You don't have to head downtown for New Orleans flavors: Lagniappe, at 4810 First Coast Highway, cooks French Creole food well south of the Centre Street restaurants. The name is the Louisiana French Creole word for "a little something extra," and chef and co-owner Brian Grimley treats it as the restaurant's working rule.
Grimley took an unusual route to the stove. He grew up in the south of England, taught himself to cook in restaurant jobs while earning an engineering degree, then moved to the United States for a culinary career and spent 25 years in Virginia's Tidewater region. He and his wife, Melanie, came to Northeast Florida in 2010 and ran Lulu's at The Thompson House downtown before opening Lagniappe. Executive Chef Brett Heritage is a Fernandina Beach local who started in the Fernandina Beach High School culinary program and has cooked at the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, among other kitchens.
The dinner menu pulls from New Orleans, Charleston and Savannah. Look for a Cajun Butcher's Platter with andouille and boudin, po' boys on Leidenheimer's French Quarter pistolet, Mayport shrimp and grits with tasso and andouille, blue corn crusted catfish with crawfish étouffée, Country Captain salmon with Charleston curry spices, and a braise of the day. Starters include boiled peanut hummus and fried green tomatoes with pimento cheese.
Lagniappe opens at 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday and at 3 p.m. on Sunday, with later closing on Friday and Saturday nights. Reservations are by phone or OpenTable, there's outdoor seating, and the courtyard hosts private events like rehearsal dinners. Salt at The Ritz-Carlton is the other big dinner reservation on this part of the island, and Kitchen 251 covers Cajun cooking downtown.