Page 12
D'Iberville, MS--When I had
the honor of being invited to
judge last year's Stock Pot
Cook-off for the Chef's of
the Coast, I as well as my fellow
judges, fell in love with a
perfectly seasoned, creamy
and cheesy shrimp bisque
created by Chef Pepe Perez.
Topped with a rosemary
grilled jumbo shrimp, this was one of the best
samplings I had ever had the pleasure to put
in my mouth! Ann McGruder from Rex Distributing
said to me, "I can't believe you've
never eaten at El Bosque, Kelly! We always
call in ahead of time and have Pepe prepare
this for us on our monthly visits!" I was
telling my co-worker, Blake, about my weekend
and he made immediate plans to take me
to his favorite restaurant on our afternoon off
together. Now, Pepe, his daughter Lillian,
and Bosque are a regular habit that I've
turned all my friends onto, and, we look forward
to every visit.
As Blake taught me, you must visit the
specialty salsa bar on your 1st visit to enjoy
the premium salsas all prepared in-house
with fresh ingredients from Pepe's herb garden.
Awesome salsas include: Bosque dressing,
roasted red pepper, jalapeno, roasted
habanera, lime marinated onion and peppers
and habanera dressing, and of course traditional
salsa with hot tortilla chips. We were
mixing them up (of course) and creating our
own favorite blends, mine being Bosque
dressing with
12 w October 2012 w Mississippi Coast Observer
roasted red peppers. Slightly heated at this
time, the 2 for 1 Mango Margaritas were delightfully
cooling us down. Then Lillian
turned us on to Choriqueso- chorizo sausage
and queso, (white cheese dip, mmmm, fabulous!),
along with the newest drink, the Ms
Perez, a light and fruity margarita on the
rocks. A secret Pepe creation, I'm not quite
sure what was in this delicious drink. The
Choriqueso is also a must -try and is served
with warm tortillas and chips. All the authentic
Mexican restaurants I grew up visiting
out west served warm tortillas with butter
and salsa for starters, a tradition I miss.
Now we are sipping on a rich and fruity
Sangria that would perfectly compliment any
Mexican dish as Pepe treats us to his latest
masterpiece, Pepe's Shrimp and Rice. Large,
fresh gulf shrimp cooked in fresh garden
herbs, all the wonderful seasonings absorbed
by the Spanish rice, this new entrée will
surely be a hit! Next we were surrounded by
plates of sides and toppings to go along with
the next two meals. Refried pinto beans,
Spanish rice, lettuce, tomato, pico de gallo,
onions and peppers, and sour cream cover the
table along with lots of warm tortillas to
compliment the Chuletas Asadas
(carnitas) and the Toluca
Favorita. Carnitas are a generous portion
of tender and juicy pork tips marinated
and slowly cooked in a secret
blend of spices, a hint of orange, and imported
beer. This is Blake's favorite, and
now, Cheli, Melanie and I are very impressed
with it as well. The Toluca Favorita,
a sizzling powerhouse of a plate,
chorizo, pork tips, chicken and steak, all
marinated and grilled to perfection. Why
choose one meat when you can enjoy them
all?! No overkill please, these delicacies
work in perfect harmony together and serve
well as a meal for two. These three dishes
have completely undone us, but, we now
have to try the Crawfish Burrito because the
majority had never had one. A huge flour tortilla
brimming with a crawfish etoufee-ish
sauce, topped with cheese dip. This is a very
unique Pepe specialty and sells for only $5!
Pepe joins us at this time and insists that
we try his secret recipe shot of tequila.
WHAT? I do not EVER shoot tequila! But,
I graciously sipped on the smoothest secret
recipe tequila, and I loved it!
For dessert we tried a Banana Burrito,
gooey and sweet banana filling exploding
from a fried tortilla topped with cinnamon-sugar
and fried ice cream, and a
Sopapilla, a fried tortilla topped with cinnamon-sugar
and fried ice cream again. Both
desserts were heavenly, and I will indulge in
the Strawberries and Cream next visit!
Yes, Bosque serves all the traditional
Mexican favorites including tacos, burritos,
chalupas, enchiladas, taquitos, fajitas, quesadillas,
nachos, taco salads, and chile
rellenos, and in most combinations.
All of the selections are
wonderful and prepared especially for
Bosque's patrons . I recommend adventuring
over to the more exotic options and trying
something from the Bosque Specialties,
the Seafood Specialties, or the Grilled Specialties.
Whatever it is that you may choose,
I am sure that you will be ecstatic that you've
chosen to do it at Bosque, a cut above the
rest in serving authentic, homemade Mexican
delicacies. Pepe's creations are unique to
our region and are simply the best! The bar
also offers original concoctions, 2 for 1 margaritas,
and a 27 oz draft beer. The graciousness
of this family is amazing and the
murals express an old world beauty, we love
hanging here at Pepe's Bosque!
¡Buen provecho!!
Kelly
Pepe's Bosque Mexican Grill
10027 Central Ave
D'Iberville, MS 39540
Phone: 228-493-9593
Hours:
Mon - Thu: 10am - 9pm
Fri - Sat: 10am - 10pm
Sun: 10am - 8pm