With outstanding cuisine and terrific ambiance, not to mention the charm and character of a historic building, Field’s Steak & Oyster Bar is the ideal place to enjoy steaks, seafood and other delicious specialties. You’d be hard pressed to find a better setting for an intimate evening with someone special or a celebration with friends.
Field’s opened in March in the former Magnolia Hotel, which was built in 1847 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. After the hotel closed, it became home to the Biloxi Mardi Gras Museum before being restored by Chef Field Nicaud and his brother, Jourdan Nicaud, to create an upscale steakhouse in the heart of Biloxi.
Chef Field opened his first restaurant in Bay St. Louis after studying at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York and working at multiple award-winning restaurants. His upscale, yet casual, restaurant quickly became one of the area’s premier dining spots.
After finding success in Bay St. Louis, Chef Field had planned to try a different concept in Biloxi when acquiring the building. However, after Hurricane Zeta washed out the foundation in October 2020, a month before the new restaurant’s planned launch, he decided to stick with what worked and opened a second steak and oyster bar.
During this time, he hired his Ole Miss college friend, Baileigh Reardon — who was cooking in Charleston South Carolina, when COVID hit — to be executive chef for both restaurants. Chef Field convinced him that bringing his cuisine to a new audience on the Gulf Coast was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.
“We are 300 yards from the Gulf of Mexico — some of America’s best fishing grounds,” Chef Baileigh says. “I’m an outdoorsman and fisherman, and I understand what’s in the ocean. If you know what to go after and how to treat it right, you can start to broaden guests’ horizons.”
My girlfriend, Lauryn, and I got to experience this firsthand on our recent visit. Our wonderful server, Erica Castaing, started us off with a delightful whipped ricotta and baguette with Georgia pecans, herbs, balsamic-infused olive oil and a little honey, as well as a fresh Yellowfin tuna crudo with avocado salad, pecan romesco sauce, an Italian basil-based salsa verde and house-made sourdough baguette crisps. You can’t go wrong with either of these starting your meal.
Next up was Chef Baileigh’s favorite starter, his version of shrimp scampi. Featuring Gulf shrimp with his take on a very traditional scampi sauce, it’s topped with a fried softshell crab and garlic baguettes that are perfect for soaking up the juices.
It is almost obligatory to try some oysters, and the gris gris oysters were on point. In a twist on the chargrill recipe, some smoked peppers are added to the garlic butter, herbs, Crystal hot sauce, and parmesan.
For our entrees, Lauryn had the Gulf catch, which that evening was Louisiana redfish over blackened lump crab and collard rice, drizzled with remoulade sauce. Each bite provided big bursts of flavor. I went with the surf-and-turf special. Presented on a cutting board, the perfectly cooked, tender and juicy ribeye sat atop an eight-ounce crab cake and asparagus, flanked by two fried softshell crabs and topped with a mound of blackened crab meat. There was easily enough food to share, and the high-quality meat didn’t disappoint.
To end our meal, we experienced the joy of cracked pie with a side of vanilla ice cream. The brown sugar pie can best be described as the filling from pecan pie without the pecans. When baked, the top gets nice and crispy, so it cracks apart when you put your spoon through it. We’ve already made plans to return.
“Tourists and locals who want to experience the freshest local seafood and generously seasoned steaks seared with Wagyu beef tallow in sizzling, cast-iron skillets should join us here at Field’s Steak & Oyster Bar Biloxi,” says general manager Bill Yockey. “Our goal is to blow guests away with superior flavors created with the best locally sourced ingredients. Come enjoy a memorable experience with our family, where you’ll have the freshest local seafood and most flavorful steaks in comfort and style.”
Besides the beautiful dining room, Field’s offers balcony and porch seating for outdoor diners, and the restaurant is open Wednesday through Saturday for dinner. Sunday brunch offers half-off oysters on the half shell and $10 jumbo bloody marys and mimosas. A steak date night promotion on Wednesdays offers a $45 meal consisting of two steaks, a shared side and a salad. On Thursdays, Field’s highlights charbroiled oysters with an $8-per-half-dozen special. A Bourbon Appreciation Club is in development that will feature 70-plus bourbon selections, and a third-floor addition also is in the works to accommodate private parties of up to 30 guests. Don’t leave without seeing the dazzling bling in the mirrored tile bathrooms.
FIELD’S STEAK & OYSTER BAR
119 Rue Magnolia
Biloxi, MS
(228) 207-4137