On today's edition of the podcast Eric is joined by Ryan Lachaine and Bobby Matos of State of Grace. The pair speak with Eric about why Ryan was a fit for State of Grace, why they want to push to be more like the old State of Grace, doing their chefs table dinners, the food forward regulars at State of Grace, what they've added to the menu (mmmm butter burgers), why State of Grace's french fries are the best in Houston (as picked by Eric), the prices of oysters, and much more! Plus, Ryan shares why he decided to close Riel after 10 years, what the last month was like there, being able to focus on being just a chef, and what his go to dishes are at a restaurant. Bobby also discusses the refreshes made at Superica, and Little Rey finding it's audience. 

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On episode 503 of What's Eric Eating, Eric Sandler was joined by former food critic, and current Director of Events & Catering at Local Foods Group, Chelsea Thomas!

They discussed...

The unfortunate closing down of Kim Son, and the continued stress put on all businesses around the I-45 expansion

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On today's podcast Eric is joined by Armando DiMeo of Coastline Pizzeria. Armando speaks with Eric about how he first decided to become a chef, working in the family business, when he knew that pizza was his passion, why decided to focus on Neapolitan pizza, Houston's struggles with Neapolitan pizza, where grilled pizza came from, the creative freedoms of grilled style, the upcoming seasonal menu, how things have gone in the first 2 years, cultivating a strong team culture via listening, the menu development incentive program, the bar program, the possibility of expansion, and more!

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In celebration of 500 episodes, Eric is doing something never done before in podcasting ok well at least never been done on this podcast before. For the first time Eric, joined by CultureMap's Home & Design Contributor Emily Cotton, gets out the What's Eric Eating mailbag to answer listener submitted questions.

What was Eric's most star struck moment?

What's been some of his top, all time favorite meals since he started the podcast?

What are the iconic dishes of Houston?

He answers those questions and many more on this very special edition of What's Eric Eating.

If you enjoyed this episode and what to hear Eric do more of these What's Eric Eating mailbag episodes let him know on Instagram Instagram @ericsandler. You can also reach Eric by emailing him at [email protected].

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Eric's doing things a little different today for this 500th edition of the podcast (yep 500!). Today Eric is being joined by not 1, not 2, not 3, not 4, not 5, but 6 of Houston's Rising Stars selected by StarChefs for 2025. Eric visits with Evelyn Garcia and Henry Lu of JŪN, Lucas McKinney of Josephine's, Maham Qureshi of Shakkar, Adrian Torres of Maximo, and Kristine Nguyen of Bludorn. Hear their excitement on being selected, what they're up to as of late, and much more on this special edition of What's Eric Eating. 

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On today's podcast Eric is joined by one of StarChef's Rising Stars of 2025, Craft Pita's own Raffi Nasr!. Raffi and Eric talk about some of the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including Justin Yu and Bobby Heugel's newest concept coming to Montrose, Ryan Lachaine's new gig, and the StarChefs Rising Stars Houston Class of 2025. In the Restaurants of the Week portion North China is featured.

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Today on the show Eric has in depth conversation with Houston hospitality veteran Jonathan Horowitz. The pair discuss Jonathan's leaving from the Houston Hospitality Alliance, how he found his way into commercial real estate, the ramifications of the pandemic on the restaurant industry, the difficulties that are now present within the industry post pandemic, the changes in customer behavior/demand, the "winning the neighborhood" strategy, the desire to stay within your area to eat, how technology has changed tipping culture, the possibility of others stepping in to save a concept that is struggling, the underestimating of the capitalization needed for starting a restaurant, and much more.   

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CultureMap contributor Brianna McClane is back on What's Eric Eating. Eric and Brianna discuss some of the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including Candente claiming the space formerly occupied by Mandito's for it's 2nd location, Tacos A Go Go's 2 new locations opening with cocktails by Bobby Heugel, and the fall restaurant openings they're most looking forward to. In the Restaurants of the Week portion Local Public Eatery is featured. Plus, Eric and Brianna do a quick comparison of Musaafer and Le Jardinier, 2 of Houston's 5 fine dining restaurants that hold One Michelin Star.   

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Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Tristen Epps of Buboy. Tristen speaks with Eric about how scrambled eggs and Japanese TV set him on a path towards being a chef, his initial stint in Houston, why he decided on Houston for his big city experience, meeting/working with Marcus Samuelsson, pushing the idea of what really is fine dining cuisine, winning Top Chef: Destination Canada, why now was the right time for him to go on Top Chef, how the show has evolved to showcasing your food within the parameters of the different challenges, why the cooking is the easy part of Top Chef, his goals entering the show, finding out that his father passed during the show, wanting to tell truths with his food during the final challenge, what life has been like since he won the show, whether 2026 is the year for Buboy's opening, why the size of the space is extremely important, the possibility of casual hot dog food at Buboy, and more!

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On today's podcast Eric is joined by the Swanky Maven herself Felice Sloan! Eric and Felice discuss some of the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including the closure of Bosscat Kitchen & Libations' in River Oaks, ChòpnBlọk being named to the New York Times' 50 Best Restaurants in America list, and chef Kate McClean's departure from Tony's Restaurant. In the Restaurants of the Week portion, Butter Funk Kitchen and Southern Jerks are featured. 

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