What's Eric Eating

On today's edition of What's Eric Eating, Eric is joined by Tony Nguyen of Xin Chao and Saigon House. The guys speak about how Tony got into the restaurant business, starting Wokker, why Tony got a cease and desist letter from Chuck Norris... yes that Chuck Norris, how he started Saigon House, where Tony first got his name on the map, moving Saigon House to the northside of Houston, what they're doing at Saigon House now, how Tony came to know Christina Ha, how the idea for Xin Chao came about, collaborating with Christine on the menu, being nominated for a James Beard award, future plans for Xin Chao, future aspirations, crawfish season coming soon, a new project in the works, and much more!

Follow Eric on Instagram/Threads @ericsandler. You can also reach Eric by emailing him at [email protected]. Check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com:

On today's podcast Eric is joined by Monica Danna to discuss some of the latest happenings from the Houston restaurant and bar scene. The pair speak about Nonno's Family Pizza Tavern being named Pizza Joint of the Year as part of Esquire's Best New Restaurants in America list, Michael O'Connor being named the new executive chef at Andiron, and the opening of 1891 American Eatery & Bar in The Heights. In the Restaurants of the Week portion, Mi Cocina is featured. 

Follow Eric on Instagram/Threads @ericsandler. You can also reach Eric by emailing him at [email protected]. Check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com:

Today on the podcast, Eric is joined by Kyle Noonan of Free Range Concepts. The pair dive into how Kyle got into the hospitality business, everything that went into starting up Free Range Concepts, creating The Rustic, working with Pat Green, developing The General Public, how they expanded their portfolio in Houston, Kyle's observations of the different areas in the city, how the different concepts fit those areas, whether we could see either MUTTS or Joe Leo in Houston, potentially growing some of their brands outside of Texas, what Kyle is most excited about in Houston currently, why he prefers reliable over new nowadays, and much more!

Follow Eric on Instagram/Threads @ericsandler. You can also reach Eric by emailing him at [email protected]. Check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com:

On today's podcast Eric is joined by Michael Fulmer. The pair dive into some of the latest happenings from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including the opening of Dallas-based Tex-Mex staple Mi Cocina in the River Oaks area and the beloved El Bolillo Bakery opening up their 4th location in the  Mission Bend neighborhood. In a packed Restaurants of the Week section; Rumi's Kitchen, Comalito, and Burnt Bean Company are all featured.

Follow Eric on Instagram/Threads @ericsandler. You can also reach Eric by emailing him at [email protected]. Check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com:

Today on the show Eric is joined by Deets Hoffman of Leaf & Grain. Deets speaks with Eric about his high school sandwich shack dreams, his early culinary career, underestimating the day to day prep of a restaurant, the idea behind Leaf & Grain, what the first year taught him, how things work at Leaf & Grain, when it became clear that they could expand to more locations, coming up with the core menu items, adding dinner as an option for diners in West U., making the concept more family friendly, why the Galleria/Tanglewood area was the right spot for their 4th location, working with Gin Design Group, how the chef collabs came about, and taking things one salad at a time.

Follow Eric on Instagram/Threads @ericsandler. You can also reach Eric by emailing him at [email protected]. Check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com:

On today's podcast Eric is joined by Mary Clarkson. The pair dive into some of the latest happenings from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including Seth Siegel-Gardner becoming the new culinary and creative director for Benjy Levit's restaurants and rising star chef Tim Reading heading to Leo's River Oaks. In a jam packed Restaurants of the Week section; Hotel Lucine, The Fancy, Katami, Hudson House, and Catbirds are all featured.

Follow Eric on Instagram/Threads @ericsandler. You can also reach Eric by emailing him at [email protected]. Check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com:

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Paul Petronella and Elyse Wilson of Camerata. Paul and Elyse speak with Eric about a multitude of topics including Paulie's being a staple in the Houston restaurant scene 25 years later, what brought Elyse to Camerata, Elyse's culinary career before Camerata, the sorcery of sommeliers, how Camerata has stood out since it's opening 10 years ago, bringing back the pop-ups at Camerata, the one rule about doing pop-ups, how things are going at Paulie's, why you gotta have the cookies at Paulie's, the dish Eric wants to come back to Paulie's, the chances for expansion, what's happening next at Camerata, and much more!   

Follow Eric on Instagram/Threads @ericsandler. You can also reach Eric by emailing him at [email protected]. Check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com:

On today's podcast Eric is joined by Monica Danna! The pair dive into some of the latest headlines from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including Jonathan Levine's announcement that a second location of Jonathan's the Rub is opening in the East End, the new Washington D.C. based concept Medium Rare coming to Houston with their first location, and The Flat adding a coffee shop and cafe. In the Restaurants of the Week portion, Auden and State of Grace are featured.

Follow Eric on Instagram/Threads @ericsandler. You can also reach Eric by emailing him at [email protected]. Check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com:

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Dany Kamkhagi of Mostly Chocolate & Catering. Dany speaks with Eric about his family's history in the chocolate business, working with his parents early on, becoming a chocolatier, the apprenticeship that changed his perspective, changing the way they operated, how they grew the business, the Rodeo Best Bite competition, the current state of Mostly Chocolate, what they have going on for the holidays, and much more!

Follow Eric on Instagram/Threads @ericsandler. You can also reach Eric by emailing him at [email protected]. Check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com:

The Swanky Maven herself Felice Sloan joins Eric on the podcast today to discuss some of the latest happenings in the Houston restaurant and bar scene. The pair speak about La Griglia's move to Montrose, Relish opening it's second location in the Memorial area, and The Original Ninfa's bringing in some big names. In the Restaurants of the Week portion, Clark's Oyster Bar is featured. 

Follow Eric on Instagram/Threads @ericsandler. You can also reach Eric by emailing him at [email protected]. Check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com: