What's Eric Eating

No guest this week so on today's podcast it's all Eric and Fe! Eric is joined by the Swanky Maven herself Felice Sloan to discuss the latest happenings in the Houston restaurant and bar scene including a chef duo coming together to create a tapas restaurant in Kemah, James Coney Island closing it's last inner loop location, and the newest food festival coming to Houston this fall. In the Restaurants of the Week portion Blue Sushi Sake Grill is featured, plus Houston Restaurants Weeks strategies for diners to consider when deciding where to go.  Follow Eric on Instagram and Twitter, plus check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com: Dynamic Dining Duo Cook Up Plans for Experiential Tapas Restaurant in Kemah Iconic Houston Hot Dog Restaurant's Last Inner Loop Location Quietly Closes Houston's Top Chefs Star in New Fall Food Festival Restaurant Shocker: Chris Shepherd Departs Company He Founded to Focus on Nonprofit Endeavors Edgy Portland Doughnut Chain Casts a Spell in Katy with Creative and Scan

On today's show, Eric's co-host is hospitality veteran and co-founder of the Houston BBQ Festival Michael Fulmer. They kick things off with Houston's Restaurant News of the Week in which they discuss an exciting new partnership involving French restaurant La Table ahead of its reopening next Spring, a new brew pub opening in the Bellaire Triangle called CounterCommon Beerworks & Kitchen, and their excitement for Reata Cellars, a new wine shop and bar opening in the Heights. For this episode's Restaurant of the Week, the pair highlight the "new" Georgia James as they discuss their initial impressions of Chris Shepherd's Houston steakhouse in its swanky new location.  In the guest portion of the show, Eric is joined by Norwegian Chef Christopher Haatuft and James Beard Award-winning Chef Paul Qui of Golfstrømmen to discuss the beginnings of their unlikely partnership, how their restaurant came to be, why sustainability is so important to what they’re trying to do, how the restaurant has fared compared to

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Linda Salinas to discuss the latest happenings in the Houston restaurant and bar scene including 2 Houston food vets coming together for a new Italian concept, Rise Soufflé is coming back to the Houston area, and a new brewery opening in Hardy Yards. In the Restaurant of the Week portion Amrina. In the Guest of the Week section, for the first time ever on the podcast, Eric is joined by Justin Yu of Theodore Rex and Thorough Fare Hospitality. Justin speaks with Eric about what he remembers about starting Oxheart, working with Kaitlin Steets at Theodore Rex, what Justin's day to day schedule is like, stepping back at Better Luck Tomorrow, working with Michael Connor, how did the business relationship with Bobby Heugel evolve into what it is today, how did the hotel project come about, what makes Galveston appealing for this project, what to expect from The Fancy food wise, the current state of the James Beard Awards, and more! Follow Eric on Instagram and Twitter, plus c

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Mary Clarkson to discuss some of the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including further discussion/celebration of Alba Huerta's James Beard award, Agricole Hospitality announces their plans for a new lounge concept, promising self-serve concept Shoot the Moon closing it's doors permanently, and March being named one of the best new restaurants of 2022. In the Restaurants of the Week section Street to Kitchen is featured. In the Guest of the portion Eric is joined by Jason Andaya and Cole Hoang of Dinette. Jason and Cole speak with Eric about the new concept Dinette, why a Vietnamese restaurant concept was the next step for Jason after Hando, the evolution of Vietnamese food in the city, dishes people will see on the menu, what the Dinette twist is on Vietnamese food, the offerings that will be at Dinette, what Cole learned from his time working with Christine Hà, how things are going at Hando, what Jason attributes Hando's success to, why now was the

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Matt Harris to discuss the latest happenings in the Houston restaurant and bar scene including the James Beard Awards announcing their winners for 2022, Phat Eatery announcing a 2nd location, Willow Villarreal and Jasmine Barela working with Killen's restaurants now, and Nando's Peri-Peri is coming to Houston. In the Restaurants of the Week portion Hugo's is featured. In the Guest of the Week section Eric is joined by Top Chef finalist Evelyn Garcia. Evelyn speaks with Eric about what motivated her to join the show, the preparation that she did to prepare for the show, finding out the show was going to be set in Houston, her favorite challenges that she went through on the show, when did she start thinking of ideas for the final 4 course meal for the finale, what was going through her mind walking up to the judges in the finale, getting to know her fellow contestants, letting her emotions show on camera, how life has changed for her since being on the show, has the show

