If you’ve never been to Bonne Terre, make a point of checking it out at the new, free Live at the Lake concert series, which is being held Thursdays from 6 to 9 p.m.
And see what you’ve been missing.
The resort on 23 acres at 4715 Church Road in Nesbit, Mississippi, includes a large and small inn, two event spaces, a chapel that can house 225 people, and a casual/fine dining restaurant, Magnolia Bend Grille, which is housed on the property.
Bonne Terre, which translates to “Good Earth,” launched Live at the Lake on July 10th with the Bubba Feathers Band. Kevin & Bethany Paige will perform July 24th.
You can purchase food, including gourmet hamburgers, or bring your own eats. Beer, wine, and mixed drinks are available. You can also bring blankets and lawn chairs or reserve a special table and just relax under the pecan trees, listen to live music, and enjoy nature.
And if you get there early, you can eat a sit-down three-course dinner at Magnolia Bend Grille.
Bonne Terre is “tucked away over by itself, which is a great thing,” says owner Stafford Houston. “The horrible thing about it is nobody knows about it.”
Houston says he began the summer concert series “to give back to the community. And to let people know Bonne Terre is there.”
Bonne Terre was “off-the-charts nice” when it opened about 25 years ago, Houston says. “Over the years different owners let it go down. I bought it three years ago. I’ve been remodeling it nonstop for three years. We’ve got it close to where we want it now.”
Houston’s daughter, Emmy Houston, who is Bonne Terre’s manager, “runs all the day-to-day operations of booking the rooms.” Stafford’s wife, Christy Houston, handles the weddings.
Stafford thought a live music series would be great for people like himself who don’t want to wait until 9 p.m. or so to listen to live music in a bar. “Nine at night I’m heading home. I want to listen to music but not at 10:30 at night.”
He took matters into his own hands and created Live at the Lake. He said, “Dadgummit. I’m going to do it myself.”
If you don’t want to bring your own blanket or chairs, you can buy a table. “We’re offering gold-, silver-, and bronze-sponsored tables. A bronze table is $100. You’re basically sitting by the band. It seats eight people. A silver table is $300 and you get all the food you want for eight people for the duration of the show. A gold table is $500 and you get to eat or drink whatever you want — alcohol included — for the duration of the show.”
The band performed “on the ground” for the first concert, says Stafford, who books all the shows. “And people were like, ‘They need to be elevated.’”
So Stafford, who just happens to own a steel company, Houston Iron Works in Memphis, says, “I just built a stage.”
The 16-foot-wide by 12-foot-deep stage is made of steel and wood and sits on a slope with Bonne Terre’s lake in the background.
Stafford grew up in Nesbit, which was the home of the late Jerry Lee Lewis. “I did the wrought iron on his house. And took a laser cutter and cut out music notes and welded them on the side of his iron handrails in his house.”
Live at the Lake concerts are held on Thursdays because Bonne Terre is booked for weddings and events on weekends, Stafford says.
Bonne Terre chef John Woods is in charge of the Live at the Lake cuisine. “We’re trying to offer really good food at a cheap price,” he says, and that includes chicken tenders, a meat and cheese tray, and cotton candy.
Woods came up with blackberry cobbler and ice cream for the first concert. “We sold out in 10 minutes.”
So for the second show he made more blackberry cobbler as well as blackberry bread pudding with bourbon sauce.
If you don’t want to bring your own food, Stafford says, “You come with an empty stomach and eat ours, ’cause it’s going to be good.”
Kids are welcome. In addition to the cotton candy, Live at the Lake also will include frozen packaged ice treats. “We’re trying to make it where it’s a safe, fun, family outing where kids can run around. Just keep them away from the lake.”
For those early arrivals, chef Michael Patrick of the old Rizzo’s Diner in Memphis fame is featuring his special Thursday night menu at Magnolia Bend Grille. Patrick leases the building, which houses the restaurant, from Stafford. They wanted a top-notch chef, so they contacted Patrick, says Stafford, who describes Patrick as “the real deal.”
Patrick also handles all the wedding rehearsal dinners, Stafford says.
The menu changes, but the recent Thursday night three-course Magnolia Bend Grille “Date Night Dinner” for two menu featured chicken-elk-sausage-vegetable soup or Magnolia house salad with oven-roasted tomatoes, shredded cheese, and pickled peppers with a choice of ranch or blue cheese.
Second course was petite filet mignon, split lobster tail, sweet chili sauce, garlic mashed potatoes, and green beans or pan-seared salmon with pistachio sauce, raspberry sriracha, and sautéed spinach.
Third course — dessert — was fresh sorbet with mixed berries and strawberries sauce and whipped cream, or blueberry white chocolate bread pudding with brown sugar, honey cream sauce, and whipped cream. The cost: $90 for two.
Magnolia Bend Grille is only two minutes away from the stage, but you can simply enjoy the music from the restaurant, Stafford says. Just settle in one of the rocking chairs on the porch. “Sit out there and listen to the concert 100 yards away.”
Bonne Terre is “25 minutes from anywhere in Memphis,” Stafford says. It’s “seven minutes west of Landers Center.”
Upcoming Live at the Lake concerts include Whoa Nelly on July 31st, Memphis Funk on August 14th, Captain Boogie on August 21st, and Fifth Kind Acoustics on August 28th.
No concert will be held on August 7th. “We have a wedding that night.”
