Episode 420 - Maven Coffee + Cocktails
Fluff Bake Bar's (https://www.fluffbakebar.com/) Rebecca Masson makes her triumphant return to What's Eric Eating! Eric catches up with Rebecca, then the pair dive into some of the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including Levi Goode's confirmation on last week's podcast (https://houston.culturemap.com/news/restaurants-bars/levi-goode-credence-kitchen-cantina/) that a new ...
34m Nov 05, 2024
34m
Episode 419 - Levi Goode of Goode Company Restaurants and Credence
Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Levi Goode of Goode Company Restaurants (https://goodecompany.com/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAabw1tNq-8ahy5eeDlY-3V-6s0T9iiPQK7LFEkVCFGEjRN988aqdqGtd0CY_aem_VKFkTNGWdLawtbzIUeTsqw) and Credence (https://credencehtx.com/) . Levi speaks with Eric about his decision to open his first solo project with Credence, the inspiration for Credence, the design choices ...
35m Oct 31, 2024
35m
Episode 418 - Mi Luna
On today's podcast Eric is joined by Monica Danna to discuss some of the latest happenings in the Houston restaurant and bar world. The pair react to the Houston Chronicle's Top 100 Restaurant's List (https://www.houstonchronicle.com/projects/2024/best-restaurants-houston/) , the closures of Nippon (https://www.nippon-sushi.com/) and Cecil's Pub (https://www.instagram.com/cecilspub_htx/?hl=en) ...
40m Oct 29, 2024
40m
Episode 417 - Thy and Matthew Mitchell of Traveler’s Table and Traveler's Cart
On today's edition of What's Eric Eating, Thy and Matthew Mitchell of Traveler's Table (https://www.travelerstable.com/) and Traveler's Cart (https://www.travelerscart.com/) stop by. The pair speak with Eric about how they got into the culinary world, why Matthew decided to leave his lucrative pharmaceutical job to go to culinary school, Thy's family restaurant background, the influences behind...
41m Oct 24, 2024
41m
Episode 416 - Dandelion Cafe
Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Chelsea Thomas of The Infatuation Houston (https://www.theinfatuation.com/contributor/chelsea-thomas) to talk about some of the latest happenings from the Houston restaurant and bar scene. The pair discuss the plan real-estate company Rebees' (https://rebees.com/) has for a reimagined GreenStreet (https://greenstreetdowntown.com/) , the opening of the firs...
33m Oct 22, 2024
33m
Episode 415 - Seth Siegel-Gardner, Kent Domas, and Máté Hartai of Milton's
On the podcast today, Eric is joined by Seth Siegel-Gardner, Kent Domas, and Máté Hartai of Milton's (https://www.instagram.com/miltonshtx/) . The trio speak with Eric about developing Milton's, how the restaurant is doing in it's first 3 weeks of service, what they wanted to do with the food menu, how the drink program is evolving, embracing old school Italian dishes, and much more about Milto...
41m Oct 17, 2024
41m
Episode 414 - Milton's
On today's show, Eric is joined by Michael Fulmer to dive into some of the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene. The guys discuss Blacksmith (https://www.instagram.com/bl4cksmith/) opening a new kiosk location in Memorial City and Saigon Hustle (https://saigonhustle.com/) opening a larger 2nd location in Spring Branch. In the Restaurants of the Week portion, Milton's (https://w...
29m Oct 15, 2024
29m
Episode 413 - (Southern) Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
Doing this a little different on today's podcast. A day ahead of the Southern Smoke Festival (https://southernsmoke.org/festival/ssf-2024/) , Eric had a chance to catch up with some of the chefs participating at this year's event. In this episode you'll hear Eric speak with Sam Fore of Tuk Tuk Snack Shop (https://www.tuktuksnackshop.com/) , Cheetie Kumar of Ajja (https://www.ajjaeats.com/) , Ja...
