Few Baton Rouge restaurant stories begin with a card game and a sheriff, but the one Little Village tells about its roots does. According to the restaurant, it all traces back to 1945, when Vince Distefano ran a card game out of a leased building on Florida Boulevard while his wife, Stephanie, cooked for the players. After a morning raid, the family moved beyond the city limits to a wooded former fishing camp on Airline Highway. Travelers kept mistaking the building for a restaurant, so the Distefanos started feeding them, and The Village was born.

From card room to fine dining

The Village grew into one of the city's early fine dining rooms. In 1964, Vince brought in a Genovese chef from Italy, Goffredo Fraccaro, who added new pastas, veal and fish dishes and a 10-layer rum cake. After Vince died in 1965, Stephanie, known as Miss Fanny, ran the place until it closed in 1992. Little Village says it is carrying that tradition forward today.

You have to get the bread

The dish regulars push on first-timers is the Village Bread, a braided Italian sesame loaf baked to order, brushed with olive oil, finished with cracked pepper and grated Romano, and served with olive tapenade. A whole loaf is $16 and a half loaf is $9, with roasted garlic or red sauce on the side.

What else to order

The dinner menu at the Airline Highway location leans Italian with a Louisiana accent. Look for beef manicotti made with homemade crepes ($16), Louisiana seafood arancine ($18), baked lasagna ($20), veal piccata ($32) and soft shell crab Tuscany with crawfish and jumbo lump crab ($46). Sunday brunch runs 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Airline only and includes Village French toast made with that famous bread ($16).

Holiday groups can call ahead for larger parties.

Little Village 14241 Airline Hwy., Baton Rouge (225) 751-4115 littlevillagebr.com

Photo courtesy of Little Village