What's Eric Eating

On today's edition of What's Eric Eating, Eric is joined by Drake Leonards of Eunice. Drake speaks with Eric about the evolution of Eunice since he was last on the podcast back in 2018, why it's important that they're open 7 days a week, fixing their patio situation, being part of the Houston chef community, the team at Eunice, the flexibility they provide customers, having one of the best burgers in town, the possibility of expansion in Houston with some of their other concepts, and much more!  Follow Eric on Instagram/Threads @ericsandler. You can also reach Eric by emailing him at eric@culturemap.com. Check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com: Canadian Comfort Food Restaurant Puts Down Roots in Prime Houston Spot Astros Pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. Serves Up a New Pickleball Bar in Midtown Bun B Opens New Spring Location of His Smash Hit Smash Burger Joint Beloved Houston Hot Dog Shop Announces Abrupt Closure After 15 Years

Today on the podcast, Eric is joined by Garden Oaks expert Monica Danna to dive into some of the latest happenings in the Houston restaurant/bar scene. The pair discuss Good Dog Houston closing after 12 years in the Heights, chef Arnaldo Richards new fajita delivery aptly titled FajitaDelivery.com, and CultureMap's list of 9 new bars making an impact in Houston. In the Restaurants of the Week section, BeauSoleil is featured. Follow Eric on Instagram/Threads @ericsandler. You can also reach Eric by emailing him at eric@culturemap.com. Check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com: Beloved Houston Hot Dog Shop Announces Abrupt Closure After 15 Years Houston Chef Fires Up Tex-Mex Delivery with Fajitas, Margs, and More Astros Pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. Serves Up a New Pickleball Bar in Midtown Bun B Opens New Spring Location of His Smash Hit Smash Burger Joint

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Nick Adair and Katie Adair Barnhart of Adair Concepts. The siblings discuss with Eric growing up in the restaurant business, why they wanted to continue on with the family business rather than do something different, working together, how they made Adair Kitchen different from Skeeters, how things are going with their Adair Kitchen and larger Los Tios location in West U., balancing Los Tios to be approachable for both new/returning customers, expanding the Los Tios brand to Fredericksburg, bringing Buffalo Grille into the fold of Adair Concepts, keeping the changes to a minimum with Buffalo Grille, why they brought on Diego Fernandez as culinary director, their plans for Eloise Nichols, why Betsy's is challenging in some ways, and much more! Follow Eric on Instagram/Threads @ericsandler. You can also reach Eric by emailing him at eric@culturemap.com. Check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com: Cult Favorite Houston Burger Joint Adds New Co-Owner to Power F

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by a returning Chelsea Thomas. The pair first discuss Chelsea making her return to the culinary scene with her new gig and then they dive into the latest Houston restaurant news. They cover Burger Chan's owners adding a new co-owner, the new cowboy inspired concept coming to the inner loop, and chef Jane Wild's new cafe/bakery concept opening in The Heights. In the Restaurants of the Week portion Perseid is featured.    Follow Eric on Instagram/Threads @ericsandler. You can also reach Eric by emailing him at eric@culturemap.com. Check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com: Cult Favorite Houston Burger Joint Adds New Co-Owner to Power Future Growth Cowboy-Inspired, Family-Friendly Restaurant Rides into Prime Inner Loop Space Successful Pop-Up Chef Opens a New All-Day Cafe and Bakery in the Heights Creative New Heights Restaurant Spices Up Diner Fare with Asian Flavors

On today's edition of the podcast things are little different because Eric is live on-site! Yep, Eric had the chance to catch up with both Fernando Rios and Mike Sammons live at MIMO. The guys speak with Eric about how they first started working together, the fun but hard challenge of Da Marco, why the East End needed an Italian restaurant, what made the space the choice for the concept, how they're a little different from traditional Italian fare, the difficulty of getting MIMO off the proverbial ground at first, how the menu has evolved, their wine list, how things have been going in their first 2 years since opening, the respect they have for Marco Wiles, their plans for the future, and more! Plus, Fernando takes us through his career and where it's taken him, what Mike learned from opening How to Survive, and Fernando experiences his first lightning round.  Follow Eric on Instagram/Threads @ericsandler. You can also reach Eric by emailing him at eric@culturemap.com. Check out some of his latest articles

