BB’s Tex-Orleans

December 1st, 2019

The Boil: Build your tray any way you like. Pile it with Dungeness Crab, Snow Crab, Gulf Blue Crab, Cold Shrimp, or Hot-N-Spicy Boiled Shrimp. Dip it with melted butter/ spicy creamy dippin’ sauce. Fill It with Mushrooms, Corn, Red Potato, Smoked Chicken and Apple Sausage, Smoked Garlic Sausage or Spicy Alligator Andouille Sausage.

The Best Cajun on the Bay

By Alisa Star

Come try authentic Southern Louisiana style cooking fused with a Texas twist. Creator and owner Brooks Bassler opened his 10th location of BB’s Tex-Orleans restaurant right here in Webster. Houston’s most popular Cajun restaurants are on the rise and becoming ever so popular among the public.

Bassler and his wife Maricela began their enterprise with a small, quaint restaurant located in the Montrose area, featuring a small menu serving gumbo and his famous overstuffed shrimp po-boys inspired by his grandmother’s (maw maw) cooking. Since then, they have stamped the footprint of BB’s Tex-Orleans all over the Houston area.

Bassler was born and raised in the small town of Rockdale, Texas, but most of his family is from Louisiana. His mother was born and raised in Morgan City, and all of her family still live there.

Brooks went to the University of Houston, where he waited tables at a high-end wine bar while attending the Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship, which is one of the top five best programs in the country.

After graduating, Bassler stayed in the restaurant business, which was his passion. While working at TwoRows Restaurant in Rice Village, the owner approached Bassler with the idea of helping jump start their catering program. While learning the ropes and sales, and several years of successfully doing catering for multiple companies, Bassler saw the writing on the wall and took that leap of faith. His passion in life is food and the Louisiana culture and that is captured in BB’s Tex-Orleans.

Most of the menu items are family recipes that have been handed down from generation to generation. Bassler wanted to be as unique as possible while penetrating the Cajun food market. It all kept coming down to his mother’s Cajun Louisiana roots and loving the food, culture, and people of South Louisiana, but wanting to be different from others. Bassler put a Texan flare to his one-of-a-kind Cajun cuisine.

Rockdale Redfish: Jumbo blackened Gulf shrimp topped with a zesty Andouille cream sauce. This dish is superb! The spices and the cream sauce is beyond delish. You will never have Redfish like this anywhere!

BB’s Tex-Orleans is a family owned and operated local restaurant chain that specializes in Tex-Cajun cooking.

“We add a unique Texas twist to Cajun and New Orleans food. NOLA style po-boys, seafood gumbo, and hot and spicy crawfish are our specialities. BB’s is most proud of creating opportunity for fellow Tex-Orleanians (employees). Watching them grow personally, professionally, and financially are my proudest moments. I pride myself in the values I have and bring those values here. We are a big family!” Bassler said.

New Orleans style shrimp po-boy loaded with Gulf shrimp and BB’s Sauce, a chipotle-infused mayo. Paired perfectly with a South Texas Jazz Tex-Orleans Cocktail that will make you come back for more.

One of BB’s employees, Kaleb Jenkins, a Louisiana native, walked into the restaurant one day and loved it so much that he began working as a dishwasher and at catering events. Soon to become the commissary driver for all BB’s Tex-Orleans chains here in Houston. “Your dreams can never be too big.” Jenkins said.

“Our menu, culture and decor separates us from our competition. We have a diverse menu with bold Cajun flavors. All of the art is from Louisiana. One of the local artists, Lance Vargas, creates one-of-a-kind pieces that we carry in our BB’s restaurants. We are proud of the real Louisiana vibe throughout all of our chains,” Bassler said.

BB’s is most known for their famous po-boys, overstuffed with spicy gulf shrimp between a crisp bun straight from Leidenheimer bakery in New Orleans. Other delights include mouth-watering crawfish, tender roast beef debris, juicy oysters and fajitas.

If you have a little Cajun in your soul, and you’re looking for authentic Louisiana Cajun flavors, you have to try BB’s Tex-Orleans, located at 1039 W. Bay Area Blvd., Webster, TX 77598. BB’s is your all day and late night headquarters serving Cajun with a twist.

Crazy Alan’s Swamp Shack opens Baybrook location

January 2nd, 2019

By Rick Clapp

The legendary “King of Crawfish” Alan Franks and business partner and friend, Paul Latour, have created another exciting Louisiana Cajun watering hole and eatery.

The original Crazy Alan Swamp Shack, which opened in 2010, is located near the Kemah Boardwalk. It has enjoyed steady growth and developed a good reputation of being a well respected restaurant with great drinks and fresh quality seafood at a fair price.

The new Crazy Alan Swamp Chic Shack is located at the Baybrook Mall area on Bay Area Boulevard. This new Cajun mecca features a fun and festive environment. As you walk into the Swamp Shack you will feel like you are entering one of New Orleans unique restaurants. The atmosphere is very eclectic, well decorated, and has a nice relaxed ambience.

The alligator bar, located at the center of the restaurant, is a great viewing area. It is fully stocked and loaded with call liquor, high quality spirits, and a variety of cold beer and wine. A most unique section is the restaurant’s Kids Zone. This area provides a place for children to play video games and state of the art computer games. In the meantime, parents can partake of a little adult time and relax while they enjoy their food and beverage.

Alan’s Crazy Swamp Shack was the creation of the indefatigable Alan Frank and Paul Latour. These two have different styles and have successfully created a winning restaurant concept. Both self-made men have worked hard. Franks started in 1982 as a barback at Cotton Eye Joes, bartender at Jason’s, and became owner of the renowned entertainment center Seabrook Beach Club.

According to Alan Franks, the original Alan’s Crazy Swamp Shack created by the dynamic duo opened in 2010 in Kemah. The partnership works very well. Franks handles daily operations, marketing, promotions and le tour. Latour handles the construction and interior design and decoration of the restaurant. Alan Franks attributes his success to the extremely hard work, attention to detail, and good employees and customer relations. He commends his long time staff — Lori Holzle, Bob Deering, Christina Jonsenser, Guillermo Miranda and General Manager Otasch Kadu Pov and Assistant Manager Mike Saucada.

Alan’s Crazy Swamp Chic Shack’s menu is the same as the Kemah location with food and beverages totally consistent at both locations. Their food offering is vast and has something for the seafood lover and the land lubber. Alan’s Crazy Swamp Shack is known for its tasty crawfish during season, but there’s much more to this quality restaurant. There select and popular menu items include the Crabvacado, Crab Corn Bisque, Crab Fingers, fried or sauteed is a must. Also try the Smoked Oysters and other fresh seafood entrees. These can be prepared either grilled or fried, whichever you prefer.

They also have juicy Burgers, Creole, Cajun Etouffee, Fried Oysters, Shrimp and Catfish dishes. For a special evening, try their signature crab and lobster entrees, one of their seafood pots or the boiled seafood feast. Yes, they’ve got crawfish, which is the best of the bay. Finish your dining experience with one of their decadent desserts. Enjoy Crazy Alan’s Strawberry Cake or the Crown Royale Bread Pudding.

Also, they have rooms for meetings, events and special occasions. As the illustrious Cajun chef Justin Wilson once said, “I ‘GAUR-en-tee’ you will like the Crazy Alan’s Swamp Chick Shack.”

We wish Crazy Alan’s Swamp Chic Shack success. Let’s support one of the Bay Area’s best. Crazy Alan’s Swamp Chick Shack at Baybrook is located at 1330 W. Bay Area Blvd. Friendswood, TX.77546. PH. 832-284-4895

Bay Area Houston Magazine