East Idaho Eats: BJ’s Bayou bringing Louisiana style cooking to the table

ROBERTS– In the small community of Roberts, one southern chef is sharing his love for Louisiana style cooking.

“Food (in Idaho), while good and hearty, is not very varied,” BJ’s Bayou owner BJ Berlin says. “We’ve tried to stay true and authentic to the Louisiana style cuisine.”

Berlin is also the mayor of Roberts. He says he discovered his knack for cooking back in his hometown.

“When I was a Boy Scout in Louisiana, I learned that I loved to cook,” Berlin says.

Eventually he moved to Idaho and opened for business in a one hundred year old building that used to be a cowboy saloon. In the beginning, he tried to recreate the saloon and also offered food. Each Friday was Louisiana night and it was a hit.

“All of a sudden we had people coming from all over east Idaho for that Louisiana cuisine,” Berlin says. “Generally the more popular dishes are things like crawfish etouffee, shrimp creole, the sautéed dishes, the blackened ribeye’s, and our catfish.”

The New Orleans barbecue shrimp, also called the Crescent City barbecue shrimp, is a must eat at BJ’s. The cooks start off the recipe by adding butter, a seasoning blend and beer to a frying pan.

Berlin says Louisiana cuisine always has three vegetables and three peppers. The shrimp dish has cayenne pepper, white pepper, black pepper, crushed red pepper, rosemary and a little thyme.

BJ’s Bayou also serves unique dishes like alligator and frog legs. Those two specialities were best sellers at the Eastern Idaho State Fair.

BJ enjoys serving in the rural area and appreciates customers come from around the country to enjoy his cooking.

“They’ve been supportive of us in the buying of strange and weird Louisiana cuisine,” Berlin says.

Find BJ’s Bayou on Facebook.

Address: 655 N 2880 E, Roberts, Idaho 83444
Hours:
Wed to Sat: 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Sun: 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Phone: (208) 228-2331