Eric's back! Today he's joined by Chelsea Thomas to go through the latest happenings in the Houston restaurant and bar scene. The duo discuss chef Thomas Bille winning Best Chef Texas at this year's James Beard Awards, Tristen Epps winning Top Chef, and Austin based Emmer & Rye Hospitality Group coming to Houston after claiming a space in Autry Park. In the Restaurants of the Week portion, King Steak is featured. 

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Bobby Heugel is back for an in-depth conversation with Eric about the current state of the restaurant/bar scene in Houston. Bobby speaks with Eric about a plethora of topics including the current state of Thorough Fare Hospitality, whether there's oversaturation in the Houston food scene, why Michelin benefits the winners more than the city, the challenges with tariffs, why fresh build aspirations are decreasing, negotiating with landlords, the gen z customer/worker, and much more!

Eric is taking a brief hiatus from the podcast but the show will be back with a new episode on July 8th with Justin Yu, followed by a new Ultimate Draft episode on July 15th. Make sure to subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your podcasts to get notified as soon new episodes release. (Although Eric reserves the right to return sooner... like I don't know... maybe if someone wins a James Beard Award when the winners are announced)

For more info and tickets to CultureMap's Tasting Table event series click here. You can also read more about the event on CultureMap.com

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Renovated Galleria Development Will Add 'Greatest Neighborhood Restaurant' 

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Daniel Vaughn, the BBQ editor for Texas Monthly and who's also fresh off the release of Texas Monthly's Top 50 BBQ Joints for 2025. Daniel speaks with Eric about how the Houston BBQ scene has changed in the last decade, the turnover for Houston BBQ joints on the list this year, why certain joints in Houston became honorable mentions or fell off the list entirely, why neither Franklin's BBQ nor Snow's BBQ made the list this year, small town BBQ spots making a comeback, the absolutely outstanding top 3, why Burnt Bean Co. BBQ deserved the number one spot, whether Michelin's selections played a role at all with Texas Monthly's selections, and much more!   

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Michael Fulmer is back joining Eric on the podcast today! The guys dive straight into the News of the Week with more reactions to Texas Monthly's Top 50 BBQ spots and Cecil's Pub getting a new home. In the Restaurants of the Week portion Silk Road and Doko are featured.

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On a special episode of What's Eric Eating, Eric Sandler was joined by three people very much in the know about the Texas BBQ scene, to discuss the Texas Monthly Top 50 BBQ restaurants in Texas list!

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Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Mary Clarkson to dive into some of the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene. The pair discuss the recent closings of PostScript and B.B. Lemon and the recent openings of Succulent Fine Dining and King Steak. In the Restaurants of the Week portion, Hachi and Burnt Bean Co. Barbecue are featured.

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Chef Allie Peña and chef-owner Aaron Bludorn of Bludorn join Eric on the show today. The pair speak with Eric about Allie taking over as executive chef at Bludorn, why Allie pursued the job, why Aaron felt Allie was the right choice, new ideas Allie has for Bludorn, staples that she plans to keep, her time running the Bar Bludorn kitchen, how Bludorn has exceeded Aaron's expectations in terms of the city's response to it, the Michelin aspect of it all, and more! Plus, they discuss Douglas Keane coming to Houston, any possible interest in The Woodlands, how things are going with Perseid, and Allie goes through the lightning round!

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On today's edition of the podcast Eric is joined by Lawton Driscoll to go through some of the latest news from the Houston restaurant/bar scene. The pair discuss new restaurant Kirkwood coming this fall from the Mac Haik Restaurant Group, John Avila's new concept Pinballz Pizzeria, and Nancy's Hustle opening daily now for dinner. In the Restaurants of the Week section Agnes and Sherman is featured. 

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Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Jamie Allen of Juliet. Jamie speaks with Eric about his career before his journey into the culinary world, why he decided to switch careers, creating Candy Shack Daiquiris, the inspiration for Juliet, why the movie theater theme for the concept, developing the menu, his influences in the creation of Juliet, what has made Juliet a hit from day one, his team behind the restaurant, the celebs that've visited, the rose wall, plans for expansion, possible other concepts, his work with Haii Keii, the lack of media coverage, and more!

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Today on the podcast Eric is joined by a returning Felice "Swanky Maven" Sloan to discuss some of the latest news from the Houston restaurant/bar scene. The pair speak about Jason Goldstein's new non-kosher steakhouse concept, Cactus Club Cafe opening it's 3rd US location in Houston, and Greg Gatlin of Gatlin's BBQ making his BBQ Brawl debut in June on Food Network. In the Restaurants of the Week portion Tavola is 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: