What's Eric Eating

On today's pod, Eric is joined by Matt Harris to go through the latest from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including the James Beard Foundation releasing it's list of award semifinalists that includes 10 Houston restaurants, Ben Berg's newest concept that has some questions surrounding it, and Hubcap Grill on 19th Street shuttering. In the Restaurants of the Week portion Karne is featured. In the Guest of the Week section Eric is joined by Abbas Dhanani of Burger Bodega. Abbas speaks with Eric about the early days of his career, growing up in a successful restaurant family, what inspired him to launch Houston Eats, the food blogging scene, why he wanted to pursue/open Burger Bodega rather than working within the family business, why he went with burgers for his concept, the research that he put in for Burger Bodega, why the design was so important for him, how things have been going with the restaurant so far, how things came about with the shakes program at Burger Bodega, and much more!  Follow Eric o

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by frequent cohost and co-founder of the Houston BBQ festival Michael Fulmer. The guys discuss the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including Western Addition Restaurant Group bringing a new seafood concept to Houston, the iconic Spanish Village shuttering in March but the legacy will live on in another project soon, and the newest bar concept from the Kirby Group that has a familiar face from the bbq scene involved. In the Restaurants of the Week section Gatsby's Prime Seafood and Home Slice Pizza are featured. In the Guest of the Week portion Eric is joined by Sherman Yeung and Jio Dingayan of Money Cat. The guys speak with Eric about how they both got started in the restaurant industry, how Sherman acquired Tobiuo, how they started working with each other, getting Money Cat started, why upper Kirby was the right location for Money Cat, why a new concept like Money Cat was the right next move rather than another location of Tobiuo, why Jio wanted to m

This week, Eric is joined by beverage expert/consultant Linda Salinas to go through some of the latest Houston restaurant and bar news. The pair discuss Kata Robata's Yun Cheng and chef Manabu Horiuchi teaming up to launch a new concept called Katami, some sad restaurant closures that occurred toward the end of 2022, the cocktail program at Phat Eatery that Linda rolled out, and they also share some memories of Griff's Irish Pub after the bar was destroyed by a fire earlier in the week. In the Restaurants of the Week portion Money Cat is featured. In the Guest of the Week section Eric is joined by Steve Rogers and Rob Wright of The Warwick. Steve and Rob speak with Eric about how they got into the hospitality industry, getting the Sugar Hill Lounge started back in the day, creating the ultra sports bar with Prospect Park, what it's meant to them to be the creators of a series of places that have become destinations for people, the creation of The Warwick, why the location was the right spot, the decision behi

For the first podcast of 2023 Eric is joined by the Swanky Maven herself, Felice Sloan! The pair discuss some of the latest happenings in the Houston restaurant and bar scene including Common Bond Bakery entering a new phase of growth with the Garza Management Group, Michelle Wallace leaving Gatlin's BBQ/Gatlins Finns & Feathers to pursue a new project with pop-ups on the way, and Little Pappas Seafood is reopening this spring under a new name. In the Restaurants of the Week portion, Ciel is featured. In the Guest of the Week section of the podcast Eric is joined by Emmanuel Chavez of Tatemó. Emmanuel speaks with Eric about how he first got interested in becoming a chef, getting an ultimatum from his family after collage, his early stops in his career, his time in Seattle, developing his style/techniques that served as the foundation for Tatemó, coming back to Houston, developing the concept that became Tatemó, how things are going so far at Tatemó, creating the menu, getting inspiration from what Jonny R

It's that time of year again! It's the final podcast of the year which means time to look back at the favorite restaurants and food from 2022. Eric is joined by Linda Salinas, Mary Clarkson, Michael Fulmer, and Matt Harris discuss their favorite new restaurants that opened, the dishes they remember most, their favorite classic restaurants, the saddest shutters of the year, and finally what restaurants they're looking forward to visiting in 2023.

