After being invited to try the new menu at Razzoo’s Cajun Café, my husband and I enjoyed lunch at the Hilltop Village, Cedar Hill location. We were welcomed by General Manager Travis Elliott. He’s been at the Cedar Hill Razzoo’s just over a year, following a stint with a high-end steak house. GM Travis says he’s really enjoying Razzoo’s more casual, fun atmosphere, and chatting with his guests.
The new Razzoo’s menu rolled out Sept. 21, following “months of work behind the scenes” by Chef David Stadtmiller and the M Crowd Restaurant Group’s culinary team. They spent those months in Louisiana, visiting independent restaurants, testing and refining dishes to find the most authentic tastes, to emphasize made-from-scratch, traditional Cajun and Creole recipes and techniques.
New Razzoo’s Menus
Razzoo’s menus are chock-full of colorful info, like “what does Razzoo even mean,” and how do you know if you’re one of them. With a little help from our friendly waiter, DJ, we were able to wade through the extensive menu and decide on our lunch orders. For starters, we shared the Canal Street Combo™ (10.99), an appetizer platter with Boudin Balls, fried pickle chips, and Rat Toes with sauces. I was relieved to learn the spicy rat toes were really jalapeno peppers stuffed with shredded seafood and cheese, just made for dipping.
We were set to share the Cajun Fondue (12.99), with shrimp in a cheesy cream sauce with crisp garlic toast. This delightful fondue was filled with way more shrimp than expected, with a dense and delicious sauce. Finding it almost too good to share, I’ll have to confess to eating most of it. I also tried a cup of Razzoo’s Kitchen Sink Gumbeaux ($6), with scratch-made black roux. The rich, savory gumbo contains Savoie’s Andouille Sausage from Louisiana, with chicken, fish, and shrimp, and is also available in a big bowl ($10.99).
Lunch at Razzoo’s Cedar Hill
For my entrée, I ordered Shrimp Creole, featuring plentiful shrimp in a zesty Creole Sauce over seasoned white rice ($14.99). My husband was quite happy with his fried catfish basket, served with jalapeno pups, spicy fries, corn on the cob, and Cajun Buttermilk dip ($12.99). Hoping to offset all the rich, super spicy food, we both ordered petite side salads.
We were really too full for dessert, but DJ convinced us to split an order of Luziana Bread Pudding ($9.99). The recently refreshed pudding is now made with Louisiana’s Leidenheimer bread for “a lighter, airier texture, allowing the cinnamon, vanilla and peach flavors to come through more clearly.” This decadent pudding is made fresh daily with peaches, pecans, crusty French bread, and served with warm, dark Rum sauce. We took most of this dessert home (where I have to admit to eating most of it myself). The Leidenheimer bread is also being used now in Razzoo’s updated po’ boy sandwiches.
Chef Bubba’s Specials
If you haven’t visited Razzoo’s lately, there are many more new menu items than we were able to try at lunch. Chef Bubba’s Specials offers three new combo plates, joining the popular Jaws Seafood Platter. This returning favorite features fried catfish, crawfish,gator, shrimp, and pickle chips piled over French fries. Razzoo’s menu says the Jaws platter is “designed to feed four regular folks or two Cajuns.” The chef’s three new specials (for more ordinary appetites) are fried catfish with red beans and rice; blackened chicken and shrimp brochette with dirty rice; and stuffed shrimp and stuffed flouder with white rice and Mama’s green beans.
Razzoo’s Cajun Cafe in Cedar Hill is located in the bustling Hilltop Village retail center off FM 1382. Hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sun.-Thurs., and 11 a.m.-12 a.m. Friday and Saturday; with Happy Hours on weekedays from 2-7 p.m. For more info, please call 972-291-0606 or visit razzoos.com.
