What's Eric Eating

Time to find out who won The Ultimate Houston Date Night Draft 3.0 with special guest judges Erin Smith and Patrick Feges of Feges BBQ. The couple speak with Eric about why they felt [redacted] had the best lineup, the process they took in selecting the winning team, what selections stood out to them, what they would've selected, and more! Plus, they give an update on what's been happening at Feges BBQ.

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Since it's Valentines season Eric said "you know, we should do another Date Night Draft" and since it's Eric's show we said... well nothing you know because it's his show.

The Ultimate Houston Date Night Draft is back for a 3rd iteration! This year, Eric is joined by Chelsea Thomas, Monica Danna, Brianna McGriff, Dominick Lee, and Chris Shepherd to draft the perfect date night lineup. This year's categories are: First Date, Coffee Date, Place Your Friends Won't See You Date, Happy Hour Date, Breakup Date, and a Wild Card spot which is any place they'd like to go for a date or somewhere that would be fun for a date. 
 
The winner will be announced on the next episode of the podcast as selected by special judges. So stayed tuned to your podcast feeds to find out the eventual winner. 

The Draft Rules
Rule 1: All selections must be located in with in the Greater Houston area.
Rule 2: Once a restaurant has been selected for a certain category, no other drafter may select it for the same category. For example, only one drafter can select 13 Celsius for a first date but someone else could select 13 Celsius for a Happy Hour date.
Rule 3: Drafters cannot pick the same bar/restaurant/business twice. All 6 selections must be from different places.
Rule 4: Snake draft format. The draft order will go one through six in round 1 then go backwards six through one in round 2.
Rule 5: Categories may be selected in any order.

Got a question for Eric? Email him at [email protected]. Follow Eric on Instagram @ericsandler and check out some of Eric's latest articles online at Culturemap.com:

On today's edition of the show Eric is joined by Paul Prior of Lankford's. Paul speaks with Eric about the history of Lankford's, inheriting the family business,   being known for burgers, expansions to the menu, the evolution of the Midtown location, why Bellaire was the right place for their 2nd location, possible areas they'd like to expand to, changing to counter service, the opening of The Woodlands location, what's new at the 3rd location, listening to customer feedback, and much more!

Got a question for Eric? Email him at [email protected]. Follow Eric on Instagram @ericsandler and check out some of Eric's latest articles online at Culturemap.com:

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Michael Fulmer, a co-founder of the Houston BBQ Festival, to go through some of the latest happenings in Houston food. Michael and Eric discuss Fielding's River Oaks' rebranding as Fielding's Steak, the new Arizona seafood concept making it's way to Houston, and the closure of Wooster's Garden. In the Restaurants of the Week portion the new location of Pinkerton's Barbecue and Sushi Horiuchi are featured.  

Got a question for Eric? Email him at [email protected]. Follow Eric on Instagram @ericsandler and check out some of Eric's latest articles online at Culturemap.com:

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Shiva and Rick Di Virgilio of ŌPORTO Fooding House & Wine and da Gama canteen. Shiva and Rick speak with Eric about how they first met, the initial humble beginnings of Oporto, wanting to experiment at The Queen Vic, the early days of craft cocktails, blending Portuguese and Indian cuisine, why they decided to move Oporto, the benefits of the bigger space, how Midtown has changed over the years, evolving over time, developing da Gama, what dishes they recommend people check out, being recognized by the Michelin Guide, future ideas, and much more!

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On today's edition of the podcast Eric is joined by Mary Clarkson of Heights Grocer and Montrose Grocer. The pair discuss some of the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including the 12 local restaurants/chefs announced as James Beard Semifinalists, Paulie's cookies living on in a new venture, and a new concept called Exilio Latin Flair coming to Montrose. In the Restaurants of the Week portion, Zaranda is featured. 

Got a question for Eric? Email him at [email protected]. Follow Eric on Instagram @ericsandler and check out some of Eric's latest articles online at Culturemap.com:

On today's podcast, Eric is joined by Cooper Abercrombie of Bar-A-BBQ. Cooper speaks with Eric about what drew him to barbecue, how mom's in the neighborhood got the business growing, his helpful barbecue connections, what brought him to Montgomery, developing the weekly specials, what customers can expect at Bar-A-BBQ, moving to a new location, possible expansions to the menu once they're in their new space, the attention they've received, his team, future plans, and the story of a neighbor that saved some briskets. 

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Michelin-Rated Houston Barbecue Joint Fires Up Retro-Inspired Second Location

Houston BBQ Festival co-founder Michael Fulmer is back on the podcast today to speak with Eric about some of the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene. Eric and Michael discuss the newest retro inspired location of Pinkerton's Barbecue, the sandwich concept Yuma finding a home in the former Ninja Ramen space, and the closure of Perry's Steakhouse in River Oaks. In the Restaurants of the Week portion Casa Kenji and Seven Sushi & Robata are featured.

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On today's podcast Eric is joined by Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel and Arjav Ezekiel of Birdie's. Tracy and Arjav speak with Eric about how they first met, their time in New York, choosing to move to Austin with a flip of a coin, conceptualizing Birdie's, developing the menu, why counter service at first, putting what they earn back into their team, their wine program offerings, why they changed to a prix fixe model, the awards recognition they've received, long term and much more in this wide ranging discussion.  

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Eric is back and he's kicking off the new year with Raffi Nasr of Craft Pita to discuss some of the latest happenings in the Houston restaurant and bar scene. Raffi and Eric speak about the rebranding of Superica into a steakhouse concept called Star Rover, the upcoming new delivery focused pizzeria concept coming to The Heights called Shredder's Pizza, and Chef Omar Perey taking over as the new operating partner of Weights + Measures. In the Restaurants of the Week portion, Oru 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: