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Generous Southern cuisine and the homey polish of Big Easy architecture—burnished wood tables, hardwood floors, airy ceilings, and skylit loft dining area—showcase a dinner menu that doesn't hold back the heat. Dishes emphasize the Cajun (lots of brown sauces, sausage, rice, butter, and zingy black pepper) over the Creole (frying, cream, and pasta). Openers like chicken and andouille gumbo are laden with chunks of sausage and chicken over rice, in a broth filled with black pepper and shredded jalapeños. Shrimp and grits is creamy and bitter by turns, with smooth mascarpone cheese grits offsetting the shrimp and stewed tomatoes, all in a beer poaching sauce infused with bay leaf. Entrées like pecan-crusted tilapia, free-range Cornish hens, and horseradish-crusted short ribs in demi-glace are slightly weaker than appetizers. Rich desserts offer luscious edible comforts, like the restrained sweet potato pie topped with crunchy bits of brown sugar and a dense bread pudding soufflé coated with a thin raisin and whisky custard. — Timothy Cooper

Chicken and andouille gumbo, $8; New Orleans-style BBQ shrimp and grits, $10; bread pudding, $6