No guest on the show this week so Eric and cohost Michael Fulmer catch up on the latest happenings in the Houston restaurant and bar scene including what they thought of Top Chef season 19 which filmed here in Houston, did it depict the city well? Plus Evelyn Garcia's run in the competition and how she represented the city. The guys also discuss Greg Gatlin and Michelle Wallace opening a new comfort food concept and the family behind Rice Epicurean Market closing it's last location. In the Restaurants of the Week section 1751 Sea & Bar and Flying Fish are featured.  Follow Eric on Instagram and Twitter, plus check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com, such as: Top Chef Recap: And The Winning Cheftestant Is... Star Houston Pitmaster Reveals New Fried Chicken, Seafood, and Comfort Food Restaurant Houston's Oldest Family-Owned Grocery Store Announces End of an Epicurean Era Rockin' New Girl-Powered Food and Music Fest Stars Houston's Top Chefs New Orleans Bar Bringing Big Easy Chill to Houston

On today's edition of What's Eric Eating, Eric is joined by Linda Salinas to discuss some of the latest happenings from the Houston bar and restaurant scene including recapping the winners from this year's Tastemaker Awards, Austin bar Nickel City coming to Houston, and Robert Del Grande announcing that he's taking a step back. In the Restaurants of the Week section Height's & Co. is featured. Then in the Guest of the Week portion Eric is joined by Nicole Morris of Lucy Pearl's. Nicole speaks with Eric about how she first got interested in baking, getting started in the farmers market, how she got connected with Post Houston, learning from the family, figuring out the family recipes, why the counter/open kitchen are key parts of the design for Lucy Pearl's, what customer's are asking, meeting Eric, what Lucy Pearl's menu has to offer, the non cake options, the wild cake sales numbers, developing the different options for customers, making connections with other vendors at The Post, future plans, and much

On today's edition of What's Eric Eating, Eric is joined by Felice Sloan to discuss the latest from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including Bobby Heugel and Justin Yu opening a new concept in Galveston, the "world's biggest pizza slice" coming to Houston, and Zach Harris' newest concept coming to the Shady Acres area. In the Restaurants of the Week Uchiko is featured. In the Guest of the Week portion Eric is joined by Brian Doke of Savoir, Pattons, and Heights & Co. Brian speaks with Eric about how Brian got into the hospitality industry, how he grew at Tiny Boxwoods, deciding to go out on his own, the vision behind Savoir when starting it out, working his chef Eric Johnson, why he decided to with a steakhouse as his second concept, how Patton's has been going so far, what feedback he's gotten from customers, developing the idea behind his newest concept Heights & Co., what they do at Heights & Co. to separate themselves from the competition, how he'd like to see Heights & Co. evolve, d

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Mary Clarkson to discuss some of the latest happenings in the Houston restaurant and bar scene including Loro's 2nd location being revealed, Bobby Heugel's new bar opening this week, and a 2nd location of Hando heading to Spring Branch. In the Restaurants of the Week Hamsa and Cafe Louie are featured. In the Guest of the Week section Eric is joined in studio (yes in studio for the first time since March 2020) by Will and Nichole Buckman of CorkScrew BBQ. Will and Nichole speak with Eric about the state of CorkScrew BBQ, retaining staff through the past difficult 2 pandemic years, why they're always present, ways they have grown, the possibility of opening another restaurant in the future, the idea of relevance when it comes to restaurants, whether they cared about falling out of Texas Monthly's Top 10 BBQ places, the most overlooked item, speaking with Daniel Vaughn, what shows they're binging, why they don't mix barbecue and politics, Will's hobbies, and much more! Fol

Instead of doing the normal format Eric is switching things up today with a special edition of the podcast, it's the Ultimate Houston Barbecue Draft. Eric has assembled a panel of barbecue lovers to pick the ultimate barbecue plate. Then Dozier's Barbeque pitmaster Jim Buchanan looks over the selections to decide who assembled the ultimate BBQ plate. What goes number 1? Whose draft strategy will prove best? Who reached with their selection? Which items got snubbed? Find out all of that and more on this special edition of the podcast! Follow Eric on Instagram and Twitter, plus check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com, such as: Rising Star Houston Pitmaster Brings the Heat on Food Network BBQ Competition Show Aaron Franklin and Tyson Cole Reveal Second Houston Location of Their Asian Smokehouse Smash Ice Cream Doughnut Shop from Miami Bringing Cool Spot to Houston Area Mexico City Inspired Taqueria Unrolls Third Houston Location in Garden Oaks Area Houston's Whiskey-Obsessed Restaurant to Open

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Mary Clarkson to discuss the latest in restaurant and bar news from the Houston area including Bellaire Broiler Burger making it's long awaited return, Lankford Grocery opening a second location, and Uchiko announcing it's opening date. In the Restaurants of the Week portion Marmo is featured. In the Guest of the Week section Eric is joined by Paul Miller of Gr8 Plate Hospitality. Paul catches Eric up on what's been going on with Gr8 Plate Hospitality since he was last on the podcast, what he's learned about operating a business such as his during these past 2 years in the pandemic, wanting more staff, how he's adapted the business these past 2 years, why he decided to open the new Italian concept Passerella, what type of Italian style does Passerella bring to the market, developing the menu for the new concept, the dishes he's excited for people to try, the future for Gr8 Plate, when Passerella is launching, and much more! Follow Eric on Instagram and Twitter, plus ch

It's a celebration! Not just because it's a new episode of the podcast but because today marks the 5 year anniversary of What's Eric Eating! A huge thank you to everyone that listens, shares, subscribes, reviews, or however you engage with the podcast. We wouldn't be able to do this for the 5 years and running without you all. A huge thank you as well to all of the great cohosts and guests over the years. It's been an amazing ride and we look forward to providing more great podcast content to you all! Now for today's podcast Eric is joined by Linda Salinas to discuss some of the latest news from the Houston bar and restaurant scene including Uchi announcing a new dedicated omakase space, Chris Shepherd's shake up at the tavern formerly known as Georgia James, and a new nightclub popping up in the Heights area. In the Restaurants of the Week section Reikina and The Warwick are featured. In the Guest of the Week portion Eric is joined by Tasos Katsaounis and Drew Gimma of Bread Man Baking Company. Tasos and D

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Matt Harris to discuss the latest news from the Houston restaurant and food scene including the shocking shake up with J-Bar-M Barbecue, Craft Pita getting a new location, and Chris Shepherd's big Southern Smoke Festival. In the Restaurants of the Week portion Tatemó is featured. In the Guest of the Week section Eric is joined by Scott Sulma of the Atlas Restaurant Group. Scott speaks with Eric about how he got into the restaurant industry, what he learned from working with the great Tony Vallone, how he got started with Atlas, his role with the restaurant group, how the group of Atlas restaurants have been doing in Houston so far, why Atlas is bringing the new Italian concept Marmo to Houston, what customers can expect, the menu at Marmo, and much more! Follow Eric on Instagram and Twitter, plus check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com, such as: Rising Star Chef Breaks Silence About Sudden Exit from Exciting New EaDo Barbecue Joint Crafty and Healthy Me

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Felice Sloan to discuss the latest happenings from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including Three Brothers Bakery adding a new location, Wolfgang Puck returning to Houston with a new concept, and Upside Pub coming to the Garden Oaks/Oak Forest area. In the Restaurants of the Week The Greasy Spoon is featured. In the Guest of the Week section Eric is joined by Tobias Dorzon and Rosea Grady of Thirteen. Tobias and Rosea speak with Eric about how they got into the restaurant industry, what brought them to Thirteen, how they got to know James Harden, how Thirteen came together, what it was like working with James Harden on the concept, how things have gone in the first year, how difficult it was early on after James was traded to Brooklyn, how they describe the food, biggest surprise from their first year, memorable celeb interactions, building the team, goals for year 2, whether we could see more Thirteen's in other markets, and much more! Follow Eric on Instagram an

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Mary Clarkson to discuss the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including Burger Bodega opening this summer, Benjy Levit's new concept, and Daniel Wolfe's fundraising efforts. In the Restaurants of the Week section BCN and Blue Stone Lane. In the Guest of the Week portion Eric is joined by Aaron Franklin of Loro. Aaron speaks with Eric about how Loro came together, his role in shaping the menu, why he decided to come to Houston for this, his approach with Loro with it's vast array of menu options, how the concept is doing so far, feeling the love from locals, whether more locations could be in the cards for the future, building the grill at Wild Oats, Franklin BBQ being back to normal since the pandemic started, his new sandwich shop concept that's in the works, and much more! Follow Eric on Instagram and Twitter, plus check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com, such as: Houston Food Influencer's Smash Burger Pop-Up Finds a Permanent Hom

