What's Eric Eating

This week, Eric is joined by beverage expert/consultant Linda Salinas to go through some of the latest Houston restaurant and bar news. The pair discuss Kata Robata's Yun Cheng and chef Manabu Horiuchi teaming up to launch a new concept called Katami, some sad restaurant closures that occurred toward the end of 2022, the cocktail program at Phat Eatery that Linda rolled out, and they also share some memories of Griff's Irish Pub after the bar was destroyed by a fire earlier in the week. In the Restaurants of the Week portion Money Cat is featured. In the Guest of the Week section Eric is joined by Steve Rogers and Rob Wright of The Warwick. Steve and Rob speak with Eric about how they got into the hospitality industry, getting the Sugar Hill Lounge started back in the day, creating the ultra sports bar with Prospect Park, what it's meant to them to be the creators of a series of places that have become destinations for people, the creation of The Warwick, why the location was the right spot, the decision behind going with a fine dining concept, how the first few months have gone since opening The Warwick, the dishes people have enjoyed the most, details on their new concept Rockhouse Southern Kitchen, and much more!

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For the first podcast of 2023 Eric is joined by the Swanky Maven herself, Felice Sloan! The pair discuss some of the latest happenings in the Houston restaurant and bar scene including Common Bond Bakery entering a new phase of growth with the Garza Management Group, Michelle Wallace leaving Gatlin's BBQ/Gatlins Finns & Feathers to pursue a new project with pop-ups on the way, and Little Pappas Seafood is reopening this spring under a new name. In the Restaurants of the Week portion, Ciel is featured. In the Guest of the Week section of the podcast Eric is joined by Emmanuel Chavez of Tatemó. Emmanuel speaks with Eric about how he first got interested in becoming a chef, getting an ultimatum from his family after collage, his early stops in his career, his time in Seattle, developing his style/techniques that served as the foundation for Tatemó, coming back to Houston, developing the concept that became Tatemó, how things are going so far at Tatemó, creating the menu, getting inspiration from what Jonny Rhodes is doing, aspirations to becoming one of the best restaurants in people's minds, and much more!  

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It's that time of year again! It's the final podcast of the year which means time to look back at the favorite restaurants and food from 2022. Eric is joined by Linda Salinas, Mary Clarkson, Michael Fulmer, and Matt Harris discuss their favorite new restaurants that opened, the dishes they remember most, their favorite classic restaurants, the saddest shutters of the year, and finally what restaurants they're looking forward to visiting in 2023.

Eric returns with another edition of What's Eric Eating, this week alongside frequent podcast co-host Matt Harris to talk about the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including Bun B finding a permanent home for Trill Burgers, Tatemo being named one of America's best new restaurants, and Houston Restaurant Weeks bringing in a large haul for the Houston Food Bank this year. In the Restaurants of the Week portion Louie's Italian American and Burger Bodega are featured. In the Guest of the Week section Eric is joined by John Reed of Ten Sushi and Bosscat Kitchen & Libations. John speaks with Eric about how much Bosscat Kitchen & Libations has grown in it's five years of operation, why now was the right time to bring Ten Sushi to Houston, the strengths of the menu at Ten Sushi, whether customers are mixing and matching with their items at Ten Sushi, the design of the new concept, how the restaurant has gone so far in it's early days of opening, why the Woodlands was the right choice for the next location of Bosscat, whether Ten Sushi could make it's way up to the Woodlands, what the future holds for their hospitality company, and much more!

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After a little over a month long hiatus, Eric is back!! CultureMap Food Editor Eric Sandler is joined in his long awaited return by Avondale Food & Wine owner Mary Clarkson to discuss some of the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene. The pair discuss Café Louie's transformation into an Italian restaurant, Austin pizzeria Via 313 has a location locked in for Houston, and Home Slice's opening date reveal for their Houston location. In the Restaurants of the Week section Navy Blue and Zanti Cucina Italiana are featured. In the Guest of the Week portion Eric is joined by David Cordúa of The Lymbar. Eric and David speak about David's upbringing in a restaurant family, why David decided to come back to Houston, focusing on catering the last few years, why The Lymbar was the right move for David, what made them pick the Ion as the location of the restaurant, what the plans are for the menu, the design of the restaurant, the beverage program they're rolling out with Lymbar, and much more! 

