What's Eric Eating

Andrew Smith of Savory Fund joins the show today. Andrew speaks with Eric about the creation of Savory Fund, going from a few units to over 100 in a span of 10 years, identifying what brands are good to become a Savory Fund restaurant, how the process works, discovering Saigon Hustle through their $1 million restaurant launch, Savory Fund restaurants coming to Houston, why Houston was a good fit f...

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Monica Danna to discuss some of the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene. The pair speak about City Cellars HTX opening it's new location in the massive scale East River development, Agricole Hospitality opening it's new bar concept Lightnin’s Good Times in EaDo, and new pop up bar Cursed Cauldron occupying Ninja Ramen through Halloween. In t...

Eric welcomes Rob Wright and Jabril Riddick of Rockhouse Southern Kitchen to the podcast today. Rob and Jabril speak with Eric about getting Rockhouse Southern Kitchen started, Jabril's early career, what brought Jabril to the project, how the concept has evolved since opening, the menu they've developed, the live music aspect of Rockhouse Southern Kitchen, how the Cedric the Entertainer event cam...

Linda Salinas joins Eric on the podcast today. The duo discuss some of the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including La Cruderia coming to Spring Branch for their 2nd location, Dumpling Haus closing in Sawyer Yards, and Jane Wild's new pop-up dinner series. In the Restaurants of the Week portion, Dough Zone Dumpling House is featured.  Follow Eric on Instagram/Threads @ericsa...

Reality TV star Washington Ho of House of Ho and one of the co-founders of HoBuzz joins the show today! Washington speaks with Eric about the restaurant that stirred on his love for food, his favorite fine dining experience, how House of Ho got started, showcasing Houston on the show, how he's portrayed on House of Ho, how the show helped him recognize/acknowledge his struggles with alcohol, becom...

Eric is joined by Mary Clarkson today to discuss some of the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene. The duo discuss Mandito's Tex-Mex opening a location in Katy, Saint Arnold Brewing Company winning at the Great American Beer Festival , and Saint Arnold hiring Chase Reid as their new executive chef. In the Restaurants of the Week portion, Barcelona Wine Bar and Nobie's are featured...

Chef Alain Verzeroli and Chef Felipe Botero of Le Jardinier at MFAH join Eric on today's show! Alain and Felipe share with Eric stories from the early days of their respective careers, what brought Alain from Tokyo to America, the culinary philosophy of Le Jardinier, the importance for Le Jardinier to have a connection with nature with their offerings, how they adapted the menu for Le Jardinier in...

It's Wednesday... wait it's Wednesday and there's a What's Eric Eating podcast?! Yep, Eric is joined by the Swanky Maven herself Felice Sloan to discuss why the Wednesday podcast. Plus the two discuss the latest news from the Houston Restaurant and bar scene beginning with the New York Times naming 2 Houston restaurants to it's list of "The 50 Places in the United States We're Most Excited About R...

Sara Brook of Dessert Gallery stops by the podcast today! Sara speaks with Eric about what it was like when she first started Dessert Gallery 28 years ago, why she wanted to open a pastry shop, how Dessert Gallery was different than most when it first started, developing the menu, dessert trends, recognizing a wide array of communities through dessert offerings, why expand into the Woodlands, stay...

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Monica Danna to go over the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene. The pair discuss chef Emmanuel Chavez of Tatemó being named to Food & Wine's Best New Chef's list for 2023, Levi Goode going solo for 2 new projects under his personal brand, and Dough Zone Dumpling House opening it's first Houston location on October 2nd. In the Restaurant...

Joe Cervantez and Raz Halili of Pier 6 Seafood & Oyster House join Eric on today's show. Joe and Raz speak with Eric about how things have changed since they were last on the podcast back during the height of the pandemic, the vast amount of offerings they have at Pier 6, what they've added to their menu, their bungalow additions, getting nominated for a James Beard award, how the record summe...

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Linda Salinas to discuss the latest happenings from the Houston restaurant and bar scene. The pair discuss Reserve 101 's rollout of their new vintage spirits program, Dak & Bop returning to it's original Museum District location, and Betelgeuse Betelgeuse opening it's 2nd location in the Montrose area. In the Restaurants of the Week section Moon Rabbit a...

