What's Eric Eating

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 Lane being a sit down full-service concept, some of his favorites from the menu, the amount of Bluestone Lanes Houston can hold, why coffee is all about customer retention, his experience being on reality TV briefly, working with Gordon Ramsey, and 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:

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 Bottle Shop opening in the Montrose Collective. In the Restaurants of the Week portion, Benny Chows and Tim Ho Wan 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:

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 Sushi, how Ka Sushi has evolved, why they decided to go with the name I Know The Owner, how the bar concept came to be, how it's going so far, his other projects, his future plans, 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:

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 Restaurants of the Week, Stuffed Belly and Narwhal Jousting Club are featured. 

Follow Eric on Instagram @ericsandler, and on 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 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 experience in the restaurant industry, the style of restaurant he'd like to work on, how Philippe Schmit convinced him to join PS-21, his goals for PS-21, and 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:

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 Restaurants of the Week portion, Golfstrømmen and CAPS Supper Club & Bar are featured.

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

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 the first time, why he probably won't do another location of Ostia, and much more!

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

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 a look at Eric's top 10 potato dishes. In the Restaurants of the Week portion, Rado Market and Rockhouse Southern Kitchen are featured.

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

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 pipeline.

Follow Eric on Instagram @ericsandler, and on Twitter @esandler. 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 Mary Clarkson, the pair discuss the latest headlines from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including Street to Kitchen moving to a new development in the Second Ward called The Plant, that same development getting a new concept called Neighbors Pizza Bar from chef Angelo Emiliani, Fielding’s Culinary Group heading to the River Oaks area to open their third restaurant, and Omar Pereney opening a retail location for Love Croissants. In the Restaurants of the Week portion, Pastore is featured.   

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