What's Eric Eating

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by frequent co-host Felice Sloan of SwankyMaven.com to discuss some of the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including the surprising closing of Beavers, another surprising closing with Yauatcha, and Conservatory/Prohibition moving to new locations. In the Restaurants of the Week portion, Tejas Burger Joint and Lost & Found are featured. In the Guest of the Week portion of the show, Eric is joined by Patsy Vivares of Sticky's Chicken. Eric and Patsy discuss how Patsy got into the restaurant industry, starting a food truck, how her dad developed their sauce, why the name karrueche sauce, the different Sticky's Chicken celebrity fans, why open a brick & mortar, the possibility of being part of the food hall movement, why pick Sawyer Yards for their brick & mortar location, how Patsy and her brother met their partners, what they bring to the table, adding Chef Mike, expectations for the restaurant, and much more!

Episode 125 - 2019 Year in Review

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by two cohosts this week as Matt Harris and Rebecca Masson both join the show to go through some of the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including Aaron Franklin and Tyson Cole's new restaurant coming to The Heights, the closing of International Smoke, a new modern Israeli restaurant coming next summer, and Bravery Chef Hall losing Richard Knight. In the Restaurants of the Week portion of the podcast Presslee's Southern Good Eatery, Handies Douzo, and Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream. In the Guest of the Week portion Eric is joined by Michael Sambrooks and Steve Breaker of Sambrooks Hospitality. Eric speaks with Michael and Steve about the latest with 1751 Sea and Bar, the idea behind the restaurant, how they wanted it to be a flexible restaurant, the story behind the name, gin, the latest with Candente, jumping into the competitive Tex-Mex restaurant space in Houston, fixing the A/C issues, future concept ideas, and much more!

On today's podcast Eric is joined by Felice Sloan of SwankyMaven.com to discuss some of the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including the sudden closure of Bryan Caswell's restaurant Reef, the best cafeteria in America being in Houston, and another sudden closure to add to the list of recent closings. In the Restaurants of the Week portion Candente and Rosalie Italian Soul are featured. In the Guest of the Week segment Eric is joined by returning guest Aaron Lyons of Dish Society. Eric and Aaron discuss the opening of the latest Dish Society location in Bellaire, why that location was the right choice, how the restaurant has evolved, the guest experience, reminding customers about dining in, locally sourced food, building a culture, the differences between the different neighborhoods in Houston, how Finn Hall has done since opening, changes at Finn Hall, food hall options in other cities, and much more,

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by frequent co-host Linda Salinas to discuss some of the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including In-N-Out Burger finally arriving to Houston, Ryan Hildebrand resigns from FM Kitchen & Bar, Lotti Dotti announces that it's closing, and Clark Cooper Concepts opening a new healthy restaurant. In the Restaurants of the Week Eric speaks with Linda about where she's eaten as of late including UB Preserv and Dolce Vita, plus Linda's experience at the Great Bar Race. In the Guest of the Week portion of the podcast Eric is joined by Lindsay Rae Burleson of Two Headed Dog and Michael Neff of The Cottonmouth Club. Eric speaks with Linda and Michael about how the 2 became friends, which bars Linda has taken Michael too, how Lindsay got started, how things have been at the Two Headed Dog, bars as community, the different types of bars, building community at The Cottonmouth Club, the weight of expectations, changes in the bar scene, & more

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by frequent co-host Matt Harris to discuss some of the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including Dish Society opening a 3rd location, Goode Company Seafood finding a new location, Texadelphia adding some new spots in Houston, and more! In the Restaurants of the Week portion, One Dim Sum, Guard and Grace, and the Houston Austin BBQ Throwdown are featured. In the Guest of the Week portion of the podcast Eric is joined by Rassul Zarinfar and Arash Kharat of Buffalo Bayou Brewing. Eric, Rassul, and Arash discuss deciding on when to upgrade the facilities, why Sawyer Yards was the right location, why Buffalo Bayou was the right step for Arash, what they're doing with their culinary program, what's going on with the production side of the brewery, how the brewery landscape in Houston has changed, the brewery's growth since opening, and much more!

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Fluff Bake Bar owner Rebecca Masson to discuss some of the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including Black Labrador Pub closing after more than 30 years, New York Deli & Coffee Shop and the accompanied bagel shop announce a massive 2nd location, and Masraff's relocation issues. In the Restaurants of the Week segment Politan Row is featured. In the Guest of the Week portion Eric is joined by Jason Andaya and Man Nguyen of Hando. Eric, Jason, and Man discuss the meaning of Hando, how Jason got into the restaurant industry, how Man became interested in being a chef, what brought Jason and Man together on this project, the appeal of working at a handroll restaurant, the affordability of Hando compared to other sushi restaurants, picking the Heights as the location for the restaurant, elevating the experience, the offerings on the menu, and much more!

Episode 119 - Leonard Botello IV of Truth BBQ

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by returning co-host Linda Salinas to discuss some of the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene. Eric and Linda discuss Bryan Caswell's restaurant El Real sudden closure, Decatur Bar & Pop-Up Factory shuttering, the Bread Man Tasos Katsaounis getting into the restaurant business, and a discussion of the Chronicle's top restaurants. In the Restaurants of the Week portion, Rosalie Italian Soul is featured. In the Guest of the Week segment, Eric is joined by Andrew Alvis, Addison Alvis, and Martin Weaver of Grinders Coffee Bar. Eric and the guys discuss Martin's involvement with Grinders, how Andrew got started, the types of CBD, the benefits of CBD, the food program, designing the menu, developing a grab and go style, getting push back from the West U area, and much more!

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Felice Sloan of Swanky Maven to go through some of the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including an Austin based Sushi Restaurant heading to Houston, the luxurious food, drink, & bowling concept Pinstripes opening soon, and more! In the Restaurants of the Week portion The Annie Cafe is featured. In the Guest of the Week segment Eric is joined by Thomas Nguyen and Ryan Stewart of Peli Peli Kitchen. Eric speaks with Thomas and Ryan about how Ryan got started with Peli Peli Kitchen, Ryan becoming a large part of the company, Ryan's influence on the South African cuisine offered at Peli Peli Kitchen, the response from customers regarding the changes, how the new Woodlands location is going, rolling out the new menu, how Peli Peli Kitchen fits within the other restaurant offerings from the company, and much more!

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Rebecca Masson of Fluff Bake Bar to go through some of the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including Houston's suddenly closing it's Westheimer location, RIce Village's new food hall Politan Row announcing some of the concepts that will be part of the hall, new Thai concept Kin Dee coming to the Heights, and Anthony Calleo is cooking pizza! In the Restaurants of the Week portion, Benjy's in Rice Village is featured. In the Guest of the Week segment, Eric is joined by Sam Governale, Ben Berg, and Robert Del Grande of The Annie Cafe. Eric speaks with the guys about the changes coming to the cafe, expanding the offering of the restaurant, giving a home feel to the space, how The Annie Cafe is different from other places, how Robert feels of the changes, the renovations so far, the response from customers, and much more! Plus Sam discusses how Emmaline is doing and Ben reveals some details about new projects in the works.

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Matt Harris to go through some of the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including 2 local restaurants getting added to GQ's New Classics list, Austin based Home Slice Pizza opening a location in Houston, and Finn Hall losing one of it's tenets. In the Restaurants of the Week, Toukei Izakaya and the fifth annual Southern Smoke event are featured. In the Guest of the Week portion Eric is joined by Jack Mason and Jason Egan of Pappas Bros. Steakhouse. Eric speaks with Jack and Jason on how they both got into the restaurant industry, the experience of Pappas Bros. Steakhouse, why there's so many master sommeliers, how Pappas operates differently compared to other steakhouses, being part of the Pappas restaurant "food empire," the wine selection, differentiating themselves from others in the restaurant industry, adding to the menu, and much more!

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Felice Sloan of Swanky Maven to discuss some of the latest Houston bar and restaurant news including El Topo Food truck opening a Brick-and-Mortar, Hugo Ortega and Tracy Vaught's revealing a new concept, Kevin Floyd moving from being the guy behind the guy to being the guy, and Tilman Fertitta's acquisition of a steakhouse chain. In the Restaurants of the Week segment, One-Fifth Gulf Coast and Davis St. at Hermann Park. In the Guest of the Week portion, Eric is joined by Laurie Harvey and Kris Sowell of Ladies of Libation. Eric, Laurie, and Kris discuss how both Laurie and Kris go into the world of bartending, how they began working with each other, being ahead of their time at Trinity, learning to create cocktails, their favorite/dream projects, starting Ladies of Libation, cocktail consulting, and much more!

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Matt Harris to discuss some of the latest news from the Houston restaurant and food scene including the James Beard Foundation making some changes to their regions, Saigon House closing it's doors for good, Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream shop coming to Houston, and acclaimed chef Mike Lim opening his own concept in Katy. In the Restaurants of the Week portion of the podcast, Candente and Ike's Love and Sandwiches are featured. In the Guest of the Week segment, Eric is joined by legendary chef Mark Holley of Davis St. at Hermann Park. Eric and Mark discuss Mark's journey into professional cooking, where his career has taken him, his influences, his time at Pesce, his Tilman Fertitta/coconut pie story, starting Holley's, how he got involved at Davis St., the menu, and much more!

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Fluff Bake Bar owner Rebecca Masson to discuss some of the latest news from the Houston bar and restaurant scene including Blood Brothers BBQ being recognized by Bon Appétit as one of the 50 best new restaurants in America, Dak & Bop opening a 2nd location soon, FM Kitchen expanding to a 2nd location, and Ken Bridge returning to Pink's Pizza with big plans. In the Restaurant of the Week portion of the podcast, Rosie Cannonball is featured. In the Guest of the Week portion of the podcast Eric is joined by Omar Pereney of A'la Carte Consulting Group. Eric and Omar discuss how Omar started working in the restaurant industry at a young age, making the decision to become a chef, having a career in television, his culinary journey bringing him to Houston, what went wrong with Peska, getting into consulting, getting some mentorship from Chris Tripoli, style of restaurant he hasn't consulted on as of yet, cooking for the Bush family, and more!