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Mary Clarkson to go through some of the latest Houston bar and restaurant news. The pair speak about the 4 Houston chefs/restaurants named finalists for James Beard awards, Jūn becoming the home of a daytime coffee service called Third Place, and Alexandra "Allie" Peña becoming Bludorn's new executive chef. In the Restaurants of the Week portion Camaraderie is featured.  Follow Eric on Instagram/Threads @ericsandler. You can also reach Eric by emailing him at eric@culturemap.com. Check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com: 4 Houston Chefs and Restaurants are James Beard Award Finalists Heights Restaurant Adds Daytime Coffee Service with Guest Chef Pop-Ups Aaron Bludorn's Rising Star Protégé Moving from Memorial to Montrose Houston's Best Chef, Restaurant, and More Revealed at 2025 Tastemaker Awards

On today's edition of the podcast Eric is joined by Shawn Virene and David Buckley of Succulent Fine Dining. The guys speak with Eric about the inspiration for this new concept, why now was the right time for it, the desire for a patio, why David was the right fit to be the executive chef, their vision for the food, how the concept differs from a'Bouzy, the decor, growing succulents in preparation, the wine list, when they expect to open, and more. Follow Eric on Instagram/Threads @ericsandler. You can also reach Eric by emailing him at eric@culturemap.com. Check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com: Houston's Best Chef, Restaurant, and More Revealed at 2025 Tastemaker Awards 4 Houston Chefs and Restaurants are James Beard Award Finalists Aaron Bludorn's Rising Star Protégé Moving from Memorial to Montrose Dallas Tex-Mex Staple Shutters Only Houston Location After Less Than 2 Years

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Shawn Gawle of Camaraderie. Shawn speaks with Eric about what got him first interested in becoming a chef, his journey beginning with his Dad's deli to eventually working in Michelin star restaurants, working at his 2nd grade teacher's restaurant, what brought him to Houston, why he decided to join Goodnight Hospitality, creating the program at Rosie Cannonball, why he decided to pursue savory over doing something like a bakery given his pastry chef background, when he knew the timing was right to open his own restaurant, why the location for Camaraderie was the right spot, the story behind the name, why they're kinda doing both a tasting menu and an a la carte menu, developing the prefix menu, the work/life balance, and much more!  Follow Eric on Instagram/Threads @ericsandler. You can also reach Eric by emailing him at eric@culturemap.com. Check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com: Dallas Tex-Mex Staple Shutters Only Houston Location After Less Than 2

On today's episode Eric is joined by Mary Clarkson to discuss some of the latest happenings from the Houston restaurant/bar scene. Eric and Mary speak about the recent closings of both Auden and Mi Cocina, whether there's been an actual of rash of closings as of late, Dallas restaurants making their way to Houston, and the Kahani Social Group's latest concept Kitchen Rumors. In the Restaurants of the Week portion Chardon and Yuston's are featured.  Follow Eric on Instagram/Threads @ericsandler. You can also reach Eric by emailing him at eric@culturemap.com. Check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com: Dallas Tex-Mex Staple Shutters Only Houston Location After Less Than 2 Years One of Texas Monthly's Favorite Houston Restaurants will Soon Shutter Houston's 11 Best Pastry Chefs Make Dining Sweeter New Houston Hotspot Debuts with a Seasonal Spin on Prix-Fixe Dining Hospitable Houston Craft Beer and Burger Spot Will Soon Shutter

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Suu Khin of Burmalicious. Suu speaks with Eric about how Burmese cuisine is different from other southeast Asian food, starting her food blog, how she got on Master Chef, her experience being on the show, doing the show in the midst of the pandemic, meeting each other for the first time, sharing her Burmese heritage through her food, working with Cucharita for the Burmalicious pop-ups, being nominated for a James Beard award, her goals, the possibility of opening her own establishment, and more! Follow Eric on Instagram/Threads @ericsandler. You can also reach Eric by emailing him at eric@culturemap.com. Check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com: TikTok Food Critic Keith Lee Awards $50,000 to Pearland Dessert Shop One of Texas Monthly's Favorite Houston Restaurants will Soon Shutter Houston's 11 Best Pastry Chefs Make Dining Sweeter New Houston Hotspot Debuts with a Seasonal Spin on Prix-Fixe Dining Hospitable Houston Craft Beer and Burger Spot Will Soon

