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Latest Episodes:

Episode 480 - Succulent Fine Dining Jul 22, 2025

Show notes

Monica Danna is back! She joins Eric to discuss some of the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including FM Kitchen + Bar being folded into PKL Social and the new ghost kitchen concept Kaisen Sushi Houston making a big splash. In the Restaurants of the Week portion, Succulent Fine Dining is featured.
Follow Eric on Instagram/Threads @ericsandler. You can also reach Eric by emailing him at eric@culturemap.com. Check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com:

Episode 479 - The Ultimate Houston Dessert Draft Winner Reveal with Michelle Wallace of b'tween Sandwich Co. Jul 17, 2025

Show notes

Time to announce the winner of The Ultimate Houston Dessert Draft, who's picking the winner you ask? Michelle Wallace of b'tween Sandwich Co.! Michelle joins Eric on the podcast today to not only pick the winner of the draft but also let us know how things are going at b'tween Sandwich Co., the advice she gave to Greg Gatlin before he began competing on Food Network's BBQ Brawl, and whether a brick + mortar of b'tween Sandwich Co. is in the works. Plus, Michelle shares her thoughts on how the drafters did, their selections, why she selected [redacted] as the winner, and more!
Follow Eric on Instagram/Threads @ericsandler. You can also reach Eric by emailing him at eric@culturemap.com. Check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com:

Episode 478 - The Ultimate Houston Dessert Draft Jul 15, 2025

Show notes

On today's episode of the podcast, you're in for something a lot sweeter than normal... because well it's The Ultimate Houston Dessert Draft! Listen as Eric, alongside Local Foods Group's Chelsea Thomas, the Hangry Houstonian Danielle Dubois, Fluff Bake Bar's Becky Masson, Underground Creamery's Josh Deleon, and Heights Grocer's Mary Clarkson attempt to craft the best dessert lineup.
The drafters will be selecting a lineup of 6 desserts in total withe each drafter making one selection in each of the following categories: cookies, cake, frozen, pastries, tableside, and a wild card. For the tableside category, drafters may select any dessert that is either prepared or finished at the table. That means lit on fire, sauced, scooped, sliced, etc. For the frozen category, all forms of ice cream, gelato, frozen yogurt, bingsu, kakigori, shaved ice, sno balls, etc. are available. The wild card category is any additional dessert that hasn't already been selected.
The Draft Rules
Rule 1: No drafter may select the same restaurant/bakery twice. For example, if a drafter selects Fluff Bake Bar for cookies they may not also select it for their frozen or cake categories.
Rule 2: Once a restaurant/bakery has been selected for a specific category, no other drafter may select it in that same category. For example, only one drafter will get to select Underground Creamery for the frozen category or Fluff Bake Bar for the cookies category.
Rule 3: Drafters may select menu items served at any restaurant, bakery, bar, or food truck in the Greater Houston area. Which is roughly defined as being within the bounds of the Grand Parkway.
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.
Follow Eric on Instagram/Threads @ericsandler. You can also reach Eric by emailing him at eric@culturemap.com. Check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com:

Episode 477 - The Bear Season 4 Recap with Justin Yu Jul 10, 2025

Show notes

Season 4 of The Bear premiered on Hulu a couple of weeks ago so it's time to get our into our now yearly discussion with the Ultimate Date Night Draft winner himself, Justin Yu. Eric and Justin dive into a full spoiler conversation all about season 4 including the financial challenges that the restaurant faced this season, the difficulty of changing the menu so much, how that frequency can also speak to a level of selfishness (looking at you Carmy), how tough it is for a restaurant to find the right puzzle pieces to make the concept run smoothly, how those puzzle pieces were reflected in this season, Sydney's big decision this season, the work/life balance of everything, Carmy's journey, restaurants that live on stodges, and much more! Plus, Justin shares with Eric what restaurants he's excited about, what's new at Theodore Rex, and the best wings in Houston.
Follow Eric on Instagram/Threads @ericsandler. You can also reach Eric by emailing him at eric@culturemap.com. Check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com:

Episode 476 - Good God, Nadine's and Ichijiku Neighborhood Sushi Jul 08, 2025

Show notes

On today's podcast Eric is joined by Michael Fulmer to discuss Bobby Heugel and Jackie Stromm uniting for a new cocktail bar concept and Michael's beef with an overused word in food media. In the Restaurants of the Week portion Good God, Nadine's and Ichijiku Neighborhood Sushi are featured.
Follow Eric on Instagram/Threads @ericsandler. You can also reach Eric by emailing him at eric@culturemap.com. Check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com:

Episode 475 - Bryan Caswell and Allison Knight of Latuli Jul 03, 2025

Show notes

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Bryan Caswell and Allison Knight of Latuli. The pair discuss with Eric why the Memorial area was the right place for Latuli, the scale of it, developing the menu, the nods to previous concepts of Bryan's, the staff, what the opening process has been like for Allison, the unusual design of Latuli, making it kid friendly, how things are going so far, adding lunch service, the vision for the concept, and more. Plus, Allison shares about her background and what led her to wanting to open a restaurant. Also, Bryan speaks about his time away from the spotlight and what changed for him to want to go from consulting to a more permanent position.
Follow Eric on Instagram/Threads @ericsandler. You can also reach Eric by emailing him at eric@culturemap.com. Check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com:

Episode 474 - King Steak Jul 01, 2025

Show notes

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.
Follow Eric on Instagram/Threads @ericsandler. You can also reach Eric by emailing him at eric@culturemap.com. Check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com:

Episode 473 - Bobby Heugel of Thorough Fare Hospitality Jun 12, 2025

Show notes

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
Follow Eric on Instagram/Threads @ericsandler. You can also reach Eric by emailing him at eric@culturemap.com. Check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com:

Episode 472 - Daniel Vaughn of Texas Monthly Jun 05, 2025

Show notes

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!
Follow Eric on Instagram/Threads @ericsandler. You can also reach Eric by emailing him at eric@culturemap.com. Check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com:

Episode 471 - Silk Road and Doko Jun 03, 2025

Show notes

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.
Follow Eric on Instagram/Threads @ericsandler. You can also reach Eric by emailing him at eric@culturemap.com. Check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com:

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