Eric returns with another edition of What's Eric Eating, this week alongside frequent podcast co-host Matt Harris to talk about the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including Bun B finding a permanent home for Trill Burgers, Tatemo being named one of America's best new restaurants, and Houston Restaurant Weeks bringing in a large haul for the Houston Food Bank this year. In the Restaurants of the Week portion Louie's Italian American and Burger Bodega are featured. In the Guest of the Week section Eric is joined by John Reed of Ten Sushi and Bosscat Kitchen & Libations. John speaks with Eric about how much Bosscat Kitchen & Libations has grown in it's five years of operation, why now was the right time to bring Ten Sushi to Houston, the strengths of the menu at Ten Sushi, whether customers are mixing and matching with their items at Ten Sushi, the design of the new concept, how the restaurant has gone so far in it's early days of opening, why the Woodlands was the right choice for

After a little over a month long hiatus, Eric is back!! CultureMap Food Editor Eric Sandler is joined in his long awaited return by Avondale Food & Wine owner Mary Clarkson to discuss some of the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene. The pair discuss Café Louie's transformation into an Italian restaurant, Austin pizzeria Via 313 has a location locked in for Houston, and Home Slice's opening date reveal for their Houston location. In the Restaurants of the Week section Navy Blue and Zanti Cucina Italiana are featured. In the Guest of the Week portion Eric is joined by David Cordúa of The Lymbar. Eric and David speak about David's upbringing in a restaurant family, why David decided to come back to Houston, focusing on catering the last few years, why The Lymbar was the right move for David, what made them pick the Ion as the location of the restaurant, what the plans are for the menu, the design of the restaurant, the beverage program they're rolling out with Lymbar, and much more!  Follo

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Linda Salinas to go through some of the latest happenings from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including a brief recap of the Southern Smoke Festival, Christine Ha and husband John Suh's announcement of a new sandwich concept coming to Spring Branch, and the fourth location of Niko Niko's being set for The Woodlands. In the Restaurants of the Week section Wild is featured. In the Guest of the Week portion Eric is joined by Michael Sambrooks and Louis Maldonado of Andiron. Michael and Louis speak with Eric about Andiron, why a steakhouse was the right next restaurant for Michael's hospitality group, the recruitment process for the concept, what made Louis decide to pursue a career in the restaurant industry, Louis' prestigious resume, why Andiron was the right move for Louis, how Andiron distinguishes itself from other restaurants like it in the market, some of the techniques that they're doing at the restaurant, what the menu looks like, the influences behind the me

This week's pod features the return of Michael Fulmer as he joins Eric to go through some of the latest happenings from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including an analysis on the Houston Chronicle's top 100 restaurants list, Artisans' new location in the Galleria-area, and the team behind Gatsby's Steakhouse opening a new casual concept at the beginning of next year. In the Restaurants of the Week section Numero28 and Davanti Ristorante are featured. In the Guest of the Week portion Eric is joined by Paige Lujan of The Upside Pub. Paige speaks with Eric about how she got into the restaurant/bar industry, what made Paige elected to come to Houston, how they developed the concept of The Upside Pub, putting the menu together, how things have been going so far since the opening, how they're giving back to the community, what is the role of a bar like The Upside Pub currently for craft beer drinkers, whether there are aspirations to do more concepts, and much more! Follow Eric on Instagram and Twitter, pl

This week on the pod, Eric is joined by Matt Harris to discuss the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including a new concept called Cali is heading to Northwest Houston this fall, Dallas based sports bar Boomerjack's Grill & Bar coming to Houston with 2 locations, and Hungry's has a 3rd location now in Tanglewood. In the Restaurants of the Week section Lagniappe Kitchen and Bar and Baso are featured. Then in the Guest of the Week Chris Bianco of Pizzeria Bianco joins Eric to discuss coming to Houston for the East Downtown Throwdown benefiting the Southern Smoke Foundation, his friendship with Chris Shepherd, what he'll be serving at the event, what Chris enjoys about the event, the experience of being featured in Netflix's Chef's Table Pizza series, what he thought about it looking back on that time, what it's like sharing your life with the camera's, the story of how Chris got started into the tomato business, what Chris' would do with the Phoenix Suns, how Jerry Colangelo introduced