On today's podcast Eric is joined by Michael Fulmer to go through some of the latest news happening across the Houston restaurant/bar scene. Eric and Michael discuss Shawn Gawle's new restaurant Camaraderie, the space that once held Flying Fish transforming into a new cocktail bar called The Kid, and Eric's road trip to Redbird BBQ. In the Restaurants of the Week portion Annam is featured.  Follow Eric on Instagram/Threads @ericsandler. You can also reach Eric by emailing him at eric@culturemap.com. Check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com: New Houston Hotspot Debuts with a Seasonal Spin on Prix-Fixe Dining Shuttered Heights Eatery Will Soon Transform Into a Neighborhood Cocktail Bar One of Texas Monthly's Favorite Houston Restaurants will Soon Shutter Houston's 11 Best Bars of 2025 Craft Cocktails and Community Houston's 11 Best Pastry Chefs Make Dining Sweeter

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Casey McNeil of Case Chocolates. Casey speaks with Eric about how he got started down the chocolate career path, the early days of his career, learning how to make chocolates with liquid centers, why he decided to open a speakeasy, wanting to tell a story with cacao, returning customers, plans for the future, and much more!  Follow Eric on Instagram/Threads @ericsandler. You can also reach Eric by emailing him at eric@culturemap.com. Check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com: New Houston Hotspot Debuts with a Seasonal Spin on Prix-Fixe Dining Hospitable Houston Craft Beer and Burger Spot Will Soon Shutter Shuttered Heights Eatery Will Soon Transform Into a Neighborhood Cocktail Bar Burger Masters Shake Shack Open New Houston Location in Town & Country

Monica Danna is back on the podcast! Eric and Monica catch up a bit and then dive into some of the latest news from the Houston bar and restaurant scene. The duo discuss Matt Toomey opening a brick and mortar location of Little Dreamer Coffee in Montrose, Jeff Harmon bringing a new venture to Montrose called Montrose Country Club (if you're thinking about going there for golf you'd be wrong to do so), and the interesting 3D animated dinner presentation coming to the InterContinental Houston hotel called La Petit Chef. In the Restaurants of the Week section Maximo is featured.  Follow Eric on Instagram/Threads @ericsandler. You can also reach Eric by emailing him at eric@culturemap.com. Check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com: Veteran Houston Barista Dreams Up a New Coffee Shop for Montrose Burger Masters Shake Shack Open New Houston Location in Town & Country Houston's 16 Best New Restaurants Compete for Coveted Tastemakers Title Houston's 10 Best Bartenders of 2025 Serve Cocktails with

On the podcast today, Eric is joined by Kripa and Kirthan Shenoy of Auden & EaDough. The couple speak with Eric about they first met, how they both got into their respective culinary careers, the decision to comeback to Houston after working in New York, how the ideas for their concepts grew organically, creating EaDough, how the pandemic affected the initial stages of the bakery, developing the EaDough menu, what makes a good muffin, creating Auden, how's it's grown to become what is now, how the menu has changed in the year and a half the concept's been open, their goals for Auden, whether expansion plans are in their future, possible future concepts, and much more!  Follow Eric on Instagram/Threads @ericsandler. You can also reach Eric by emailing him at eric@culturemap.com. Check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com: Houston's 10 Best Bartenders of 2025 Serve Cocktails with Hospitality Bun B's Smash Hit Burger Joint Picks Westheimer for New Location Veteran Houston Barista Dreams Up a

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Lawton Driscoll to discuss some of the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene. The pair speak about the recent string of Steakhouse closures (Andiron, Karne Korean Steakhouse, Patton's, & more), Shawn Virene's new wine focused concept Succulent Fine Dining, and the 3 Houston concepts that made Texas Monthly's Best New Restaurants list. In the Restaurants of the Week section Haii Keii is featured.  Follow Eric on Instagram/Threads @ericsandler. You can also reach Eric by emailing him at eric@culturemap.com. Check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com: Award-Winning Houston Steakhouse Will Close After Only 2 Years Houston's Most Ambitious Korean Steakhouse Suddenly Closes in The Heights Exclusive: Ronnie Killen Explains Surprise Decision to Close Woodlands Steakhouse Wine-Obsessed Houston Restaurateur Honors Napa with New Montrose Eatery 3 High-Flying Houston Eateries Make Texas Monthly's Best New Restaurants List

