Down here, lagniappe means a little something extra, and Louisiana Lagniappe Restaurant has built four decades around that idea.

From the Gulf Coast to Perkins Road

The restaurant's story starts in Destin, Florida, where it first opened on June 17, 1984, inside the Sandpiper Cove Yacht Club. It quickly became a local favorite there, thanks to classic dishes made with fresh Gulf ingredients. When the original proprietors moved to Baton Rouge in 1998, they brought the name with them and opened Louisiana Lagniappe again, this time for the capital city.

What to order

Start with Oysters Lagniappe, Gulf oysters baked in the shell with the house stuffing and jumbo lump crabmeat ($20), or the crab cakes made with jumbo lump and claw meat ($23). Gumbo with crab, shrimp and oysters is $8, and the corn and crab bisque is $9.

The Lagniappe Favorites are where the kitchen shows off. The Pontchartrain tops sauteed fish with a fried soft shell crab, Hollandaise and honey roasted pecans and almonds ($42). Fish en Papillote is baked in parchment with crabmeat and shrimp stuffing ($40), and A La Roland covers a fish filet with the original Lagniappe shrimp and mushroom sauce ($32). Steak lovers can go for Tournedos, beef tenderloin medallions with shrimp, crabmeat and Bearnaise ($43).

Entrees come with the house salad and a twice-baked stuffed potato, and a children's menu covers younger diners with fried shrimp, chicken fingers and a small filet.

Plan your visit

Louisiana Lagniappe is at 9990 Perkins Road. It serves dinner Monday through Saturday starting at 5 p.m. and is closed Sunday. Reservations are accepted by phone at 225-767-9991, which is worth doing early if you are planning a holiday dinner or a family celebration this season.

Forty-plus years in, the little something extra is still on every plate.