Today's podcast features the long awaited return of Rebecca Masson of Fluff Bake Bar! Eric and Rebecca dive into the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including Café Express' River Oaks location reopening after finishing up their upgrades, how excited we should be to have a chef like Jerrod ZIfchak coming to Houston, Top Chef alum Louis Maldonado being named executive chef at Andiron, and Rebecca catches listeners up on what she's got going on at Fluff Bake Bar. In the Restaurants of the Week portion Upside Pub and Kate Weiser Chocolate are featured. In the Guest of the Week section Eric is joined by Aaron Bludorn, Cherif Mbodji, and Jerrod Zifchak of Navy Blue. The guys speak with Eric about how they came together for the concept, what they've done in their respective careers beforehand, what they learned about Houston upon coming here, why they decided to go the seafood route with Navy Blue, why Rice Village felt like the right location, how they balance the workload with the structure o

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Mary Clarkson to discuss the latest happenings in the Houston restaurant and bar scene including Frank's Americana Revival relocating to a new spot, Zanti Cucina Italiana opening a 2nd location in River Oaks, and LA based ramen restaurant Killer Noodle has it's first Houston location locked in. In the Restaurant of the Week portion Mala Sichuan Bistro and Ciel Restaurant & Lounge are featured. In the Guest of the Week section Eric is joined by Morgan Weber and Matt Tanner of EZ's Liquor Lounge. In the Guest of the Week segment Eric is joined by Morgan Weber and Matt Tanner of EZ's Liquor Lounge. The guys speak with Eric about why this was the right move for Matt right now in his career, how they decided EZ's was the right move for the space, the rabbit holes Matt went down to get nostalgia items for EZ's, their drink program, how the drinks are not like the kind you get at dive bars, the food they'll offer, when they plan on opening, where does EZ's/Coltivare and oth

On this week's podcast Eric is teamed up with Linda Salinas to discuss the latest happenings in the Houston restaurant and bar scene including downtown's new food hall Lyric Market announcing it's lineup of vendors serving food this fall, Bill Floyd opening a new tequila/other agave spirits focused bar and lounge Real Agave, new brewery Black Page Brewing coming to Houston this fall, and Linda goes off on the wait in line for hours style of pop-ups there are nowadays. In the Restaurants of the Week portion Aya Sushi is featured. In the Guest of the Week section Eric is joined by Gabe Corchiani of Fat Boy's Pizza. Gabe speaks with Eric about how he got started in the pizza business, how they make their 30 inch pies, how they standout from the rest, being in the coin operated/gaming business, the team he's put together for expansion into Texas, the neighborhoods he has his eye on for Houston growth, the dine in experience at Fat Boy's Pizza, the cocktail program they have at their stores, when they're expected

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Michael Fulmer to go through the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including a vibe dining concept coming to Kirby, Bellaire Broiler Burger's return being a short lived one after ownership got an offer they couldn't refuse, and new restaurant March adds another accomplishment to it's ever growing list of accolades. In the Restaurants of the Week portion il Bracco is featured. In the Guest of the Week portion of the podcast Eric is joined by Rafael Nasr of Craft Pita. Since his last appearance back on episode 162, Rafael catches up with Eric on what's been going on with Craft Pita, how the restaurant has matured, why now was the right time to expand, why West U was the right spot for the expansion of Craft Pita, what advice he's gotten from Ziggy of Kenny & Ziggy's about moving into the West U location, the plans they have for the 2nd location, how he plans to manage both locations, building relationships with others in the Houston food community,

On today's podcast Eric is joined Matt Harris to discuss the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including Tim Love shuttering his 3 Houston restaurants, Luis Rangel's expansion into seafood, and a Canadian favorite is now open in Katy. In the Restaurant's of the Week Pacha Nikkei and Neo are featured. In the Guest of the Week portion Eric is joined by Shion Aikawa of Ramen Tatsu-Ya. Shion speaks with Eric about what it means to be the senior VP of culture for a restaurant group, memories from the early days of bringing ramen restaurants to Texas, building up the following, why they decided to come to Houston, adapting the Austin dining experience to Houston, what's some of their goals are, their other concepts, whether any of the other concepts would expand into Houston, their new BBQ concept coming to Austin, and much more! Follow Eric on Instagram and Twitter, plus check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com: Texas Celebrity Chef Tim Love Pulls the Plug on His 3 Houston Res