Eric returns for a new edition of the podcast! Sorry about Tuesday (insert oops emoji face here). On today's podcast Eric is joined by Sean Carroll of Melange Creperie which is celebrating it's 15th anniversary! Sean speaks with Eric about this awesome milestone, how he first started selling crepes, being ahead of the curve on the food truck boom, why crepes, building a following via the stand in the early days, some of his favorite types of crepes he's done over the years, the evolution of The Heights, building the brand, dealing with ongoing egg problem, whether he'd ever expand, and much more! Follow Eric on Instagram/Threads @ericsandler. You can also reach Eric by emailing him at eric@culturemap.com. Check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com: 9 Houston Pop-Ups Pushing The City's Food Scene Forward 3 High-Flying Houston Eateries Make Texas Monthly's Best New Restaurants List Houston Diner Known for Breakfast All Day Closes in the Heights Wine-Obsessed Houston Restaurateur Honors Napa with

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Wade Schindler of Cotton Culinary. Wade gives Eric the rundown on what Cotton is, what Cotton Culinary does, how Cotton Culinary got started, and more Plus, he speaks with Eric about how he first got into the culinary industry, the challenges of responding to an area that's just experienced a natural disaster, the process of feeding 50,000 people (yes you read that number right), working the cookoff at the Rodeo, winning the best bites competition, most exciting part of the rodeo, and more! Follow Eric on Instagram/Threads @ericsandler. You can also reach Eric by emailing him at eric@culturemap.com. Check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com: Houston's Most Ambitious Korean Steakhouse Suddenly Closes in the Heights James Beard Honors Galveston Seafood Restaurant with America's Classics Award Houston's 11 Best Neighborhood Restaurants Keep People Coming Back for More Award-Winning Houston Steakhouse Will Close After Only 2 Years Top Houston Restaurants Las

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Mary Clark, the owner of Heights Grocer! They discussed... The Houston Chronicle announcing that Bao Ong will be their new restaurant critic, replacing Alison Cook, who retired in November after 22 years in the position Ronnie Killen's decision to close down his steakhouse in The Woodlands Ramen Tatsu-ya announcing it will open its second Houston-area location in Town & Country Village And the featured restaurant of the week, Barbacana Follow Eric on Instagram/Threads @ericsandler. You can also reach Eric by emailing him at eric@culturemap.com. Check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com: Top Houston restaurants lasso big prizes at Rodeo Best Bites Competition Austin ramen institution steams into Memorial with new location Southern-inspired steakhouse rebrands to grow beyond Houston Exclusive: Ronnie Killen Explains Surprise Decision to Close Woodlands Steakhouse

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Larry McGuire of MML Hospitality. Larry speaks with Eric about his journey into becoming a restaurateur, starting Lamberts barbecue, going from barbecue to seafood with Perla's oyster bar, the array of concepts he's overseen, the atmosphere they go for with their concepts, why they decided to come to Houston, why Clark's Oyster Bar was the right concept for the city, how things have been going at Clark's, whether other concepts of theirs could come to Houston, and much more! Follow Eric on Instagram/Threads @ericsandler. You can also reach Eric by emailing him at eric@culturemap.com. Check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com: Exclusive: Ronnie Killen Explains Surprise Decision to Close Woodlands Steakhouse Southern Inspired Steakhouse Rebrands to Grow Beyond Houston Meet the 11 Rising Star Chefs Mixing Up Houston's Dynamic Restaurant Scene Renovations Allow Houston Italian Restaurant to Serve Pizza All Day  Favorite Austin Coffee Shop Brews Up First Ho

The Swanky Maven returns! Felice Sloan joins Eric to discuss the latest happenings from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including the closure of Money Cat and chef Tristen Epps' ongoing pop-up series at Jūn as part of the opening of BuBoy. In the Restaurants of the Week section, Mexican Sugar and Killen's Steakhouse are featured. Plus, Felice gives what would have been her date night draft selections since she was unable to be part of this year's date night draft.  Follow Eric on Instagram/Threads @ericsandler. You can also reach Eric by emailing him at eric@culturemap.com. Check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com: Innovative Houston Japanese Restaurant Closes After Only 2 Years Top Chef Contestant Reintroduces Himself to Houston at New Pop-Up Dinner Series Renovations Allow Houston Italian Restaurant to Serve Pizza All Day Favorite Austin Coffee Shop Brews Up First Houston Location in the Heights Experiential Asian Fusion Eatery Serves Up Steak and Sushi in Upper Kirby