Ian McNulty: Oak Street wine bar, beer bar get new owners who’ve had success in Mid-City

Oak Wine Bar and Ale on Oak took shape as neighboring bars connected by a patio and common ownership. That’s still the case, though now they have new owners drawing the wine bar and beer bar closer together. They also have big plans for more shared outdoor space here.

If that sounds just a little bit like the connection between Bayou Beer Garden and Bayou Wine Garden in Mid-City, you’re on the right track.

In November, Oak Wine Bar and Ale on Oak changed hands. The new owners are David Demarest, a partner in Bayou Beer Garden and Bayou Wine Garden, and Morgan Scalco and Jillian Arena, managers from those Mid-City spots who are now partners in this new business.

The wine bar and the beer bar are now united under one name, Oak & Ale.

This new Oak & Ale is a distinct business from Bayou Beer Garden and Bayou Wine Garden, but the partners are bringing lessons from their experience there to Oak Street.

The same staff as before remain, as does the same general approach, though changes are coming across the board.

The big, open room at 8118 Oak St. has a full bar with a clear emphasis on its wine collection, by the glass or bottle. The smaller, more snug room next door at 8124 Oak St. has a full bar with a clear emphasis on beer, from its 30 taps and extensive bottle and can collection.

They’re still connected by a patio with outdoor seats and TVs, now with a new gate so people can enter the common outdoor space from the street, or enter each specific room by its own door.

“What we found in Mid-City, and I think will be true here, is that whether they’re beer people or wine people, most people will hang out at either, and most people like going between the amenities of both,” Demarest said.

Behind the scenes, the Oak Street bars’ systems are coordinated between the two adjoining properties, meaning your tab at one can carry over to the other. Both rooms draw from the same menu, still overseen by chef Mike Hinkhouse.

This is a bar food menu that goes beyond the standards and is anchored by quality. The smoked bratwurst on the charcuterie plate is made in-house (likewise the sauerkraut with it), and so are the toasty, char-marked tortillas for tacos with chopped steak and a righteously hot salsa verde.

The wine bar is expanding its list, with an aim to offer 300 by the bottle and about 20 by the glass. That will include some wines on tap, which have proven popular at Bayou Wine Garden, as well as vermouth and Spanish hard cider.

Growing patio, room for pop-ups

Demarest is one of the partners in Bayou Beer Garden and Bayou Wine Garden, and also in Holy Ground, the nearby Mid-City pub they bought in 2018. The two “gardens” were developed individually in separate but adjacent shotgun houses, with their respective open spaces merged into a contiguous series of patios.

At Oak & Ale, one of the tasks ahead is to make the current patio more verdant with more plants, and later to expand it. A small parking lot behind the wine bar will be turned into a garden-like space with tables, TVs and sun sails. It will be a place for pop-up crawfish boils in season, which are a fixture at Bayou Beer Garden and Bayou Wine Garden.

That new space should be ready by the spring, Demarest projected. There’s also a new game room in the works for the beer bar side of the property, behind a set of roll-up garage doors.

‘In good hands’

The new partners bought the bars from founders Katie Winters, Patrick Winters and Shawn Haddad. Patrick had been the most hands-on in management, and when he decided to enroll in law school this year, it was clearly time for a change, said Katie, his sister. They contacted Demarest, who is a family friend from way back.

“I love what he’s done with Bayou Beer Garden, and we wanted to put this in good hands,” she said. “It’s bittersweet for us, but we’re so excited and happy to pass the baton on to them.”

Staff at the bars are making their own changes along the way, too.

Sean McFaul was general manager before the change and remains so today. He’s working to broaden the beer selection, with a mix from local breweries and others across the globe, including large format bottles.

“I want to tap into the beer nerd world and grow that here,” he said.

Expect an expanded cocktail program across the two bars as well.

Both of Demarest’s new partners come to Oak & Ale after working their way up at the Mid-City spots. For them, the new venture is a new chapter in their hospitality careers.

“It’s huge for us, it’s a chance to take what we’ve learned and do fun and exciting stuff here,” Scalco said.

Arena started at Bayou Beer Garden almost a decade ago on the cleaning crew, then became a bartender before moving into management. This move makes her part owner in an established place where she can help guide its future.

“David showed us the ropes, and now here we are to make our mark,” she said.

Oak & Ale

8118 and 8124 Oak St., New Orleans

The beer bar is open daily from 5 p.m. (from noon on weekends). The wine bar is open Tue.-Sat. from 5 p.m. Eventually, the hours will expand to be the same across Oak & Ale.

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