I remember...Rosetti's Cafe!

Most of the time I am fine with progress..change can be good. What is not good is change due to some natural disaster. Here on the Coast, the most common natural disasters are hurricanes and several years ago a bad one hit. Hurricane Katrina pretty much devastated the Mississippi Coast..this type change, we could definitely do without. I was searching for some pictures for Hubby, when I came across one that brought back a flood of memories. It is of a tiny, local restaurant that he and I used to go to before we were married. Rosetti's Cafe! Not that this was a fancy place..far from it..it did not need to be as the food was what drew people to it. The cafe was run by some little old ladies that served the best food in town..Po-boys! Try as I might, I cannot recall the ladies' names. This, in itself, makes me sad simply because when the place was in business, these ladies knew everyone's name! As soon as you walked in the door, they would call out to you..they would ask "How's your mama?"..and take your order all in one breath. They were incredible! As was the food that they cooked and served.

A local newspaper's picture of Rosetti's Cafe!

For those readers who are not from here, Rosetti's served po-boys. These are sandwiches made on French bread and piled high with meat or seafood and other trimmings. By far, my favorite po-boy was the "Vancleave Special" from Rosetti's! The "Vancleave Special" was made with fresh crab meat made into patties and topped with lettuce, tomatoes, mayo, mustard, pickles and cheese. Oh, my goodness! This was practically "Heaven on a Plate"! The fried shrimp po-boys were equally as yummy and piled to overflowing with the crispiest fried shrimp! Mr. Vincent Rosetti owned this restaurant and he had taken credit for bringing the "pressed" po-boy to Biloxi from New Orleans. A pressed po-boy is one that is pressed with a hot flat iron skillet or griddle after being filled. This pressing toasts the French bread to the perfect crunchiness that caused crumbs to scatter everywhere with each bite! Eating this type po-boy is not for the fastidious diner! Not that it mattered at Rosetti's Cafe, they would never say a word about crumbs other than to say that it meant you enjoyed the meal. And that we always did..good food and good company, always makes for fine dining! (The broom and dustpan must have gotten a good workout after I left!)

The original Rosetti's was located "down on the Point". Point Cadet is situated at the very eastern tip of the peninsula that is Biloxi. The little cafe was seated between Cedar and Myrtle Streets near the Biloxi/Ocean Springs Bridge which allowed travelers easy access. They, along with the locals, could stop in to eat and rest a bit before continuing on their journeys. Hurricane Katrina ended all of that. The little cafe was gone as was much of Biloxi. There is another restaurant now that has claimed to be a spinoff of Rosetti's but I am sorry..no-one can ever replace the original. The food, the friendliness, the prices..are what set the place apart and now that is lost forever. Times change..just not always for the better.