The story below is a preview from our March/April 2025 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!
At Gianni’s, jambalaya and gumbo share top billing with fried goat and life-changing oxtails.
John Park
A fried whole red snapper is ideal for sharing alongside a couple of appetizers.
Conventional dining wisdom goes that the measure of a great restaurant is consistency. This leads to satisfaction, sure, but another hallmark of a memorable meal is the excitement that brews once you’ve paid your check and start plotting your return to try more of the menu. Happily, you’ll experience both at Gianni’s, which owner Sherley Baptiste opened in the former Farmburguesa space in Grandin Village in September 2024. For her “Louisiana Creole Caribe fusion” concept, Baptiste draws on a myriad of Caribbean culinary influences, including her native Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Grenada and Jamaica, where fried goat and braised oxtails sit alongside Louisiana culinary calling cards like jambalaya and gumbo.
John Park
Owner Sherley Baptiste draws on her Haitian heritage and multi-Caribbean influences for Gianni's menu.
My first dining experience at Gianni’s last fall culminated with one of the most acute cases of order envy I’ve experienced in my decade-plus career as a food writer. At midday, the restaurant was quiet, save for a couple at the next table over supping on jambalaya and gumbo, and a gentleman dining solo two tables over. The way he bantered with Baptiste led me to believe he was a regular, and I was curious to see what he ordered. When his dish hit the table, I looked up and made eye contact. “These oxtails will change your life,” he said pointing emphatically at the steaming bowl before plunging his spoon into the broth and taking a big slurp, his eyes involuntarily closing with pleasure.
I’d already ordered a smattering of dishes, including cubes of fried goat from the fritailles section, at once crispy and tender with a pleasing chew; I’d only ever had braised goat or curried goat, so I was delighted to discover a new-to-me preparation. It was served with fried green plantains, saucisse (a Kielbasa-style sausage), sweet potatoes and marinade, a fluffy dumpling I wished I could order by the dozen (they can in fact be ordered as a side). And I couldn’t get enough of the accompanying pikliz, a refreshing, crunchy medley of cabbage, carrots and bell pepper that straddles the line between pickles and slaw. The condiment is punched up with vinegar, lemon and bouillon, and gets its piquant heat from habanero peppers, eliciting the kind of hurts-so-good feeling that has you reaching for more. Still, I thought about those oxtails for months, and knew I had to remedy my lingering case of order envy before the year was up.
When I dropped in for lunch in mid-December, Baptiste had plucky Christmas music playing, a noticeable change from the music-free dining room on my first visit. I’d brought my mom and daughter along, and placed a Thanksgiving-amount order of courses, the oxtails, of course, along with some of the Creole and Louisiana staples I’d missed the first time, including gumbo, jambalaya and shrimp etouffee, plus baguette with fresh garlic butter, meatballs and French fries in case my daughter wasn’t feeling particularly adventurous. Then, as with the first experience, the service was unhurried, which can make for a leisurely lunch so long as you order appetizers to snack on. (Gianni’s also appears to do a steady takeout business if you don’t have time to dine in.)
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John Park
A fried whole red snapper is ideal for sharing alongside a couple of appetizers.
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John Park
The braised oxtails are the kind of soul-restoring dish that defies categorization.
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John Park
Creamy shrimp etouffee is one of Gianni's classic Louisiana-Creole dishes.
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John Park
Creole jambalaya pasta is packed with bold flavors and tradition.
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John Park
Gianni's is in good company on a block of Grandin Village eateries.
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John Park
Fried entrees, like the crisp-tender-chewy goat, come with a medley of tasty accompaniments.
Want to know more about Gianni’s Louisiana Creole Caribe fusion cuisine and the dishes that spark serious order envy? Check out the latest issue, now on newsstands, or see it for free in our digital guide linked below!
The story above is a preview from our March/April 2025 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!