Gulsah Basaran, top right, & kids

Spring Branch is home to restaurants with specialties from across the globe, from Korean barbecue to Mexican fare,  Salvadoran favorites and Italian classics.  Now the new Tasty Box, at 1900 Blalock Rd., Suite R, is serving an American classic with a different international twist, along with other menu favorites.

Inspired by the flavors of her homeland of Turkey, Gulsah Basaran created a menu that reflects her heritage and new home. The menu includes everything from burgers, salads, fajitas — which I found out is a Turkey favorite — and waffles served all day.

“The Turkish burger is made with certified Angus beef topped with crisp onion and pastrami. In Turkey, we eat a lot of pastrami,” Gulsah said.

The menu also features a Kimchi Burger in homage to the Korean dish of fermented, salted and sometimes intensely spicy cabbage or other vegetables. The burger has regular burger ingredients but is topped with kimchi and a fried egg.

Gulsah, educated in restaurant management in Turkey, and her husband, Burak, came to the United States just four months ago with the goal of creating a positive future for themselves and their three children. After researching the cost of living and education options, the couple settled in Houston.

“Our youngest has Asperger’s Syndrome. The schools here offer a better education for him and our other children,” Gulsah explained.

Through a mutual friend, they met restaurant manager Amire Hassan.  Together they researched parts of the city in which to open their first Tasty Box location.

“We knew Spring Branch was a good community. It is affordable. We liked the location. We knew this area had everything we wanted,” Hassan said.

Burak Basaran

Opening a restaurant this quickly is impressive, but doing all of it while being new to the United States, and moving your family, is inspiring.

“I’ve helped a lot of people open restaurants. I have never seen anybody so sharp and focused,” Hassan said about Gulsah. “Executing to the next level. She is faster than me. Focused on every detail to make her business succeed.  She is always working on ways to improve the service to her customers. She listens to feedback and makes changes.”

Her determination and drive show up in the recipes she developed. Her special mayonnaise-based sauce works as a secret hamburger enhancer and has already become a favorite with customers.

“One bite and I had to ask them about the sauce. It is different and so good. This will be a new stop for us,” said first-time customer Mary N., who with her daughter Susie stumbled upon the restaurant by chance.

Other soon-to-be menu favorites include Turkish meatball sub, homemade hummus and a variety of salads. The list also includes vegetarian dishes like a made-from-scratch falafel wrap and veggie tacos. There’s also a kids’ menu in the family-friendly restaurant.

Gulsah runs the front area while Burak can be found in the kitchen preparing each made-to-order dish.

The dining area, bright red chairs, has the feel of a nostalgic soda shop and makes the perfect atmosphere in which to enjoy a creamy milkshake from the menu.

Strawberry and Nutela made the perfect topping on my light and fluffy waffle. Looking for savory and sweet? Try the crispy chicken stripes on a waffle or pancake.

With Gulsah always looking ahead, what’s in the future for Tasty Box? A grand opening is coming soon, followed perhaps by other Tasty Box locations in the city.

https://tastybox.toast.site/
Open every day at 11 a.m.
Closes at 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 10 p.m. Friday, 11 p.m. Saturday and 7:30 p.m. Sunday

— By Jessika Leal