What's Eric Eating

On today's edition of the podcast Eric is joined Mary Clarkson to discuss some of the latest headlines from the Houston restaurant and bar scene. The pair discuss Chef Benchawan Jabthong Painter taking home the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Texas, Bun B opening the first brick-and-mortar location for Trill Burgers, and the trio of French culinary industry professionals who are opening a Fre... wait... they're not opening a French restaurant? In the Restaurants of the Week section Albi and The Chelsea are featured. In the Guest of the Week portion Andrew Geisel of Citizens of Montrose joins the show. Andrew speaks with Eric about his career, what's led him up to this point, how the relationship with his other co-owners started, how that relationship has grown over time, how he would describe the concept of what they're doing with Australian Cafes, the idea behind their menu, expanding their brand outside of New York City, why Houston was the right choice for their next city, how they've been received so far, what's next for Citizens and more! 

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Today on the podcast Eric is joined by the Swanky Maven herself, Felice Sloan! The pair discuss the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including Atlas Restaurant Group revealing what it has planned for the former Ouzo Bay space (spoiler alert Eric was right), Culinary Khancepts unveiling big plans for The Woodlands, and EZ's Liquor Lounge being named to Esquire's 2023 list of the Best Bars in America. In the Restaurants of the Week portion Little's Oyster Bar and Viola & Agnes’ Neo Soul Cafe are featured. In the Guest of the Week section Eric is joined by Joshua Weisman of Construction Concepts. Joshua speaks with Eric about what he did before getting into the construction industry, how he started Construction Concepts, why he liked commercial construction better, making the transition from club construction to restaurant construction, how the business evolved, some of the first jobs his company worked on, some of his favorite projects they've worked on, how things have gotten more difficult in last few years, how much money does it take to build a restaurant, what advice he would give to people looking to build restaurants, the current trends, and more!

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Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Becky Masson of Fluff Bake Bar to discuss the latest headlines in the Houston restaurant and bar world. The pair discuss the team behind Nobie's opening a new pizza tavern concept in Montrose, the new spacey bar coming to Montrose as well but from the team behind The Burger Joint, the NY based cake bakery that has made it's way to the Galleria area, and this year's iteration of the Hot Luck Festival. In the Restaurants of the Week portion, Triola's Italian Kitchen and Bari are featured. In the Guest of the Week section Eric is joined by Mary Cuclis of Kriti Kitchen. Mary speaks with Eric about how she got into the world of professional cooking, her time in Hong Kong, how she made her way to Pondicheri, what about Pondicheri has resonated for people over the years, how she came to the decision to move on from Pondicheri to create her own business, how the pandemic caused a switch in her initial plan, what she learned about people's expectations for Greek food in Houston, why the space for Kriti Kitchen was perfect for what she wanted, how things are going at Kriti Kitchen so far since opening, the dishes people are loving so far, introducing people to Greek wines, getting into wine dinners, the goals for Kriti Kitchen, the desire to do a fine dining concept down the road, and more!  

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On today's podcast Eric is joined by Linda Salinas to discuss some of the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene. The duo discuss the new owners of Weights + Measures trying to rejuvenate the well-known brunch spot, the Australian inspired NYC café coming to Houston, and Bobby Heugel's cocktail bar Refuge adding coffee/wine to the menu. In the Restaurants of the Week section Ojo de Agua is featured. In the Guest of the Week portion Eric is joined by Ben Berg of Berg Hospitality. Ben and Eric rundown the entire list of concepts coming from Berg Hospitality Group. Ben gives updates on everything from La Table to Turner's Cut and more! Listen as Eric and Ben have an extended conversation about all the concepts from Berg Hospitality Group.

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Mary Clarkson joins Eric on today's podcast to go through some of the latest headlines from the Houston restaurant and bar scene. The pair discuss a new taqueria concept from State of Grace owner Ford Fry coming to Houston in 2024, the new IG-worthy Dallas concept that's coming to Houston this fall, and Pappas Restaurants opening Little's Oyster Bar. In the Restaurants of the Week portion The Preserve and Andiron are featured. In the Guest of the Week section Eric is joined by Adyson Alvis and German Mosquera of Wild. The guys speak with Eric about how they got into the culinary world, how German came to Houston, how Adyson went from Grinder coffee to Wild, why they're taking on this larger type project with Wild, why this was the right next move for German, coming up with the menu, the story they want to tell with the food, how cannabis factors into the menu, what customers have been enjoying the most so far, how they've integrated cannabis into the food, the difference in adding CBD to drinks compared to food, what the CBD/THC bring to the food, how they're able to use Delta 9 THC, what ingredients work well with the fusions with THC, what they're doing with the drink program, and much more! 

