I had to try the Lunch Box’s famed roast beef po-boy before the restaurant sells. OMG.
The famed Lunch Box on Highway 90 in Waveland is up for sale after nearly 30 years under the same ownership.
Cathy Wellman and Michelle Schmitt have co-owned the hidden local favorite for 28 years, but are ready to retire and pass on the restaurant to a new owner.
Before the recipe for their legendary roast beef po-boy is passed on, I had to give it a try and see why The Lunch Box has built such a strong reputation in Hancock County.
Even an hour after the busy lunch hour, The Lunch Box was bustling with visitors. The cashiers were quick to parse through the line and get the orders out in a timely manner.
This was my second po-boy of the month and first since my seafood gumbo-soaked masterpiece from Taranto’s.
Admission: I had never had roast beef in po-boy form. I do enjoy a French dip sandwich, though, so I was eager to give this Deep South delicacy a try.
It passed the first po-boy test, which of course is to be an absolute mess of a meal. If you don’t create a salad of food underneath your po-boy, then it isn’t stuffed right.
The gravy cleared the second test with flying colors. While dryness can doom a po-boy, the roast beef gravy was the prize of every bite.
And finally, the bread integrity was astounding. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about being an adult, it’s that bread matters.
If I am going to stuff myself with carbs in the name of journalism, the bread needs to bang. It held incredibly well and never soggied up in the gravy. Instead, it served as the perfect compliment to the roast beef.
Outside of the food, the place itself is a time capsule. A Coca-Cola branded menu that looks every bit as old as the restaurant greeted customers before being handed their food through the now-rare-sight of a window from the kitchen to the dining area.
“We’ve been coming here for about as long as they’ve been open,” One Bay St. Louis resident told me. He and his son said they visit twice a week, once on Monday and again on Wednesday.
I watched as kids fueled up before practice, HVAC workers met for a lunch break and friends get lost in conversation around their tables.
If there was ever an institution ingrained into the fabric of the Bay St. Louis and Waveland communities, it was this one. The owners promise to teach whoever purchases the restaurants every recipe so visitors can continue to enjoy the cozy sandwich dive. I hope they do.