In the epic conclusion of the Ultimate Houston Burger Draft we find out who won the draft as picked by Abbas Dhanani of Burger Bodega . Abbas explains to Eric why [redacted]'s line up won, what he thought of the selections all around, what he would have selected had he participated, the vast amount of burger options in Houston, and more! Plus Abbas speaks a bit about how things are going over at B...

It's football season so that means fantasy football is in full swing... which doesn't mean much for this show because it's all about burgers! Specifically drafting the most delicious burger lineup possible from Houston area burger restaurants. Join Eric Sandler, Mary Clarkson, Michael Fulmer, Monica Danna, Ryan Lachaine, and Bobby Matos as they select their ultimate burger lineup!  Here's what the...

Bobby Heugel of Thorough Fare Hospitality makes his return to What's Eric Eating. Bobby speaks with Eric about the acquisition of Catbirds, keeping Catbirds as an affordable neighborhood bar, when Catbirds will reopen, the story behind the creation of Refuge, the atmosphere at they wanted to create at Refuge , thoughts on the Montrose area, how Montrose has changed, the latest happenings with Bett...

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Michael Fulmer to discuss some of the latest happenings from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including the 4 Houston restaurants named to Texas Monthly's new and improved BBQ joints list, the sudden closure of the iconic Pho restaurant Pho Binh Trailer , and Ryan Granger's new full service concept heading to the Museum District. In the Restaurants of the...

On today's edition of the podcast, Eric is joined by Nick Stone of Bluestone Lane . Nick speaks with Eric about his journey from investment banker to café owner, how he knew the Bluestone Lane approach to coffee shop dining would appeal in New York when first getting it started, growing the brand, his assessment of Houston, Bluestone being a technology friendly experience for customers, Bluestone...

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Mary Clarkson to go through some of the latest happenings from the Houston restaurant and bar world. The pair discuss the announcement of Batanga's owners converting their Market Square restaurant into a new concept called The Big Casino Kitchen + Bar , ChòpnBlọk owner Ope Amosu's Chopd & Stewd Festival happening on September 30, and new wine bar Fiora's...

On today's edition of What's Eric Eating, Eric is joined by Pak Tsui of Fat Bao , Ka Sushi , and I Know The Owner . The pair discuss how Pak Tsui got into professional cooking, where he learned to make sushi (spoiler: it wasn't at a restaurant initially), coming up with the concept of Fat Bao, introducing what a bao was to consumers, how Fat Bao caught on, bringing sushi to the Heights with Ka Sus...

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Linda Salinas to discuss the latest happenings in the Houston restaurant and bar scene including Peter Nolan of Permission Whiskey taking over operations at The Ready Room, Saint Julian's Social Club temporarily setting up in the Quiote space within The Toasted Coconut for a 3 month pop up, and Nando's Peri-Peri opening it's first location in Houston. In the...

Today on the podcast Eric speaks with Sébastien Laval of Laval Hospitality and PS-21 . The pair discuss what brought Sébastien to America, his culinary background, getting started in Houston, why he didn't want to work in France anymore, what brought him to the world of consulting, his work with Albi and Best Regards , how in his consulting work he helps people that may not have the most experienc...

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Monica Danna to discuss the latest happenings in the Houston restaurant and bar scene including Bobby Heugel saving Catbirds, Agricole Hospitality shuttering 2 of their concepts, and Underbelly Hospitality announcing that it's bringing a taqueria concept to the Houston Farmer's Market as it relocates Wild Oats from the market to Spring Branch. In the Restaura...

Travis McShane of Ostia makes his What's Eric Eating podcast debut this week. Travis speaks Eric about his journey that took him from Kingwood all the way to working in New York for Jonathan Waxman . Plus Travis talks about the decision to come back to Houston, why go with an Italian concept when he came back, how Ostia has evolved over the past 3 years, being part of Houston Restaurant Weeks for...

Eric celebrated his 10 year anniversary with CultureMap! Listen as Eric reflects a bit about this milestone with the Swanky Maven herself Felice Sloan. The pair then discuss some of the latest headlines from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including, the 6 new tenants announced for the West on West shopping center in West Houston, City Cellars closing but soon reopening in a new location, and...

Eric sits down with Gin Braverman to catch up on the last few years of her namesake hospitality interior design studio, Gin Design Group . Braverman shares some of her recent favorite projects such as Jūn , Lymbar , and La Colombe d’Or . They also discuss the thought process behind her designs, breaking into the hotel space, possible expansion to the west coast, and a sneak peek at projects in the...