What's Eric Eating

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by a new cohost! Phaedra Cook of Houston Food Finder joins Eric to go over some of the latest happenings from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including Balls Out Burger shuttering, Voodoo Doughnuts coming to Houston, Verdine opening in the Heights, and more! In the Restaurants of the Week portion Alice Blue and La Villa are featured. 

In the Guest of the Week portion Eric is joined by Jason Giagrande of the Roastery Coffee Kitchen. Eric and Jason discuss the Four J's, beginning to work with HEB, building a restaurant concept around what they do, getting involved in the coffee business, the public's response to the Roastery so far, learning the different neighborhoods of Houston, building a great team at the Roastery, the partnership with HEB, the 3 formats of the Roastery, why Houston, Roastery as a Texas brand, the Houston restaurant scene, dividing time between 2 cities, and more!

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Matt Harris to discuss some of the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including the James Beard foundation's lack of Houston finalists, a recap of CultureMap's Tastemaker awards, and more! In the Restaurants of the Week portion, 1751 Sea and Bar is featured. 

In the Guest of the Week segment, Eric is joined by Jason Vaughan and Julia Doran of Nancy's Hustle. Eric, Jason, and Julia discuss what a whirlwind it's been for the 1st year and a half of Nancy's Hustle, Jason getting his start in Chicago, how Julia got started in the restaurant business, how Julia got involved in Nancy's Hustle, the plan going in for Nancy's Hustle, describing the food they serve, growing and changing the menu, the feel of Nancy's Hustle, staying busy 6 days a week, getting industry people out to the restaurant, getting national recognition, making improvements, and more!

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by frequent co-host Rebecca Masson of Fluff Bake Bar to go through some of the latest news to hit the Houston restaurant and bar scene and man is there some news this week. Eric and Rebecca discuss Ronnie Killen's leasing of the old Hickory Hollow space, Bobby Heugel and Justin Yu announcement for a new concept called Penny Quarter, Adam Dorris revealing details about his new project Lotti Dotti, Finn Hall losing it's first tenant, and much more! In a Restaurants of the Week first, the guest's restaurant is featured before the guest of the week with Verandah Progressive Indian Cuisine taking center stage. 

In the Guest of the Week portion of the podcast Eric is joined by Anu and Sunil Srivastava of Verandah Progressive Indian Cuisine. Eric, Anu, and Sunil discuss how they met, working together, how Sunil got started in cooking, coming to New York in 2005, choosing to stay in Houston, distinguishing themselves from the competition, starting out with Great W’Kana Café, moving inside the loop with Verandah, the decision to move away from the W'Kana Cafe brand, showcasing elegant techniques, and more!

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Matt Harris to discuss some of the latest news from the Houston bar and restaurant scene. Eric and Matt discuss Cafe Bustelo's pop up in the Montrose area, chef Brandi Key's new gig, the new Common Bond Bakery hitting the medical center area, the newest Bernie's Burger Bus in Missouri City, and more! In the Restaurants of the Week portion Perry's Steakhouse in River Oaks and Katsu Bar and Noodle in Cypress. 

In the Guest of the Week segment Eric is joined by Philipp Sitter of King's Bierhaus and the Sitter Group to discuss the latest happenings with the latest King's concepts. Eric and Philipp discuss how Philipp got involved with his father's business, going from a car wash to a full fledged restaurant, coming off St. Patrick's Day weekend, the concepts growing as event spaces, how the Egghouse Gourmet concept came to be, looking at expanding the Egghouse concept, opening King's Bierhaus in League City, why choose to start franchising with the League City location, the timeline for opening more restaurants, building a loyal fan base, and much more!

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Felice Sloan of Urban Swank to discuss the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene. Eric and Felice discuss  Messina Hof's big plans for Houston, Goodnight Hospitality adds master sommelier June Rodil to it's roster, the opening of The Rice Box, the latest sushi trend hitting Houston, and more! In the Restaurants of the Week, Corky's BBQ, Pepper Twins, and Milano Bar are featured. 

In the Guest of the Week portion of the podcast Eric is joined by Alex Padilla and Jason Gould of The Original Ninfa's. Eric discusses with the guys how they both got into the restaurant business, balancing the traditions of Ninfa's with the need for innovation, what Alex and Jason bring to the table, what the nostalgia factor of Ninfa's brings, getting the news about the James Beard Award nominations, the fast casual concept in the works, an update on the Uptown location, TV opportunities, and much more!

Today on What's Eric Eating Eric is joined by Avondale Food & Wine's own Mary Clarkson to discuss some of the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene. Eric and Mary discuss the various Houston based nominations for the James Beard Awards, Austin based restaurant P. Terry's possibly coming to Houston, Slowpokes' new location, Uptown Sushi's reopening, and more! In the Restaurants of the Week segment, Nancy's Hustle is highlighted. 

In the Guest of the Week portion of the podcast Eric is joined by John Peterson of The Rice Box. Eric and John discuss how John went from cars to food, how the idea for The Rice Box came about, why Chinese-American food, getting the food truck, the evolution of The Rice Box, the cooking style now vs when The Rice Box started, opening their third location, and much more!

On today's edition of What's Eric Eating, Eric is joined by beverage consultant Linda Salinas to go through some of the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including the James Beard Foundation coming to Houston in March, Star Fish closing for remodeling and the name change that goes along with it, Bravery Chef Hall selecting David Cedeno to be their first tenant of it's innovative incubator bar concept, Rhotey Rotisserie closing, and whether media coverage makes or breaks a restaurant. In the Restaurants of the Week section it's all about crawfish spots! 

In the Guest of the Week portion, Eric is joined by Jerry Lasco of Lasco Enterprises. Eric and Jerry discuss how Jerry went from the Air Force and flying planes for Continental to being in the restaurant industry, starting out with wine retail, how to describe the tasting room nowadays, understanding the way to truly taste wine, the food program at the tasting rooms evolving, how Max's Wine Dive is a mixture of 2 concepts, the aspirations to open more locations, the talent that has come through Lasco Enterprises, what Jerry's excited about, and much more!