What's Eric Eating

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 Houston due to the city's hot climate when compared to their other restaurants in NY/Miami, what they've learned about Houston, how has Houston affected or changed Felipe's style of cooking and the menu, why the MFAH is a big part of why they have so many opportunities of service for diners (brunch, lunch, and dinner), whether Michelin should come to Texas to rate restaurants, and more!

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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 Right Now", then a couple of surprising closures, and finally Baba Yega suffering a setback to their reopening plans. In the Restaurants of the Week portion, Balboa Surf Club is featured.

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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, staying engaged after 40 years strong, and much more!

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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 Restaurants of the Week Nonno's Family Pizza Tavern is featured. 

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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 summer temperatures have affected oysters, their thoughts on Appalachian oysters, the growth of seafood restaurants in Houston, whether another location is in the cards, and much more!

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Kevin Hart Invites Houstonians to His Tequila Bottle Signing Event in Midtown 

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 and Best Regards are featured.

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Kevin Hart Invites Houstonians to His Tequila Bottle Signing Event in Midtown 

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 Burger Bodega.

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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 teams will be drafting: a Houston Burger Restaurant Burger, a Smash Burger, a Fancy Burger, Fries or Tots, a Milkshake, and a Wildcard.

Definitions:

Houston Burger Restaurant - A Houston-based restaurant that serves at least 3 different burgers or has build your own options that allow for lots of variety. Greater Houston-area suburbs (Katy, Woodlands, Sugar Land, Clear Lake, etc.) are considered "Houston". 

Smash Burger - A style of cheeseburger made with patties that are flattened on a griddle and typically served as a double. Does not need to come from a Houston Burger Restaurant.

Fancy Burger - The only burger served at a fine/fine-ish dining restaurant with full service. Likely costs more than $20.

Fries/Tots - A potato side from a Houston Burger Restaurant

Milkshake - A milkshake from a Houston Burger Restaurant.

Wildcard - Any burger from any Houston restaurant, including chains, or any dish served at a Houston Burger Restaurant such as a hot dog, chicken sandwich, an additional side, etc. 

The rule: once an individual dish from one restaurant is selected participants may not select any other dishes from that restaurant to fulfill the other categories. Participants six selections will be from six different restaurants.

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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 Better Luck Tomorrow, whether another location of BLT is in the cards, the burger at BLT that Eric has yet to try, the current price of cocktails in the city, places around Houston that standout, and much much more! 

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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 Week portion Dante's River Oaks and Goode Co. Kitchen & Catina.

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: