Anyone been to Briquette? Opened last week in the Warehouse District

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Robert Vasquez, who is originally from Scottsdale, Arizona, made a name for his Southwest-inspired New American cuisine at Opal Basil in Mandeville, which closed earlier this year. The couple is re-locating the restaurant – a more casual Opal Basil offshoot - on the same block in a smaller space within the week.

At Briquette, a slightly more upscale and contemporary seafood restaurant, Louisiana and Gulf Coast seafood are highlighted, and a section of the menu is dedicated specifically to grilling a variety of fish, which on the opening menu included redfish, cobia, halibut, pompano, tuna and snapper.

Smaller dishes and salads, which mostly fall in the range of $10-14, include a lobster tamale framed with spicy chorizo and topped with a fried egg and “bisque” sauce; a lump crab salad with avocado, pickled mirliton, blue corn crisps and a jalapeno lime vinaigrette; and a dish of grilled octopus, Gulf shrimp, tomatoes, cilantro and a lemon buttered broth.

Larger dishes – most of which fall between $18 and $26 – include a broiled boneless short rib with bacon risotto, wilted spinach and a calvados sauce; cilantro-flecked shrimp with gnocchi, queso fresco and a Crystal butter; and a smoked chili pork tenderloin served with lump crabmeat, charred Romaine lettuce, red peppers, and sweet potato mash, among others.