In this month's installment of The Full Menu, food writers discuss their favorite brunch places around Greater Houston.

In the audio above, we hear from Eric Sandler of CultureMap Houston, and David Leftwich of Houston Food Finder.

Establishments Mentioned in this Edition:

Hugo’s
Urbe
Brennan’s
Squable
Traveler’s Table
Pondicheri
Fung’s Kitchen
Golden Dim Sum
Ocean Palace
Dim Sum Box
Kolache Shoppe
Homestead Kitchen & Bar
Dish Society
Daily Gather
State Fare Kitchen & Bar
Cochinita and co.
The Kitchen
Urban Harvest Farmer’s Market
Bosscat Kitchen & Libations
Brasserie 19
El Topo
Lucille’s

When we were first getting this show rolling a decade ago, then Houston Matters producer Edel Howlin came to host Craig Cohen with an idea.

She thought we should bring some area food critics together to talk about their favorite restaurants. It could be a monthly conversation built around different themes, and it could be a way to expose listeners to restaurants they might not normally think to visit. And maybe they’d find some new favorites along the way.

Naturally, exhibiting the remarkable instincts Craig's always had for such things, he told her he thought it was a bad idea.

Ten years on, The Full Menu remains a monthly staple on our show, and one of the more popular things we do. So, yeah, important lesson learned – listen to the producers. Ignore Craig.

As Houston Matters prepares to celebrate its 10th anniversary, and we wrap up our series examining how Houston has changed in the past decade, we brought in our panelists from The Full Menu to discuss how the restaurant scene in Houston has changed in that time.

In the audio above, you'll hear the thoughts of Eric Sandler, food editor at CultureMap Houston,  Felice Sloan, who writes the Swanky Maven lifestyle blog, and David Leftwich, author at Houston Food Finder. 

Whether it's inflation, economic concerns, or a big income tax bill coming due – it seems like plenty of us have reasons to try to cut expenses these days.

But you still need to eat. And eating out is one of the main pastimes in Greater Houston, especially given how great the food scene has gotten in the Bayou City.

So, in this month's installment of The Full Menu, Houston food writers discuss some of their favorite places to eat that won’t break the bank.

How do they define affordable? For the purposes of today's discussion, they're categorizing it as $15 for one person and $30 for two people.

In the audio above, we hear from Eric Sandler of CultureMap Houston, Felice Sloan of the Swanky Maven lifestyle blog, and David Leftwich of Houston Food Finder.

Establishments Mentioned in this Edition:

Kuji Kitchen
Treebeards
El Rey Taqueria
The Taco Stand
La Calle Tacos
Molina’s Cantina
Gringo’s Mexican Kitchen
burger-chan
Monkey’s Tail
Craft Pita
Tatemó
Shri Balaji Bhavan
Central Market

In this month's installment of The Full Menu, food writers discuss their favorite places for chicken -- fried chicken, hot chicken, chicken parmesan, chicken sandwiches, you name it.

In the audio above, we hear from Eric Sandler of CultureMap Houston, Abbas Dhanani of HoustonEatz, and David Leftwich of Houston Food Finder.

Establishments Mentioned in this Edition:

Gus’s Fried Chicken
Gatlin’s Fins & Feathers
La Lucha
Frenchy’s
Xin Chao
Himalaya
Al Aseel
The ToreOre
The Rice Box
Chicky Boy
Luloo’s Day & Night
Daddy’s Chicken Shack
Craft Pita
Southwell’s Hamburger Grill
Tumble 22
Mico’s Hot Chicken
The Pit Room
Candente
El Tiempo Cantina
Nancy’s Hustle
Feges BBQ
Winnie’s
Ostia
Theodore Rex
The Breakfast Klub
Rooster & Rice
El Manna Grill Pollo Asado
Local Foods
Louie’s Italian American

With the Super Bowl approaching, food writers discuss their favorite pub food around town in this month's installment of The Full Menu.

In the audio above, we hear from Eric Sandler of CultureMap Houston, Felice Sloan of the Swanky Maven lifestyle blog, and David Leftwich of Houston Food Finder.

Establishments Mentioned in this Edition:

80 Sports Bar and Lounge
Biggio’s
Pitch 25 Beer Park
EZ’s Liquor Lounge
Eight Row Flint
Bayou Heights Bier Garten
Heights Bier Garten
The Sporting Club
Monkey’s Tail
Better Luck Tomorrow
Winnie’s
Toasted Coconut
13 Celsius
Patterson Park
Love Buzz Pizza Pub

In this month's installment of The Full Menu, food writers discuss their favorite Houston restaurants that opened in 2022 and look ahead to what's coming in 2023.

In the audio above, we hear from Eric Sandler of CultureMap Houston, Felice Sloan of the Swanky Maven lifestyle blog, and David Leftwich of Houston Food Finder.

