First Look at the New BB's in the Heights

Photo by John Suh

It's bigger, but is it better?

In a previous post, a reader scoffed at my pick for Cajun food and suggested I check out BB's Cafe for a taste of the authentic cuisine in Houston. Soon after that post, BB's opened a location near me in the Heights. It was meant to be, so I ventured there recently to get my Cajun on.

The BB's in the Heights has a patio, great for people-watching patrons at Fitzgerald's across the street, and there is ample seating inside compared to the original BB's in Montrose. We opted to sit indoors to escape the humidity and asked the friendly waiter for advice on what to order. He suggested eight different dishes, and not being ones to back down from a challenge, my dining companions and I ordered all eight.

The Loaded Pollo ($10) are bacon-wrapped pieces of chicken stuffed with cream cheese and spicy jalapenos. If that isn't enough to give you a heart attack, they come with a side of creamy Cajun sauce for dipping. The jalapenos are not for the faint of heart, so eat at your own risk.

The Tex-Cajun Virgin ($9) are shoestring fries topped with bits of roast beef, gravy and queso. With buttery cheese and savory gravy oozing off every fry, this was surprisingly my favorite dish.

The Bedtime in the Bayou ($6.75 for a half portion) is a New Orleans-style shrimp po' boy. The shrimp were lightly battered and fried, then stuffed inside a French bread with some mayo-slaw. The bread was mostly soft, with a light crispy crust--perfect French bread delivered to BB's fresh daily.

My other favorite dish were the Mexico City-Style Tacos ($9), which come as either beef or chicken wrapped in two corn tortillas and topped with avocado chunks and cilantro. No cheese or sour cream here, only authentic tacos.

Other things on our table included the Midnight Masterpiece ($6.75 for a half serving); the award-winning roast beef po' boy; Maw Maw's Shrimp Gumbo Dark ($10 for a large); the Bubba Lump Salad ($15)--lump crab meat, boiled shrimp, chopped tomatoes, avocado and cucumbers atop a bed of mixed greens served with your choice of dressing; and the Miller's Red Beans and Rice ($8) with andouille sausage.

The portions are huge, so only order full servings if you want leftovers or if you're a T-Rex. I was stuffed after the Loaded Pollo, half a shrimp po' boy, a taco, and two servings of fries.

I came in to BB's for the po' boys but left dreaming of the fries and tacos. Whether you're in the mood for Cajun, Southern, Mexican or all three, there's something here for everyone.

Located in the Heights near bars and music venues and open until 3 a.m. on the weekends, this location makes for both a good dinner spot before your imbibing adventures, or for afterward, when you've had one too many drinks and are hankering for massive quantities of savory foods to soak up all that alcohol.

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