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I was saved from a childhood of Kraft American cheese sandwiches by an aunt and uncle who had left the South for Manhattan and had fallen in love with the foods of the world. Not having children of their own then, they did their best to jump start my taste buds, which had become sadly programmed to frozen this and canned that. We soon became culinary confidants and over the years I learned that when one of them expressed passion for a dish, I should listen.

So when I looked over the Oxbow Restaurant’s menu a few Fridays back, I heard my uncle say, “I was put on this earth to eat short ribs.” It took about a nanosecond for me to order them.

Six of us had come to the south-of-St. Francisville restaurant, known for its old New Orleans fare and turquoise building. Since the fall of 2005, the Oxbow has been in its present location, having originated in New Roads, then holing up briefly in the Myrtles Plantation.

Its digs are something to behold. The simple structure, adjacent to a strip mall, is awash in electric blue both inside and out. And its expansive interior features everything in bright white. There are gargantuan white chandeliers, bright white mini-columns, white chairs and behemoth white urns with faux flowers, giving it a vibe, remarked a tablemate, that falls somewhere between dollhouse and funeral parlor. Whether it’s a celebration of kitsch or to be taken straight, who knows, but you can debate the point while perusing the descriptive wine list and classic menu.

By classic, I mean things like eggplant and seafood casserole, heavy-on-the-eggs bread pudding, and the lunchtime crabmeat Remick, a Pont-chartrain Hotel signature dish first served in the 1920s. And while there are other South Louisiana standards like turtle soup, fresh fish and sensation salad, there are surprising nuggets, too, like oysters Kung-Pao, the aforementioned short ribs, and ragout of pork.

Among starters, our favorites were the stellar oysters Kung-Pao, where a half dozen or so deftly fried oysters were doused in spicy garlic-

chili sauce accented by fermented bean paste and ginger ($10). Very nice and well-paired with the fruit forward Rutz French Cuvee Pinot Noir ($28). I had high hopes for the petite fondue frites, bites of nutty Swiss and asiago, but ultimately, they didn’t go much beyond being just fried cheese ($5.75).

The pan-seared breast of duckling Long Island features toothy, tender rosy slices gently bathed in a fruity, peppery glaze.

Along the turtle soup continuum, the Oxbow’s version is more terra cotta than black, more stewy than soup ($5.75). The more I sipped, the more I liked. It was fragrant, sweet, and solidly-flavored. I’d been told by a fussy gumbo devotee that the Oxbow’s excellent seafood version boasted a roux taken to a daring edge of doneness. Maybe it was an off night because we found it crossed the edge and had veered into too toasted ($5.50).

Among salads, the blue cheese and pecan soufflé with baby greens in sweet pepper vinaigrette ran the gamut of full-bodied flavors, including savory and comforting from the perky miniature soufflé, to tangy and spiky from the dressing ($7.95). And while our waiter recommended the roasted pear salad with pecans and blue cheese over greens in raspberry Port vinaigrette, we found it limp and overly sweet ($7.95).

All the entrees we sampled that night were well-executed. The pan-seared breast of duckling Long Island featured toothy, tender rosy slices gently bathed in a fruity, peppery glaze ($19.95). The broiled red snapper Oxbow with crab and Hollandaise was elegant, springy, balanced, and not too saucy ($24.95). And the ragout du porc chasseur, simple pork stew over egg noodles, was earthy and rustic, although probably not the most exciting choice ($14.95). The eggplant, shrimp and crab casserole is, according to our waiter, wildly popular, but we found its inherent lack of texture a problem. There’s nothing to hang your hat on but bite after bite of soft, spicy stuff ($17.95).

Then there were the short ribs: shapely, fat chunks of beef ribs braised and smothered in a reduction as black as midnight ($18.95). I loved the way my knife just sort of fell delicately into the flesh, and with a few strokes, released bite after succulent bite glossed with lacquer-like pan essence. Anyone can nail a filet, but it takes a slow hand to coax the best out of a lowly cut. I sliced more, dragged each morsel through garlic mashed potatoes and figured I was put on earth to eat short ribs, too.

The duck and short ribs went extremely well with the Cockatoo Ridge Merlot/Cabernet blend, whose fitting description of blueberry, chocolate and pepper really opened up against the full, meaty flavors ($22).

Among desserts, the sheer novelty of finding floating island makes it worth ordering, although your enjoyment of it will depend on your inclination toward both marshmallows, which is what those elegantly formed soft meringues floating in custard tasted like, and canned peaches, which floated alongside them ($5.95). The bread pudding was done with peaches as well, an unnecessary addition in an otherwise solid, cinnamony version ($5.95). Our favorite, though, was the triple chocolate cheesecake: cool, firm, dark, creamy and enough for at least two people to share ($5.95).

The service was efficient and detailed (new wine glasses with each bottle), although our waiter was perfunctory and, at times, in a big hurry. Still, between the discussion-worthy turquoise and loads of dishes with detail, time and care behind them, the Oxbow is a keeper.