But those who have waded through the clouds of construction dust have discovered what the Wynwood Art District has needed: simple but stylish sustenance that goes beyond the spiritual. As Saint Matthew noted, "It is written, man shall not live by bread alone." And the biblical advice is wise. An exhausting art gallery walk leaves you craving barbecue between those slices.
Lost & Found actually offers two such sandwiches, the more unusual being a cold creation: chilled pulled pork on a sourdough roll, with chipotle aioli. Unfortunately I cannot tell you how it is. This is the version I ordered and what my friendly and competent server wrote. But what the kitchen sent out was the more standard hot 'cue sandwich with chipotle/hickory barbecue sauce instead of aioli. Although the pork's flavor came from the smoked chilies and additives in the sauce rather than from being slowly cooked over wood, the sandwich was tasty — moist sautéed meat, crusty roll, and freshly made slaw on the side (which can be piled on the sandwich, North Carolina-style, for crunchy contrast).
The unexpected sandwich substitution left me curious about the aioli. But a side of the sauce came with another item: crabmeat-stuffed endive. Beautiful and delicious, the dish consisted of common yellow-green and red endive leaves filled with a subtly dressed salad of lump crabmeat, corn kernels, and cilantro, and was blessedly free of gloppy mayo. A small hit of the very spicy chili-spiked aioli gave ample additional flavor to the finger food.
A welcome natural-foods component accompanies some of the saloon's offerings. For example, the eggs in a large and lovely breakfast omelet stuffed with cheese and veggies — mostly grilled portobello mushrooms — were free-range. Much of the menu contains substantial salads. And a piñon/pepita-seed salmon entrée, with hot pepper pesto, is available with tofu instead of fish. The seed crust actually adhered poorly to the bean-curd slices, but they were otherwise flavorful. Accompanying saffron rice and lightly sautéed spinach were uncommonly good.
Also outstanding was the "posse taco," a soft flour shell filled with lettuce, tomato, an unusually zesty cheese mix (Manchego makes the difference), and an add-on of shrimp. Other appealing adds (including mahi-mahi, pulled pork, and lump crab) are available for just a buck extra, but the shrimp — four huge, perfectly tender specimens — were exceptional.
Not all the housemade pastries are worthy: A chocolate macadamia cookie would have been dry even if it hadn't been burnt. But do not skip dessert: A luscious wild berry pie with rich lemon crust puts one in a forgiving mood.
The casually cowboy-cool space is open only for breakfast and lunch (except Fridays and Wynwood's second-Saturday gallery-walk nights). But expanded hours are planned, pending neighborhood support. With most wines reasonably priced at less than $25 per bottle and food miraculously priced — no dish tops $6 — Lost & Found should find that support easily.
