Du Jour: Gus Pagoulato

“The culinary landscape in Baton Rouge has changed a lot in the last four or five years,” says Chef Gus Pagoulato. “It’s become a much more exciting place.” The former chef/owner of Riverbend Bistro and former executive chef of D’Agostino’s is now at the helm of 333 Bistreaux on Third Street downtown, the spot once occupied by Avoyelles Café. Last year, Pagoulato and owner Jay Dykes transformed the eatery from Southern cooking buffet into a spruced up spot with sit-down service. The new menu is heavy on seafood, gourmet soups, including Vidalia onion, big, fresh salads and sandwiches like filet mignon po’boys and honey chicken paninis. The restaurant has won over fans with Bistreaux Bread, an addictive, pull-apart loaf topped with olive oil, peppercorns and parmesan. At dinner, Pagoulato features cedar plank salmon, steaks, New Orleans barbecue shrimp and crabcakes Monica. 333 Bistreaux also features wine tastings for $20 per person every few months.

Raised in Athens, Greece, Pagoulato says he starting cooking “very young.” He was trained in the culinary arts in France, after which he landed a job with Hilton Hotels. It brought him to the Waldorf-Astoria in New York and to the Flamingo in Las Vegas. Later, he helped open the Hilton Riverside in New Orleans. Surrounded by great restaurants and independent-minded chefs, Pagoulato decided he wanted to become a part of the Crescent City restaurant scene, so he opened the expansive Italian eatery, Verona, in Harahan. The restaurant was successful, but by 2005, Pagoulato was ready for another challenge – this time in Baton Rouge. Eight months before Hurricane Katrina, he opened Riverbend Bistro on Highland Road, which he later sold.

While he says downtown still has far to go with its dinner crowds, Pagoulato likes his new spot’s historic vibe and its ties to the area’s renaissance. “When we were renovating, we found a plaque that was covered up that said Jimmie Davis ate here,” he says. “We’ve tried to preserve the sense of history.”

To read previous Du Jour features on local chefs and other culinary experts, click here.