Lagniappe

Lagniappe Restaurant Review:

This laidback hangout’s name, New Orleans slang (meaning “a little extra”), may lead people to think this somewhat secretive spot is a Big Easy theme restaurant/lounge. But it’s not. While indeed easygoing in ambience and operation, the setting doesn’t seem like a stage-set in any way, save some French Quarter-style wrought iron grillwork on the first floor’s exterior windows. The food is also not New Orleans Cajun/Creole, but appropriate to its transitional cutting-edge artsy but working-class neighborhood: either shareable cheese and charcuterie platters, or a choice of about six backyard barbecue entrées plated with fresh cornbread and salad. There are no servers. Diners who want Big Food order from the chalkboard by the inside counter, pay, then pick up their food from the guys working the outdoor grill; churrasco steak with tangy chimichurri or fresh seasonal vegetable skewers are especially tasty. Light-biters grab their choice of pre-portioned cheeses, artisanal cold cuts and pâtés from refrigerated cases and bring it to the counter, where it’ll be plated with a generous array of mixed olives, olive oil-drizzled grilled baguette slices, and condiments like a fig conserve. As for drinks, it’s wine and beer only, but the selection is surprisingly sophisticated for such a casual setting. And in DJ-infested Miami, the nightly live bands are indeed an enjoyable “little extra.”