On today's podcast Eric is joined by Michael Fulmer to discuss the latest happenings from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including Cabo Bob's opening 3 new locations in the Houston area, The Chocolate bar returning with a new name and location, and Aaron Bludorn's new seafood concept that's heading to Rice Village. In the Restaurants of the Week Patton's and Roberta's are featured. In the Guest of the Week portion Eric is joined by the team behind The Big Vibe Group. Grant, Josep, and Marc speak with Eric about how this venture came together, what attracted each of them to this partnership since the splitting of Clark Cooper Concepts, the development/aesthetics of Gratify, why now was the right time for Flora, bringing something strong with Flora into the Mexican food scene, Josep's role in developing the menu at Flora, the inspirations for the food, Flora's decor, the focus on cocktails at Flora, how Grant's travels have inspired him, the latest details regarding Graffiti Raw and Daddy's Burgers, possi

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Matt Harris to discuss the latest from the Houston bar and restaurant scene including a recap of the latest episode of Top Chef, the James Beard Foundation's finalist announcement, and pastry chef Jordi Roca is set to open his gelato shop in Houston soon. In the Restaurants of the Week portion Flora is featured. In the Guest of the Week section Eric is joined by Niki Vongthong of Hidden Omakase. Niki speaks with Eric about her family's time running a grocery store, switching the family business from a grocery store to a restaurant, what set her upon her culinary journey, Niki's transition into professional cooking, her time in Spain & Thailand, what she learned while at Uchi, her first time leading a kitchen, why she loves the omakase style, the approach to building courses with omakase, her incorporation of Thai elements, how she's gotten more comfortable with leading, celebrating special occasions at Hidden Omakase, and much more! Follow Eric on Instagram and Twit

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Linda Salinas to discuss some of the latest news from the Houston bar and restaurant scene including Gr8 Plate Hospitality opening a new concept called Passerella this spring, Jackson Street BBQ closing, and Liuyishou Hotpot has arrived in Houston with a soft opening. In the Restaurants of the Week Loro and Tatemó are featured. In the Guest of the Week section Eric is joined by Nick Fine of Wild Oats. Nick speaks with Eric about how he got into cooking, the interesting origin story/road he took to get to this point, what it's been like working with Chris Shepherd, the difference between running a restaurant versus running a business, what made him pursue developing Wild Oats, how he describes the food at Wild Oats, developing the menu, the story behind Grilly Nelson, vision for Wild Oats, how it's going so far, what the future holds for him, and more! Follow Eric on Instagram and Twitter, plus check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com, such as: These Hou

Follow Eric on Instagram and Twitter, plus check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com, such as: Surprise Shakeup Sees Founders Depart Exciting East End Cocktail Bar Chris Shepherd Calls Off Plans to Open a Casual Cocktail Bar in Montrose Ben Berg's Casual Italian Restaurant Swaps the Energy Corridor for Charming Sugar Land Spot Top Chef Recap: Houston Chefs Shine in Highly Anticipated Season 19 Premiere Dynamic Team Behind 2 Hot Houston Restaurants Serves Up New Italian Eatery Viral British Baker Pops Up in Houston This Weekend Serving Decadent Desserts

Follow Eric on Instagram and Twitter, plus check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com, such as: Oscars of the Food World Recognize Houston Chefs and Restaurants with 12 Semifinalist Nominations Austin-Based Butcher Shop and Burger Spot Suddenly Shutter at Houston's Newest Food Hall Modern General Store Set to Open Second Location at Historic Houston Farmers Market Top Chef's Big Houston Premiere Stirs Up 2 Tasty Events This Week Ben Berg's Casual Italian Restaurant Swaps the Energy Corridor for Charming Sugar Land Spot Fried Jambalaya Rolls, Fried Cupcakes, and More Take Top Honors at Rodeo's Carnival Food Contest Chris Shepherd Calls Off Plans to Open a Casual Cocktail Bar in Montrose