Chef Melissa Araujo opens Oscar at Pirogue's Whiskey Bayou

Mar 31, 2023

Bar owner Kelly Sheeran and chef Melissa Araujo serve pub fare at Oscar inside Pirogue's Whiskey Bayou.

Chef Melissa Araujo is on the move.

She recently took over the kitchen at Pirogue's Whiskey Bayou in Arabi with her concept Oscar. And she's not done. She's talking to interested parties about expanding her successful modern Honduran restaurant, Alma, to locations in Uptown and Old Metairie, and she also plans to open a Mexican restaurant in Chalmette.

Araujo bought a house in St. Bernard Parish a year ago, and she says growing her business where she lives is important to her.

What

Oscar

Where

Pirogue's Whiskey Bayou, 6940 St. Claude Ave., Arabi, (504) 676-3357; eatoscararabi.com

When

Lunch and dinner daily

How

Dine-in

Check it out

Elevated bar fare from chef Melissa Araujo

"I want to be an active member of the business community here," she says.

As she focuses on expansion, the chef is stepping away from the line when she can. "I’m moving more into the role as head of the Araujo Restaurant Group, a woman- and minority-owned hospitality business," she says.

Araujo was born in Honduras and raised in New Orleans. She went into business for herself in 2015 with a restaurant pop-up that paid homage to her grandmother's kitchen. In October 2020, that became Alma, a cafe in the Bywater spot formerly occupied by Booty's Street Food and Cafe Henri.

With Oscar, she has the chance to step out of the Alma mode and play with straight-ahead better-then-bar-food. Her all-women kitchen, led by former Alma lead cook, Lucia Escobar, turns out impressive versions of the kind of food that is best enjoyed with adult beverages.

"We’re so excited to have Oscar here now," says Kelly Sheeran, one of the three New Orleans bartenders who opened Pirogue's in 2016. "It was really too much for us to handle along with the bar business. Our customers are loving chef Melissa's food."

Pirogue's used to be a smoking bar, something still possible in St. Bernard Parish. Now, smokers have to go outside until 11 p.m., which is when Oscar's kitchen closes, Sheeran says. It opens at 11 a.m. every day.

Oscar, named for Araujo's father, offers an impressive menu that goes beyond standard bar fare. When she can, Araujo sources ingredients from local suppliers, including Hilltop Poultry for chicken, Local Cooling Farms for eggs and Dong Phuong for her French bread and brioche buns.

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The Oscar burger is a double patty handful dressed with cheddar cheese, mayo, tomatoes, house-made pickles and caramelized onions. It's already a popular item, though some regulars felt some sticker shock at the $16 price tag. Others happily pile on $5 add-ons like mushrooms and Berkwood Farms bacon.

The Deep South chicken sandwich is the same one that's served at Alma, and it comes with fries. The buttermilk-brined fried chicken thigh is topped with coleslaw, pickles, mayo and an addictive creamy pink Honduran "crack sauce."

Oscar's Cuban stuffs slices of house-roasted ham and pork butt into a French pistolette dressed with house-made pickles, mayo and mustard, and it comes with fries. The chicken wings are available two ways: Buffalo style or Thai glazed. The ham "Pull Apart" features brioche rolls oozing garlic butter and filled with ham and melted cheese.

"Espiritu" and "futuro."

Vegetarians have a few options, including marinated tomatoes and whipped herb ricotta slathered on Jewish rye toast. Deconstructed Mexican elote is served as a dip instead of on the cob, and it blends corn, salt, chili powder, butter, Cotija cheese, lime juice and crema fresca. It's served in a cast iron pan with tortilla chips, and there's enough for two diners to share.

There are a few lighter options, including fish tacos, a pesto chicken and avocado orzo salad, and grilled lemon skirt steak salad. That leaves room for dessert, and diners can choose from tres leches cake and bread pudding with bourbon sauce.

Araujo is still adapting the menu to meet the needs of the area, and she says she's been enjoying living there.

"This is where I’ll be the rest of my life," she says. "Whenever I travel to other cities, after about 72 hours, I’m ready to leave. New Orleans is my home."

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