42m Oct 10, 2024
42m
Episode 412 - Credence and ChòpnBlọk
Today on the podcast Eric is joined by the Swanky Maven Felice Sloan to discuss some of the latest happenings in the Houston restaurant and bar scene. The pair speak about the Michelin Guide (https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/article/news-and-views/the-michelin-guide-expands-to-texas) getting ready to announce the Texas restaurants receiving stars at a ceremony in Houston on November 11th (https...
37m Oct 08, 2024
37m
Episode 411 - Marin Slanina and Miranda Q of Star Sailor
On the podcast today Eric is joined by Marin Slanina and Miranda Q of Star Sailor (https://starsailorhtx.com/) . Marin and Miranda speak with Eric about how they got into the hospitality industry, Marin's journey into craft beer brewing, how the opportunity to open Star Sailor came up, why the food side of Star Sailor became a much needed part of the business, what made Miranda decide to move f...
32m Oct 03, 2024
32m
Episode 410 - State of Grace
On today's edition of the podcast, Eric is joined by Mary Clarkson to discuss the latest happenings from the Houston restaurant and bar scene, including several notable restaurant closings including Benny Chows (https://houston.culturemap.com/news/restaurants-bars/benny-chows-closing-ben-berg/) , HiWay Cantina, and Vinny's Pizza (https://houston.culturemap.com/news/restaurants-bars/hiway-cantin...
30m Oct 01, 2024
30m
Episode 409 - Ford Fry and Bobby Matos of Rocket Farm Restaurants
Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Ford Fry and Bobby Matos of Rocket Farm Restaurants (https://www.rocketfarmrestaurants.com/) , the hospitality group behind local concepts State of Grace (https://stateofgracetx.com/) , La Lucha (https://laluchatx.com/) , Superica (https://superica.com/heights/) , and Little Rey (https://www.littlerey.com/houston) . The guys speak with Eric about why they ...
35m Sep 26, 2024
35m
Episode 408 - Drake's Hollywood and Októ
Today Eric's joined by Monica Danna to go through the some of the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including Ronnie Killen's announcement of the closure of Killen's STQ (https://www.killensstq.com/) , Katz's (https://katzsneverkloses.com/) opening a new location in the Memorial City area, and Loro's (https://www.loroeats.com/) 2nd Houston location has an opening date. In th...
41m Sep 24, 2024
41m
Episode 407 - Ope Amosu of ChòpnBlọk
Today on the show, Eric is joined by Ope Amosu of ChòpnBlọk (https://chopnblok.co/) . Ope and Eric discuss Opeyemi's journey from the pop up he held in an apartment complex years ago to now opening his first brick & mortar location of ChòpnBlọk. Plus, Ope speaks with Eric about why the space in Montrose was the right spot for him, the design of the location, the references/symbolism made within...
37m Sep 12, 2024
37m
Episode 406 - Kira
On today's edition of the podcast, Eric is joined by Mary Clarkson to discuss the latest happenings from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including Underbelly Hospitality (https://underbellyhospitality.com/) closing Wild Oats (https://wildoatshouston.com/) , Nando's Peri-Peri (https://www.nandosperiperi.com/) claiming it's 3rd Houston area location, and Postino WineCafé (https://www.postino...
27m Sep 10, 2024
27m
Episode 405 - Bobby Heugel of Thorough Fare Hospitality
Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Bobby Heugel of Thorough Fare Hospitality (https://www.thoroughfareco.com/) for in-depth conversation regarding the pricing structure at restaurants and bars. Bobby and Eric speak about the differences now versus pre-pandemic, the cost of goods, the cumulative effects of alcohol/food inflation, the rise of labor costs, what a personal guarantee for lease m...
58m Sep 05, 2024
58m
Episode 404 - Thai Tail and Ramen Moto
On today's podcast Eric is joined by Chelsea Thomas of The Infatuation Houston (https://www.theinfatuation.com/contributor/chelsea-thomas) to talk about some of the latest happenings from the Houston restaurant and bar scene. The pair discuss the closure of 2 Houston area Shake Shack (https://shakeshack.com/#/) locations and Houston Restaurant Weeks (https://houstonrestaurantweeks.com/) extendi...
