In New Orleans, lagniappe (pronounced lan-yap) means “a little something extra,” a small gift of appreciation given with a purchase, a kindness often extended in restaurants there.
It’s also the perfect name for the new Bistro Lagniappe in downtown Healdsburg. In a town already brimming with great food, chef-owner Jacob Harth’s inspired California-French cuisine is indeed a special treat. His wood-fired cooking, inspired by France’s rural bistros, brings a welcome, hearty approach to the local dining landscape.
Raised on a farm in Southern Oregon, Harth learned to hunt, forage, and fish from an early age. His mother taught him to cook, his father how to barbecue oysters. His grandmother, who owned a restaurant, gave him his first job in the kitchen. After honing his skills in Portland, he moved to San Francisco to work as a chef at the three-Michelin-starred Saison, before returning to Portland to open Erizo, a seafood restaurant of his own focused on “radical sustainability.” The pandemic brought that critical success to an untimely end, and Harth went on to Michelin-caliber restaurants in Brooklyn and Mexico City. He returned to the Bay Area and in summer of 2024 hosted his first pop-up at Healdsburg’s Maison Wine Bar, paving the way for his new venture.
There’s so much to enjoy on the Lagniappe menu, it can be hard to choose, so just dive in and savor the experience of eating well. True to his background, Harth sources as close to home as possible. His pâté ($15), a rustic, country-style dish, is made with a hog he purchased from local Future Farmers of America (FFA) students. The ground pork is combined with sweetbreads from a family-owned Cloverdale cattle ranch. In an unexpected twist, he grills the pâté slabs for a smoky, savory finish “that’s like a nice backyard-barbecue hot dog,” quips Harth.
Seafood selections depend on the day’s catch, which might be crudo made with hook-and-line rockfish from Bodega Bay or silky halibut with beautifully salty bottarga (cured fish roe), juicy Sungold tomatoes, and a hint of lime leaf ($20). Harth is one of the few local chefs able to secure prized Knights Valley Wagyu from rancher Adam Gordon, and the cuts change based on what is available. On one visit, the treasure was tri-tip, served with French fries ($50) that one cook spends hours perfecting until they are crisp-on-the-outside, buttery-on-the-inside golden beauties.
From the brick-lined wood oven — a holdover from the building’s days as Molti Amici Italian restaurant — emerge perfectly roasted oysters with smoky garlic butter ($6), delicate, chewy flatbreads ($9), and cassoulet laden with tender lamb and a whole leg of duck confit ($38).
For dessert, the mille-feuille is an edible work of art, featuring layers of crisp, flaky pastry filled with Brokaw Ranch passion fruit, vanilla crème diplomat, and a touch of fermented honey. Like everything else at Bistro Lagniappe, it’s something extra — extra-marvelous.
330 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg. 707-473-8181, lagniappehealdsburg.com
This article originally appeared in The Press Democrat. Read the full article here.