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Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Linda Salinas to go through some of the latest happenings from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including a brief recap of the Southern Smoke Festival, Christine Ha and husband John Suh's announcement of a new sandwich concept coming to Spring Branch, and the fourth location of Niko Niko's being set for The Woodlands. In the Restaurants of the Week section Wild is featured. In the Guest of the Week portion Eric is joined by Michael Sambrooks and Louis Maldonado of Andiron. Michael and Louis speak with Eric about Andiron, why a steakhouse was the right next restaurant for Michael's hospitality group, the recruitment process for the concept, what made Louis decide to pursue a career in the restaurant industry, Louis' prestigious resume, why Andiron was the right move for Louis, how Andiron distinguishes itself from other restaurants like it in the market, some of the techniques that they're doing at the restaurant, what the menu looks like, the influences behind the menu, what patrons can expect from the rest of their dining experience at Andiron besides the food, and much more! 

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This week's pod features the return of Michael Fulmer as he joins Eric to go through some of the latest happenings from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including an analysis on the Houston Chronicle's top 100 restaurants list, Artisans' new location in the Galleria-area, and the team behind Gatsby's Steakhouse opening a new casual concept at the beginning of next year. In the Restaurants of the Week section Numero28 and Davanti Ristorante are featured. In the Guest of the Week portion Eric is joined by Paige Lujan of The Upside Pub. Paige speaks with Eric about how she got into the restaurant/bar industry, what made Paige elected to come to Houston, how they developed the concept of The Upside Pub, putting the menu together, how things have been going so far since the opening, how they're giving back to the community, what is the role of a bar like The Upside Pub currently for craft beer drinkers, whether there are aspirations to do more concepts, and much more!

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This week on the pod, Eric is joined by Matt Harris to discuss the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including a new concept called Cali is heading to Northwest Houston this fall, Dallas based sports bar Boomerjack's Grill & Bar coming to Houston with 2 locations, and Hungry's has a 3rd location now in Tanglewood. In the Restaurants of the Week section Lagniappe Kitchen and Bar and Baso are featured. Then in the Guest of the Week Chris Bianco of Pizzeria Bianco joins Eric to discuss coming to Houston for the East Downtown Throwdown benefiting the Southern Smoke Foundation, his friendship with Chris Shepherd, what he'll be serving at the event, what Chris enjoys about the event, the experience of being featured in Netflix's Chef's Table Pizza series, what he thought about it looking back on that time, what it's like sharing your life with the camera's, the story of how Chris got started into the tomato business, what Chris' would do with the Phoenix Suns, how Jerry Colangelo introduced Chris to his loves for the Suns, whether he would ever bring a Pizzeria Bianco to Houston, and more!  

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Today's podcast features the long awaited return of Rebecca Masson of Fluff Bake Bar! Eric and Rebecca dive into the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including Café Express' River Oaks location reopening after finishing up their upgrades, how excited we should be to have a chef like Jerrod ZIfchak coming to Houston, Top Chef alum Louis Maldonado being named executive chef at Andiron, and Rebecca catches listeners up on what she's got going on at Fluff Bake Bar. In the Restaurants of the Week portion Upside Pub and Kate Weiser Chocolate are featured. In the Guest of the Week section Eric is joined by Aaron Bludorn, Cherif Mbodji, and Jerrod Zifchak of Navy Blue. The guys speak with Eric about how they came together for the concept, what they've done in their respective careers beforehand, what they learned about Houston upon coming here, why they decided to go the seafood route with Navy Blue, why Rice Village felt like the right location, how they balance the workload with the structure of the team, developing the menu, Jerrod's tremendous seafood background that intersects with a legendary fish butcher, creating memorable moments for customers, what are the goals for Bludorn, and much more!    

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Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Mary Clarkson to discuss the latest happenings in the Houston restaurant and bar scene including Frank's Americana Revival relocating to a new spot, Zanti Cucina Italiana opening a 2nd location in River Oaks, and LA based ramen restaurant Killer Noodle has it's first Houston location locked in. In the Restaurant of the Week portion Mala Sichuan Bistro and Ciel Restaurant & Lounge are featured. In the Guest of the Week section Eric is joined by Morgan Weber and Matt Tanner of EZ's Liquor Lounge. In the Guest of the Week segment Eric is joined by Morgan Weber and Matt Tanner of EZ's Liquor Lounge. The guys speak with Eric about why this was the right move for Matt right now in his career, how they decided EZ's was the right move for the space, the rabbit holes Matt went down to get nostalgia items for EZ's, their drink program, how the drinks are not like the kind you get at dive bars, the food they'll offer, when they plan on opening, where does EZ's/Coltivare and other fit in the east end White Oak scene nowadays as the area has continued to grow, where Morgan is at in the process of bringing Eight Row Flint to the east end, the latest with what Morgan is up to in the spirits business, and Matt goes through his first lightning round. 

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