26m Sep 03, 2024
26m
Episode 403 - Manabu “Hori” Horiuchi and Ryan Snyder of Katami
On today's edition of the show, Eric is joined by Manabu “Hori” Horiuchi and Ryan Snyder of Katami (https://www.katamihouston.com/) . The guys cover a range of topics with Eric, including how Ryan and Hori-san first met, what Ryan learned early on from Hori-san, why Hori-san left for Kata Robata (https://www.katarobata.com/) , the beginnings of Kata Robata, what went into the decision to evolve...
41m Aug 29, 2024
41m
Episode 402 - Granger's and Balboa Surf Club
Today on the podcast, Eric is joined by Michael Fulmer to go through some of the latest headlines from the Houston restaurant and bar scene. The pair speak about State of Grace (https://stateofgracetx.com/) undergoing some major changes, Southern Living's (https://www.southernliving.com/) list of The South's Best New Barbecue Joints of 2024 (https://www.southernliving.com/new-barbecue-restauran...
31m Aug 27, 2024
31m
Episode 401- Lance McCullers Jr., Nico Baizán de Aldecoa, & Juan Carlos Martinez de Aldecoa of Maven Coffee + Cocktails
On today's edition of the show, Eric is joined by Lance McCullers Jr., Nico Baizán de Aldecoa, & Juan Carlos Martinez de Aldecoa of Maven Coffee + Cocktails (https://www.mavenhouston.com/) . The guys speak with Eric about the development of Maven, why Lance decided to pursue this as a venture outside of baseball, Juan Carlos' family's long legacy in coffee, how they went about this process back...
34m Aug 22, 2024
34m
Episode 400 - Guard and Grace & Turner's Cut
Today on the podcast, Eric is joined by Monica Danna to dive into some of the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene. Eric and Monica discuss Truth BBQ (https://truthbbq.com/) opening in NRG Stadium, Hungry's (https://hungryscafe.com/) opening it's first new location in 40 years, and the Malibu Barbie Cafe (https://bucketlisters.com/experience/malibu-barbie-cafe-houston) making i...
38m Aug 20, 2024
38m
Episode 399 - Matt Gottlieb of il Bracco and Balboa Surf Club
On today's edition of the show, Eric is joined by Matt Gottlieb of Western Addition Restaurant Group (https://westernaddition.com/) . Their concepts include il Bracco (https://www.ilbraccorestaurant.com/) and Balboa Surf Club (https://balboasurfclub.com/) . Matt speaks with Eric about how he got started in the culinary industry, what he learned from his time at Houston's (https://www.houstons.c...
47m Aug 15, 2024
47m
Episode 398 - Azumi
Today on the podcast Eric is joined by the returning Swanky Maven herself, Felice Sloan. Eric and Felice dive right into the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including Mi Luna (https://www.milunatapasbar.com/) finding a new home in Montrose, the 3 nightlight veterans who are teaming up for a new cocktail bar concept called Melrose (https://www.melrosehtx.com/) (also coming ...
34m Aug 13, 2024
34m
Episode 397 - Ronnie Killen of Killen's Restaurants
May 4th, 2017, episode 2 of What's Eric Eating released with special guest Ronnie Killen of Killen's restaurants. A lot has changed in the 7 years since his last appearance, so after years of being Ronnie returns to the show to catch Eric, and the listeners, up on what's been going on with him and his restaurants. Ronnie speaks with Eric about his health issues the past 3 years, his near death ...
58m Aug 08, 2024
58m
Episode 396 - The Marigold Club
Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Mary Clarkson to go through some of the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene. Eric and Mary discuss Molihua (https://www.molihuahouston.com/) closing to reconceptualization after being opened for 3 months inside the Blossom Hotel (https://www.blossomhouston.com/) , the announcement of a 4th location for Jonathan's the Rub (https://www.jona...
