III's a charm

Superstar chef Wolfgang Puck makes grand return to Houston with new modern, Medical Center restaurant

III by Wolfgang Puck in the Medical Center marks his return to Houston.

Photo by Jenn Duncan Duncan Artistry

Discriminating Med Center diners now have an exciting new option, thanks to a legendary chef’s return to the Houston area.

III (“Three”) by Wolfgang Puck has quietly opened in the John P. McGovern Commons Building — familiar for its eye-catching waterfall centerpiece— taking over the former Third Coast space.

Marked by Puck’s innovative takes on cuisine and customer experience, III offers up seasonally inspired fare with ingredients sourced from local farmers and purveyors. Menus feature comfort food with Puck’s signature global influences, plus a beverage program showcasing specialty cocktails, wines, and beers with a few local Houston brews.

About those menus: Lunch, a popular draw at the Medical Center, features a variety of soups, salads, sandwiches, and entrees. Selections include tortilla soup, a ground brisket and short rib burger with 12-month aged cheddar, and a flat iron steak with blistered peppers and spicy red chimichurri. Healthy options include a grilled salmon salad with unagi glaze and pickled vegetables.

As for dinner, III boasts Puck’s signature — and globally inspired — dishes including pork Wienerschnitzel with Austrian potatoes and dill cucumber and steamed Gulf snapper “Hong Kong”style with jasmine rice and chili soy.

Meanwhile, happy hour fans can delight in an eclectic mix of snacks such as smoked brisket sliders with caramelized shallot jam, parmesan arancini with spicy tomato sauce, and crispy chicken wing karaage with yuzo kosho honey.

Chef Ronald Proano heads up the kitchen; he most recently served at The Ritz-Carlton in Washington D.C., as executive banquet chef at Tilman Fertitta’s Post Oak Hotel, and Miami’s Mandarin Oriental and Ritz-Carlton hotels, according to a press release.

Apropos for the Medical Center, III will provide private dining spaces for social events and corporate meetings with menus by the in-house culinary team and the acclaimed Wolfgang Puck Catering.

“We are delighted to announce our partnership with the world-renowned Wolfgang Puck Catering,” said William McKeon, TMC’s president and CEO said in a statement. “Our restaurant, III by Wolfgang Puck, will provide a tremendous experience for TMC employees, visitors, and the Greater Houston community to connect in the heart of our medical city. We are excited to welcome the Wolfgang Puck Catering team to our campus.”

Houstonians will recall that Puck, a celebrity favorite, previously operated his Wolfgang Puck Gourmet Express chain in the Westchase and Sugar Land areas in the early 2000s. III, then, marks what could be considered a celebrated return of a globally acclaimed chef, one famous for catering buzzy events such as Oscars parties.

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III by Wolfgang Puck is located on the sixth floor of the John P. McGovern Commons Building, 6550 Bertner Ave. Hours are Monday-Friday, 11 am-3 pm (lunch); 3 pm-5 pm (happy hour); and 5 pm-9 pm (dinner). For reservations, call 713-749-0400 or visit III online.

III's Chinois chicken salad.

III by Wolfgang Puck chinois chicken salad

Photo by Jenn Duncan/Duncan Artistry

III's Chinois chicken salad.

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crawfish season is here

Essential Houston crawfish joint heads to Beaumont for new location

Photo by Paulina Olague

BB's Tex-Orleans is bringing its boiled seafood to Beaumont.

One of Houston’s favorite destinations for crawfish is heading east. BB’s Tex-Orleans will open 12th location in Beaumont.

Slated to open in April, BB’s will occupy the former home of The Park on Calder (2325 Calder Avenue). With 3,200 square feet inside and a massive, 5,000-square-foot patio, BB’s will seat 70 people inside and 175 people outdoors. The patio has enough space for a children’s play area and a 225-inch outdoor screen for showing the day’s games.

“At BB’s, we like to say that our culture is making Maw Maw, my grandmother, proud,” founder and CEO Brooks Bassler said in a statement. “So many of our recipes are inspired by Maw Maw’s cooking, but even more than the great food, it’s a way of living: family, hard work, fairness. Maw Maw was born in Winnie, and her sister still lives there, so BB’s roots actually start in the Golden Triangle. Finally opening a location in Beaumont feels like coming home.”

The menu will feature all of the dishes that have made BB’s a go-to for Cajun fare. That starts will boiled seafood, including crawfish, shrimp, and crab legs — all of which can be enhanced with Prasek’s smoked garlic sausage, alligator andouille sausage, corn, button mushrooms, red potatoes, and BB’s “Monsta Greens.”

Diners also turn to the restaurant for po’ boys, such as the Bedtime in the Bayou (fried shrimp) and the South Texas Fire Po’boy (marinated outside skirt steak topped with melted pepper jack cheese, avocado, sautéed peppers, and onions, topped with a spicy pepper cheese sauce).

Here’s founder Brooks Bassler with a Bedtime in the Bayou.

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Founded in 2007 in Montrose as a late night po’ boy destination, BB’s has grown across the Houston area. BB’s Cajun Cantina in San Antonio adds Tex-Mex flavors to the mix.

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