Highland Kitchen is a little off the beaten path—it’s situated somewhere in the no man’s land between Davis Square, Porter Square, and Union Square. But with a laid-back vibe, delicious Bayou-influenced food, and a fantastic cocktail menu, it’s well worth the trek. And if you don’t want to hoof it, never fear: There’s parking in the back, if you’re lucky enough to snag a spot. Bostonist went on a recent Saturday night to check out the new restaurant, owned by former Green Street Grill chef Mark Romano.

We started off with the scrumptious Shane 75, which was highly recommended by our waitress—an $8 cocktail of gin, lemon juice, framboise, and champagne, served in a flute and garnished with a blackberry. We also indulged in the night’s special, pan-seared sea scallops with cauliflower puree, brown butter, and sautéed greens (we also thought we detected some bacon in there, a very good thing). For our entrees, we tried out the Highland fish fry—deep-fried catfish with hushpuppies, slaw, and remoulade. It was as plate-mopping good as the scallops. We also tried out the sole vegetarian entrée, the winter vegetable ragu with creamy polenta and sautéed greens. It was a perfect rib-sticking dish for a cold winter night. We somehow managed to find room for banana-bread pudding with ice cream and caramel, which was incredibly comforting. We liked that none of the entrees were more than $20, and that there were plenty of reasonably priced sandwiches, too (we liked the looks of the pulled-pork sandwich and the fried oyster po’ boy)… but we’d come out for the drinks alone. We didn’t get a chance to try the black velvet (Guinness and champagne), and we’re intrigued. Also, according to the Globe, they’ve started serving brunch on Sundays. Plenty of reasons to head back down Highland. Image from HighlandKitchen.com.