36m Aug 06, 2024
36m
Episode 395 - Teppay
On today's podcast Eric is joined by Chelsea Thomas of The Infatuation Houston (https://www.theinfatuation.com/contributor/chelsea-thomas) to talk about some of the latest happenings from the Houston restaurant and bar scene. The pair discuss the owners of Bari Ristorante (https://www.bariristorante.com/) reportedly taking over day to day operations of Georgia James (https://georgiajamessteak.c...
38m Jul 30, 2024
38m
Episode 394 - Itai Ben Eli and Yotam Dolev of Októ
On today's episode Eric is joined by Itai Ben Eli and Yotam Dolev of Októ (https://www.instagram.com/oktomediterranean/?hl=en) . Itai and Yotam discuss with Eric how Októ fits in with the rest of the Sof Hospitality concepts, what Októ is, the dishes they're developing, the types of techniques they're using that are different from their other concepts, why the want to showcase that Mediterranea...
39m Jul 25, 2024
39m
Episode 393 - The Michelin Guide is Coming to Texas, What Does This Mean for the State's Restaurants?
No news/restaurants of the week on this Tuesday episode, today it's all about the Michelin guide finally coming to Texas (https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/article/news-and-views/the-michelin-guide-expands-to-texas) . In this special roundtable free flowing discussion of the podcast, Eric is joined by Emmanuel Chavez of Tatemó (https://www.tatemohtx.com/) , RJ Yoakum of Georgie (https://georgied...
47m Jul 23, 2024
47m
Episode 392 - The Ultimate Houston Steakhouse Draft Winner Reveal with Michael Sambrooks of Sambrooks Management
Time to find out who the winner is of The Ultimate Houston Steakhouse Draft (https://open.spotify.com/episode/3t5nl18AJGNk7uSceVps8V?si=WUfWAtr2Qomr8_miyvwmVQ) with Michael Sambrooks of Sambrooks Management (Andiron (https://www.andironhtx.com/) , The Pit Room (https://thepitroombbq.com/) , & Candente (https://www.candentehtx.com/) ). Michael gives his reasoning as to why selected [redacted] as...
22m Jul 18, 2024
22m
Episode 391 - The Bear Season 3 Spoiler Discussion with Justin Yu
Finish season 3 of The Bear on Hulu and wanting to talk about it? Well, you're in luck because today's episode is all about The Bear season 3! Eric and special guest Justin Yu dive into a full spoiler discussion about season 3. Eric and Justin give their overall thoughts on the season, how Justin was able to relate to this season, the practicality of changing your menu every night, what the sho...
51m Jul 17, 2024
51m
Episode 390 - The Ultimate Houston Steakhouse Draft
If you're thinking "I could really go for a good steak right now, but I don't know where to go" then this is the podcast for you because we're about to highlight a bunch of steakhouses. It's The Ultimate Steakhouse Draft on the podcast today! Listen as Eric, alongside Rafael Nasr, Mary Clarkson, Chelsea Thomas, Aaron Bludorn, and Michael Fulmer make their selections to create the ultimate steak...
1hr 6m Jul 16, 2024
1hr 6m
Episode 389 - Aaron Lyons and Brandi Key of Dish Society & Daily Gather
On today's podcast Eric is joined by Aaron Lyons and Brandi Key of Dish Society (https://dishsociety.com/?gad_source=1) and Daily Gather (https://www.dailygather.com/) . The pair speak with Eric about how things have been going at Daily Gather since it opened, how Daily Gather's menu evolved over time, how they're able to stand out in CITYCENTRE (https://www.citycentrehouston.com/) , the curren...
33m Jul 04, 2024
33m
Episode 388 - Blue Tuba and Toca Madera
Michael Fulmer returns to the podcast to jump into some of the latest headlines making waves in the Houston restaurant and bar scene. Eric and Michael discuss the new piano bar/restaurant concept called The Kennedy (https://www.thekennedyhouston.com/) taking over the former Muse/Emmaline space, Portillo's (https://www.portillos.com/index.html) announcement that it's bringing 2 more locations to...
49m Jul 02, 2024
49m
Episode 387 - Austin Waiter, Felipe Riccio, & June Rodil of The Marigold Club
Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Austin Waiter, Felipe Riccio, and June Rodil of The Marigold Club. The team behind The Marigold Club speaks with Eric about the influences behind The Marigold Club, how things have evolved with the concept over the past 6 months, why this was the right next move for Austin after Tony's, the road they've gone down to go from the initial inspiration of Mayfa...
44m Jun 27, 2024
44m
Episode 386 - Jonathan's the Rub
On today's podcast Eric is joined by Chelsea Thomas of The Infatuation Houston (https://www.theinfatuation.com/contributor/chelsea-thomas) to dive into some of the latest happenings from the Houston restaurant and bar scene. Eric and Chelsea discuss the closure of historic Italian restaurant Damian’s Cucina Italiana (https://www.damians.com/) , both Buffalo Grille (https://www.thebuffalogrille....
35m Jun 25, 2024
35m
Episode 385 - Dawn Burrell of the Sound & Color Dinner Series
Eric is joined today by Dawn Burrell of the Sound & Color Dinner Series (https://chefdawnburrell.square.site/) . In her fourth appearance on the podcast she speaks with Eric about what she's been up to as of late, her upcoming Sound & Color dinner series, working with Marcus Samuelsson on a freelance project in Ethiopia, how Marcus helped her following her exit from Late August/Lucille's Hospit...
27m Jun 20, 2024
27m
Episode 384 - Haywire
On today's edition of the podcast Eric is joined by the Swanky Maven Felice Sloan to discuss the latest happenings from the Houston restaurant and bar scene. The pair discuss Houston's only James Beard Finalist Emmanuel Chavez of Tatemó (https://www.tatemohtx.com/) not winning at this year's awards, the announcement of a 3rd location of The Taco Stand (https://tacostandhtx.com/) coming this tim...
40m Jun 18, 2024
40m
Episode 383 - Kevin Lee of Phat Eatery
Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Kevin Lee of Phat Eatery. The pair discuss how things at Phat Eatery have been since Alex Au-Yeung's passing, maintaining a community focus, honoring Alex's legacy, Kevin's career, what brought him to Phat Eatery, when he knew they had something with Phat Eatery, how the restaurant has evolved over the years, how the Woodlands location is coming along, wha...
27m Jun 13, 2024
27m
Episode 382 - Bar Bludorn
This week on What's Eric Eating, Eric and this week's co-host Mary Clarkson, owner of Avondale Food & Wine, talk about all the big news, and goings on with the Houston restaurant scene! Including... The modern Vietnamese restaurant Xin Chao closing months after celebrity chef Christine Ha ("MasterChef" winner) left the restaurant. Veteran restaurateur Benjy Levit, the restaurateur behind Loca...
32m Jun 11, 2024
32m
Episode 381 - Chris Williams of Lucille's Hospitality Group
Chris Williams of Lucille's Hospitality Group (https://lucilleshospitalitygroup.com/index.html) returns to the podcast for the first in quite some time. Chris and Eric catch up on the latest happenings with the group. The pair speak about the development of Late August (https://www.lateaugusthtx.com/) , how things are going with Late August so far, how Chris started working with chef Sergio Hid...
39m May 30, 2024
39m
Episode 380 - Októ Coming Soon, and 'The Fancy' in Galveston
On today's edition of What's Eric Eating, Eric is joined by Monica Danna to discuss some of the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene. Monica and Eric discuss Doris Metropolitan owners' revealing new plans to open a new Mediterranean restaurant called Októ. Plus, The Clé Group opening an upscale cocktail lounge called Fancy's (https://www.instagram.com/fancyshouston/) , that al...
29m May 28, 2024
29m
Episode 379 - Roberto Espinosa and Eric Wilkerson of Tacodeli
Today on the podcast, Eric is joined by Roberto Espinosa and Eric Wilkerson of Tacodeli (https://www.tacodeli.com/) . The guy speaks with Eric about how they began working together, why Roberto decided tacos was the right route to go, Eric going from Y2K consulting to tacos, the direction they took with their tacos with both traditional/non-traditional options, how they grew the business, why t...
