion, goat cheese and arugula, so light and delicious! The Right Field Roost – with white bbq, chicken, bacon, red onion and gouda, and the and the Santa Margherita – with tomato sauce, mozzarella, tomato and basil are huge crowd pleasers as well!
For brunch Cheli and I had our very favorite, Biscuits Monica – a rich and creamy crawfish Monica over two huge homemade biscuits and two center cut biscuits topped with more fried crawfish tails and jalapeno-cheddar smoked sausage! We had a waffle with creamy butter, maple syrup and bacon jam as well! There’s a Breakfast Plate – two eggs, bacon, gouda grits and a biscuit and everything from the other selections included with homemade biscuits, your choices are unlimited!
Everything Lady May has to offer is exceptional, no matter what time you get a hankering to dine! For dessert we had the most incredible Fried Bread Pudding with bourbon sauce and ice cream with candied pecans! Whoop! I also fell head-over-heels in love with the ST.Germain mimosa! I can’t wait to see y’all there, ENJOY!!!