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On today's edition of the podcast Eric is joined by the Swanky Maven herself, Felice Sloan to discuss the latest headlines from around the Houston restaurant and bar scene. The pair discuss Ouzo Bay's closure, Concura Italian Bites shuttering to transform into a new concept under new ownership, and the closing of New York Eatery in Bellaire. For the Restaurants of the Week section of the podcast, Graffiti Raw is featured. In the Guest of the Week portion Eric is joined by Dan Mesches of Picnik. Dan speaks with Eric about how he got started in the hospitality business, working with the Hopdoddy Burger brand, how he got started with Sprinkles, where did the connection between Picnik and Sprinkles come from, the decision to come to Houston, the neighborhood they're in, how he defines Picnik, offering comfort food that's good for you, how people should approach the menu, the beverage options, why butter coffee, how things are going at Picnik so far since opening, how they differentiate themselves in the market, staff culture, expectations for the future, expansion plans, and more! 

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Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Michael Fulmer to discuss the latest from the Houston restaurant and bar scene. The two speak about Izakaya transforming into a new gulf coast seafood concept, historic Houston area barbecue restaurant The Swinging Door closing it's doors permanently, and acclaimed Houston chef Anita Jaisinghani's James Beard nomination for her cookbook. In the Restaurants of the Week section Mandito's and Verde Garden are featured. In the Guest of the Week portion Eric is joined by Josh Deleon of Underground Creamery. Josh speaks with Eric about the decision behind making his own ice cream, starting out with ice cream equipment from the likes of Amazon, the initial recipes, sharing it with others, how his style has grown, getting to the point of joining a commercial kitchen space with Emmanuel Chavez, selling discreetly, how the company was born from a call about the Health Department, moving into a dedicated space, developing the ideas for the different ice cream flavors,  balancing customer demand with developing flavors, why the current model works for selling the ice cream works for him, whether he has future plans to expand, whether he would consider a larger production model, and more! 

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Today on the podcast, Eric is joined by Linda Salinas to discuss some of the latest news happening in the Houston restaurant and bar scene. The pair discuss restaurateur Chris Williams' new concept opening in the historic Eldorado Ballroom in Third Ward, Seattle based restaurant Dough Zone Dumpling House coming to Houston with 2 locations, and the Kirby Group's new Tex-Mex concept called Verde Garden. In the Restaurants of the Week section, March and Mimo are featured. In the Guest of the Week portion Eric is joined by Peter Nolan of Permission Whiskey. Peter speaks with Eric about how he started his career in the hospitality industry, shaping the program at Federal American Grill, opening Permission Whiskey during the pandemic, the challenges he faced, the atmosphere they create at Permission Whiskey, the neighborhood, the cocktail program offerings, what it's been like hosting celebrities promoting their liquor brands at Permission Whiskey, what they do for their signature Derby Day Party, future plans, and much more! 

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On today's podcast Eric is joined by Matt Harris to discuss the latest happenings in the Houston restaurant and bar scene. The guys discuss this year's CultureMap Tastemaker Awards, Angelo and Lucianna Emiliani changing things up at Louie's Italian American, and the surprising announcement from Bobby Heugel and Justin Yu. In the Restaurants of the Week portion, Oheya by Uchi and MUSE are featured. In the Guest of the Week section Eric is joined by William Farley and Nick Nguyen of Padre's Wine Shop + Bar. The guys deep dive with Eric about South American wines plus what brought them together for Padre's, how William went from the energy/investment banking industries to the wine business, why this was the right next step for Nick, why William wanted to do a retail space rather than doing wholesale, what people can expect when they visit Padre's, how Padre's stands out in the market, customer response so far, being located in a unique bar/restaurant area, the food offerings at Padre's, what customers have been gravitating towards from the retail offerings, goals for Padre's, and much more!

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Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Michael Fulmer to go through some of the latest headlines from the Houston restaurant and bar scene. The guys discuss MF Sushi chef/owner Chris Kinjo's announcement of 2 new concepts that he's bringing to the city, the debut of Mandito's Tex-Mex from the Palacios Murphy Hospitality group, and Dish Society's expansion into Austin. In the Restaurants of the Week portion, Eau Tour is featured. In the Guest of the Week section Eric is joined by Alec Varnell and Hoffie Ferreira of J-Bar-M Barbecue. The guys speak with Eric about the unexpected changes at J-Bar-M last year, how they've kept things rolling after the major changes, Alec's background in the restaurant industry, Hoffie's road to J-Bar-M, why they like doing more things compared to what other BBQ restaurants offer, changing how they do their steaks, rolling out their new brunch menu, making J-Bar-M more of an oasis for a broader audience than just a BBQ place, how they would like to see J-Bar-M evolve, goals for them, and much more!

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