26m May 23, 2024
26m
Episode 378 - Dipping Tiger Phở and Tsujita Artisan Noodle
On today's podcast Eric is joined by Chelsea Thomas of The Infatuation Houston (https://www.theinfatuation.com/contributor/chelsea-thomas) to dive into some of the latest happenings from the Houston restaurant and bar scene. Eric and Chelsea discuss the sudden closure of Love Buzz Pizza Pub (https://lovebuzzpizza.com/) , the newly announced second location of Brian Ching's soccer bar Pitch 25 (...
22m May 21, 2024
22m
Episode 377 - Food Writer and TV Host Ali Khan
Today on the podcast Eric is joined by food writer and TV host Ali Khan (https://alikhaneats.com/) . You might recognize Ali from his show Cheap Eats, which ran for 5 seasons on the Cooking Channel, or on shows like Ali vs The Dome, Food Network's Spring Baking Championship, Chopped, The Best Thing I Ever Ate, and more. Ali joins Eric to discuss how his career first started, his time writing ab...
49m May 16, 2024
49m
Episode 376 - Birdie's and Nickel City
On today's podcast Eric is joined by frequent cohost Mary Clarkson. The pair dive into some of the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including chef Christian Hernandez bringing his new restaurant Barbacana (https://www.instagram.com/barbacanahtx/) to downtown Houston and country music star Koe Wetzel bringing a new location of his Koe Wetzel's Riot Room (https://houston.koew...
29m May 14, 2024
29m
Episode 375 - Michael Posey of Wild Sol
Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Michael Posey of Wild Sol (https://wildsol.co/) . Michael speaks with Eric about how he began working with Alex Bregman, why they decided to transition off the Breggy Bomb branding, what Wild Sol is, how Wild Sol is different from other salsas out there on the shelves, how involved Alex and Reagan Bregman's involvement, the flavor depth of Wild Sol's salsa...
28m May 09, 2024
28m
Episode 374 - Late August and The Pit Room
Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Michael Fulmer to go through some of the latest happenings from the Houston restaurant and bar scene. The guys discuss Gulf Coast Distillers' (https://gianttexas.com/) announcement that they're taking over the former Buffalo Bayou Brewing Company facility for their Tejas Beer (https://www.instagram.com/tejasbeer/) brand, Noble 33 (https://www.noble33.com/)...
35m May 07, 2024
35m
Episode 373 - Brock Wagner of Saint Arnold Brewing Company
Today on the show Eric is joined by Brock Wagner of Saint Arnold Brewing Company (https://www.saintarnold.com/) . It's Saint Arnold Brewing's 30th anniversary this year so Brock takes Eric back down memory lane to discuss the early days of Saint Arnold Brewing. The guys talk about how hard it was starting up a craft beer company 30 years ago, doing tastings at grocery stores, when Brock knew he...
44m May 02, 2024
44m
Episode 372 - MF Lobster & Ceviche
On today's episode Eric is joined by the Swanky Maven herself Felice Sloan to discuss some of the latest happenings in the Houston restaurant and bar scene. The duo speak about the new concept coming from Aaron Bludorn and his team, Gold Tooth Tony's (https://goldtoothtonys.com/) heading to Bellaire for it's second location, Prego's (https://www.prego-houston.com/) surprising announcement that ...
33m Apr 30, 2024
33m
Episode 371 - Patrick Pham and Daniel Lee of Duckstache Hospitality
Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Patrick Pham and Daniel Lee of Duckstache Hospitality (https://www.duckstache.com/) . The guys speak with Eric about how they got into their respective culinary careers, what brought them together, how they came up with the idea for Kokoro (https://www.kokorohtx.com/) , why Kokoro has proven to be a staple of Bravery Chef Hall (https://www.braverychefhall....
34m Apr 25, 2024
34m