On today's podcast Eric is joined Felice Sloan to discuss the latest happenings from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including Ronnie Killen's new spot in Cypress, Finn Hall adds 4 new concepts one which is a returning concept from when Finn Hall first opened up, and the Barking Pig goes through a rebrand. In the Restaurants of the Week section Tony's is featured. In the Restaurants of the Week portion Eric is joined by Jason Wishengrad and David Selman of The Stand. Jason and David speak with Eric about what The Stand exactly, why bring The Stand to Houston, what sets The Stand apart from other restaurants, what they mean by serving American classics redefined, letting the customers have fun with their burger combinations, their respective paths to working with The Stand, getting to know Houston, setting up their supply chain, why The Woodlands fit the brand, how the first few weeks have gone, whether there could be more locations in Houston, recommendations for people coming in for the first time, and

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Mary Clarkson. The pair go through some of the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including Ana Beaven opening a new breakfast concept with business partner Charlie McDaniel, Agricole Hospitality opening a 2nd location of Eight Row Flint in a familiar space, and Blood Bros. are bringing in some top Houston talent for their latest concept. In the Restaurants of the Week portion il Bracco and Cafe Louie are featured. In the Guest of the Week section of the podcast this week, Eric is joined by Bun B and Andy Nguyen of Trill Burgers. The guys speak with Eric about their plans for Trill Burgers, how Bun got interested in fine dining/the food scene, the culinary scene in Houston, how Andy became the mashup king, how Andy made the jump from the apparel industry into the restaurant industry, how the pair got connected for the burger concept, why a burger concept was the right choice, why a smashburger, what the different popups have taught them, getting the bu

On this week's edition of the podcast Eric is joined by Linda Salinas. The pair go through some of the latest news happening in the Houston restaurant and bar scene including the sudden closure of The Branch in Spring Branch, Mandito's is heading to Bellaire, and a new nightclub hitting Midtown. In the Restaurants of the Week Dinette and Quiote are featured. In the Guest of the Week portion Eric is joined by Matthew Massey of Champagne Madame Zéro. Matthew speaks with Eric about how he got interested in wine, how working at the San Luis Hotel in Galveston led to Matthew to working the restaurant industry, working in the energy industry, transitioning from loving wine to creating his own winery, their process, how things have been going, their flavor versus classic champagne, places to find their wine, why it pairs so well with food, future plans for their products, and much more! Follow Eric on Instagram and Twitter, plus check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com: 7 Things to Know in Houston F

On this week's pod Eric is joined by Michael Fulmer to discuss the latest news from the Houston bar and restaurant scene including some recent closings like The Tasting Room and Revival Market, plus some openings like the 2nd location of The Taco Stand. In the Restaurants of the Week portion the guys highlight Gatlin's Fins & Feathers and Brett's BBQ Shop. In the Guest of the Week section Eric is joined by David Skinner of eculent. David speaks with Eric about his long winding career before his time in working in food full time, where the name for eculent comes from, why Kemah, what he did to prepare to open eculent, where the idea for eculent came from, how eculent has evolved over the years, teaching his staff, the ways that they pushed boundaries early on, the idea behind the forest dish, coming up with dishes you won't see anywhere else, the Washington Post review, and much more!  Follow Eric on Instagram and Twitter, plus check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com: Cherished Trio of Mo

On this week's edition of the podcast Eric is joined by Matt to discuss the latest from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including the huge shocker that Chris Shepherd is leaving Underbelly Hospitality, Goode Co. announces it's bringing it's Tex-Mex concept Kitchen & Cantina to the Heights, and Blossom Hotel's announces some new details regarding their dining program. In the Restaurants of the Week portion eculent is featured. In the Guest of the Week section Eric is joined by Ryan Lachaine and Derek Brown of Riel. Eric catches up with the duo from Riel about a multitude of things including how things are at Riel, the challenges they've run into, how Derek got started in bartending, what brought Derek to Houston, what Derek's approach is with the bar program at Riel, working with executive chef Peter Nguyen, what on the menu has them excited nowadays, the customer base, building your bar regulars, what the future holds, Ryan's upcoming pop up with Brandon Silva, and much more! Follow Eric on Instagr