What's Eric Eating

On today's podcast Eric is joined by Michael Fulmer to discuss the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including the Houston chefs/restaurants that are were nominated by the James Beard foundation, Salt & Time & Butcher's Burger closing at Post Houston, and Henderson & Kane opening a new location at the Houston Farmers Market. In the Restaurants of the Week section Wild Oats is featured. In the Guest of the Week portion Eric is joined by Charles Clay and Michael Hoffman of Brasserie 19. Charles and Michael speak with Eric about how things are going at Brasserie 19, why Charles and Grant Cooper split Clark Cooper Concepts, why Charles wanted Brasserie 19, what it's been like for Michael to take over at Brasserie 19, Michael's career, what it's been like for both Michael and Charles working together, some of their favorite customer stories, favorite dishes, the wine list at Brasserie 19, if Charles has any interest in having another concept down the road, and more!

On today's podcast Eric is joined by Felice Sloan to discuss the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including the 9 Houston spots that made Texas Monthly's best new restaurants, Eat Drink HTX debuting this week, and Alice’s Tall Texan reopening under a new name. In the Restaurants of the Week portion Juliet and Bandista are featured. In the Guest of the Week section Eric is joined by Marcus Davis of The Breakfast Klub, Reggae Hut, and Kulture. Marcus speaks with Eric about he got started, how The Breakfast Klub was ahead of the curve, the moment he knew he found the right location for it, waking up to count cars, developing the menu, the great debate between salt/sugar, the line at the Breakfast Klub, how the first round of Black Chefs Table pop ups went, the current state of black owned restaurants/restauranteurs in the industry, and much more!

No guest this week so it's just Eric joined alongside by Matt Harris to discuss the latest news including Clark Cooper Concepts splitting up, Monica Pope teaming up Veronica and John Avila to open the Telegram Tea Room, and a new concept called The Warwick hitting Westheimer. In the Restaurants of the Week section different concepts from Post Market are featured including Golfstrømmen, ChòpnBlọk, Soy Pinoy, East Side King, and Flower and Cream.

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Mary Clarkson to discuss the latest news from the Houston bar and restaurant scene including Kate McLean's return to Tony's, Ben Burg's giving rodeo patrons a new upscale restaurant experience, and Bellaire Food Street getting a second phase expansion. In the Restaurants of the Week portion Ruggles Black and Stella's Wine Bar are featured. In the Guest of the Week section Eric is joined by Willow Villarreal and Charles Toomey of J-Bar-M Barbecue. Willow and Charles speak with Eric about how the two of them began working together, what made opening a barbecue restaurant the right move for Charles' family, the large scale aspect of J-Bar-M, Willow's roots in barbecue, Willow developing his bbq style, Willow and fiancée Jasmine being a dynamic cooking duo for J-Bar-M, how Willow prepared to work on such a large scale, their goals for J-Bar-M, dishes they'd like to introduce in the future, and Grandfather Toomey giving out all the banana puddings!

On today's podcast Eric is joined by Michael Fulmer to discuss the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene such as Hopdoddy Burger Bar acquiring Grub Burger Bar and the new school The Cookery opening in Houston this week. In a special edition of the Restaurants of the Week section, Eric and Michael pick their favorite burgers in the city. In the Guest of the Week section Eric is joined by Keith Goldston and Julie Dalton. Keith and Julie speak with Eric about how they both got into the world of wine, what made coming to Houston interesting for both of them, the appeal of The Post Oak, what the tasting is when it comes to becoming a sommelier, building the wine inventory from scratch, how the Cellar sets itself apart, opening Stella's at The Post Oak, why a dedicated wine bar was right to do now, how it's going so far, natural wines, how Stella's can evolve, and much more!

On today's edition of What's Eric Eating, Eric is joined by Matt Harris to discuss the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including Goodnight Hospitality's latest project The Marigold Club with Austin Waiter set to become the concepts executive chef, Tony's Restaurant bringing back former executive chef Kate McLean, and Terrence Gallivan set to open Elro Pizza // Crudo. In the Restaurants of the Week portion, Kinokawa and Underbelly Burger are featured. In the Guest of the Week section Eric is joined by Danny Frounfelkner of Sipple. Danny speaks with Eric about how he became such a beverage nerd, the moment he realized a non-alcoholic shop would be a viable business, the process for selecting products, the types of products Sipple offers, how difficult it was to find good products, the typical type of customer Danny sees, how the products mimic alcohol beverages taste, what's been selling, the CBD/Cannabis infused beverages, and much more!

What's Eric Eating is back for 2022! Eric is joined by Felice Sloan to discuss the latest from the Houston bar and restaurant scene including the team behind Tobiuo Sushi opening a new concept called Money Cat, the return of Chi'Lantro BBQ to Houston, and some recent closings in the news. In the Restaurants of the Week section Daily Gather and Mastro's Ocean Club are featured. In the Guest of the Week section Eric is joined by Blake Robertson and Ryan Cade of RC Ranch. Blake and Ryan speak with Eric about how they got into ranching, learning about Wagyu beef, how they connected on this, why they went with Wagyu beef, breeding Wagyu in the Texas climate, how they marketed their product, how has the consumers wants changed over time, how the butcher shop at the Houston Farmer's Market came about, why the opportunity appealed to them, working with Chris Shepherd, and much more!