Some of Their Favorites:

David: Moon Rabbit (The Heights) – A modern Vietnamese bistro in The Heights with an excellent modern take on Vietnamese food. They have a tostada on a crispy rice pancake that’s topped with pork belly. There’s an excellent miso-marinated claypot dish that’s usually topped with something like cooked Atlantic cod with an umami-rich caramelized fish sauce, roasted Brussels sprouts, and Thai chili peppers.

Felice: Gatlin’s Fins and Feathers (Independence Heights) – They do a wonderful job of meshing seafood and smoke to give us come outstanding comfort food – especially their biscuits. They also have great BBQ shrimp and fried chicken.

Eric: Hamsa (Rice Village) – Modern Israeli dining with a flexible menu. They have lots of great vegetable small plates to start off. A great wood-fired pita. The hummus is creamy and smooth. The falafel is crispy and herbaceous. It works for date night. It works for a big group. I’ve taken my mom there.

Establishments Mentioned in this Edition:

Moon Rabbit
Gatlin's Fins & Feathers
Hamsa
Burger Bodega
Tatemó
Navy Blue
Il Bracco
Marmo
Louie's Italian American

Establishments Coming Soon:

Stuffed Belly
Late August
Jun
b'tween Sandwich Co.
Money Cat
Telegram Tea Room
Luloo's Day & Night

Campbell's Soup used to have a commercial in the 1990s where a snowman ate a hot bowl of soup. He melts and reveals it was really a child all along.

Maybe that ad resonates better somewhere where it isn't 70 or 80 degrees in December. But, whatever your version of winter is, this is as good a time for a warm bowl of soup as it gets in Greater Houston.

So, in this month's installment of The Full Menu, food writers discuss their favorite soups at restaurants around town. In the audio above, we hear from Eric Sandler of CultureMap Houston and David Leftwich of Houston Food Finder.

Establishments Mentioned in this Edition:

Brennan’s
Davis Street
Gatlin’s BBQ
Winnie’s
Lucille’s
Rainbow Lodge
Goode Co. Seafood
Kenny & Ziggy’s
Carrabba’s
Niko Niko’s
Street Food Thai Market
Kim Son
Ambassador Chinese Restaurant
Mein
Pho Binh
Pho Saigon
Thien An Sandwiches
Nam Eatery
Les Ba’get
Pho Fix
Huynh
Ramen Bar Ichi
Kata Robata
Navy Blue
BCN
Riel
Georgia James Steakhouse
Puebla’s Mexican Kitchen
Backstreet Café

Entering a restaurant and asking for a table for eight, ten, or even more can be stressful for both customers and waitstaff. But some places are better equipped for that than others. In this month’s installment of The Full Menu, our food writers talk about the best places to for large groups to eat out in Houston.

In the audio above, we hear from Felice Sloan of the Swanky Maven lifestyle blog, David Leftwich of Houston Food Finder, and Isabel Protomartir, social media and public relations specialist.

Establishments Mentioned in this Edition:

Traveler’s Table

Saigon Pagolac

Hai Cang Seafood

Mala Sichuan Bistro

Loro

Feges BBQ

Nobie’s

Il Bracco

Daily Gather

D’Alba

Gratify

Teotihuacan

Spanish Flowers

Molina’s Cantina

Ninfa’s

Lucille’s

Did you save room for dessert? At some Houston restaurants you definitely will want to. In this month’s installment of The Full Menu, our food writers talk about some local establishments that have particularly noteworthy desserts.

In the audio above, we hear from Eric Sandler of CultureMap Houston, Felice Sloan of the Swanky Maven lifestyle blog, and David Leftwich of Houston Food Finder.

Dishes and Establishments Mentioned in this Edition:

The Baked Alaska at Bludorn Restaurant
The coconut cake at Davis Street
The big slices of cake at Truth BBQ
The cacao pod at Xochi

El Coco, the dessert you can hit with a mallet at Caracol
The churros at Hugos
The often-copied warm butter cake at Mastro's Steakhouse

The Brazos Bottom Pecan Pie from Goode Co.
The lemon tart, the chocolate pie, the panna cotta, and the ice cream at Il Bracco
The corn tres leches cake at Maize
The chocolate Alabama Stack Cake at Field & Tides
The strawberry wedding cake, the Heath Bar crumble, or the poached pears at La Griglia
The pies at nobie’s
The banana Nutella crepe at Melange Creperie
The parmesan cheesecake at Nancy’s Hustle
The carrot cake at Killen's Steakhouse, the peach bread pudding or the German chocolate cake at Killen's of the Heights, or the smoke salted caramel creme brule at Killen's STQ
The seasonal crustadas at Coltivare
The basque-style burnt cheesecake at Rosie Cannonball
Chef Shawn Gawle's chocolate chip cookies, which are usually available at Montrose Cheese and Wine
The chocolate chip cookies at Common Bond
The chocolate chip cookies at Tiny Boxwoods
The strawberry cake at Tris
The 20-layer crepe cake at Mala Sichuan Bistro
The seven-layer cake at Kenny & Ziggy’s