Episode 223 - 2021 Year in Review with Linda Salinas, Mary Clarkson, Michael Fulmer, and Matt Harris

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Avondale Food & Wine owner Mary Clarkson to discuss some of the latest happenings in the Houston restuarant and bar scene including the how the latest wave of Covid is affecting restaurants, Tim Horton's opening a location in Houston, and RC Ranch Butcher Shop opens at the Houston Food Market. In the Restaurants of the Week section Amore is featured. In the Guest of the Week portion Eric is joined by Kathleen Morgan of Honeychild's Sweet Creams. Kathleen speaks with Eric about what inspired her to get into the ice cream business, the differences seasonal flavors make in ice cream, how she learned to make ice cream, building relationships with suppliers, flavor creation, first establishing herself at the farmers market, why she decided to go brick and mortar now, why she picked the Heights for her location, how the kickstarter went, future plans, and much more!

Episode 221 - Aaron Inkrott and Brock Wagner of Saint Arnold Brewing Company

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Linda Salinas to discuss some the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including Blossom Hotel getting 2 new restaurant concepts, Mala Sichuan Bistro coming to M-K-T, and Goode Co. replaces it's old BBQ Woodlands location with an all new seafood concept. In the Restaurants of the Week portion Trattoria Sofia is featured. In the Guest of the Week section Eric is joined by Aaron Lyons and Brandi Key of Daily Gather. Aaron and Brandi speak with Eric about their new concept Daily Gather, why it was the right move for Brandi, what Daily Gather is, the similiarities/differences to Dish Society, types of flavors they're doing at the new concept, why it's a step up in service, what made City Centre the right spot for Daily Gather, being family friendly, if Brandi is doing pasta again, any plans for expansion for either Daily Gather or Dish Society, and much more!

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Matt Harris to discuss the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including Chris Shepherd's major news regarding his restaurants, the opening of Post Market, and Martha Wilcox's new gig. In the Restaurants of the Week portion J-Bar-M Barbecue and Lao Sze Chuan are featured. In the Guest of the Week section Eric is joined by the winner of the 2021 Oxtail Mashup Reginald Scott. Reginald speaks with Eric about what made him become a chef, why culinary school ended up not being the best thing, his decision to come to Houston, learning from Dawn Burrell, what it meant to win Oxtail Mashup, his winning dish, being part of the Black Chef Table Series at Kulture, his culinary direction, working with Christine Ha, and much more!

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Michael Fulmer to talk about the latest news from the Houston bar and restaurant scene including Ben Berg's 2 newly revealed concepts, Esquire naming 2 Houston restaurants to their best new restaurants list, and Kirby Icehouse's newest enormous location in the Woodlands. In the Restaurants of the Week portion The Palm and Vic & Anthony's Steakhouse are featured. In the Guest of the Week section Eric is joined by Addie and Dustin Teague of Relish Restaurant & Bar. Addie and Dustin speak with Eric about how they met, the evolution of Relish Fine Foods to the restaurant & bar, developing the menu, how the first 5 years have gone, finding their stride as a concept, what it was like for them to get through the pandemic, what it's been like now for them at the restaurant, wanting to become an institution in the Houston food scene, updating the branding of the restaurant, new menu changes, the possibility of adding another restaurant concept, and more!

Today on the show Eric is joined by Linda Salinas to discuss some of the latest happenings from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including the Conservatory food hall Galleria location getting new operators, the debut of Bodega Bellaire, and the latest openings! In the Restaurants of the Week section Chivos and Fitzcarraldo are featured. In the Restaurants of the Week portion Eric is joined by Daut Elshani and Geoff Hundt of d'Alba Craft Kitchen & Cocktails. Daut and Geoff speak with Eric about how they got invovled in the restaurant industry, what brought the two of them together, what convinced Daut to pursue this restaurant concept, putting the menu for d'Alba together, adjusting to a more family type clientele coming from the nightlife scene for Daut, what took Geoff from consultant to executive chef/operating partner, managing staffing shortages, possible expansion, and much much more!

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by the Swanky Maven herself Felice Sloan to discuss the latest happenings in the Houston bar and restaurant scene including Christine Ha bringing The Blind Goat to Spring Branch, Bluestone Lane opening it's first Texas location in Houston, and a brand new anime inspired nightclub opening this week. In the Restaurants of the Week section Toro Toro is featured. In a special Veterans Day edition of the podcast Eric is joined by Patrick Feges of BBQ and Jim Buchanan of Dozier's Barbeque both of whom served in the military. Patrick and Jim speak with Eric about their military careers, why the military was the right move for both of them, the benefits they had by being immersed in other cultures, why Jim left the military after 11 years, their transition back to civilian life, the benefits from their time in the military, learning what it takes to become a leader and how they apply that in their lives now, ways to support veterans, and much, much more!