What's Eric Eating - TopPodcast.com

Latest Episodes:

Episode 460 - Fernando Rios and Mike Sammons of MIMO Apr 17, 2025

Show notes

On today's edition of the podcast things are little different because Eric is live on-site! Yep, Eric had the chance to catch up with both Fernando Rios and Mike Sammons live at MIMO. The guys speak with Eric about how they first started working together, the fun but hard challenge of Da Marco, why the East End needed an Italian restaurant, what made the space the choice for the concept, how they're a little different from traditional Italian fare, the difficulty of getting MIMO off the proverbial ground at first, how the menu has evolved, their wine list, how things have been going in their first 2 years since opening, the respect they have for Marco Wiles, their plans for the future, and more! Plus, Fernando takes us through his career and where it's taken him, what Mike learned from opening How to Survive, and Fernando experiences his first lightning round.
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 459 - Camaraderie Apr 15, 2025

Show notes

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Mary Clarkson to go through some of the latest Houston bar and restaurant news. The pair speak about the 4 Houston chefs/restaurants named finalists for James Beard awards, Jūn becoming the home of a daytime coffee service called Third Place, and Alexandra "Allie" Peña becoming Bludorn's new executive chef. In the Restaurants of the Week portion Camaraderie 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 458 - Shawn Virene and David Buckley of Succulent Fine Dining Apr 10, 2025

Show notes

On today's edition of the podcast Eric is joined by Shawn Virene and David Buckley of Succulent Fine Dining. The guys speak with Eric about the inspiration for this new concept, why now was the right time for it, the desire for a patio, why David was the right fit to be the executive chef, their vision for the food, how the concept differs from a'Bouzy, the decor, growing succulents in preparation, the wine list, when they expect to open, 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 457 - Shawn Gawle of Camaraderie Apr 03, 2025

Show notes

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Shawn Gawle of Camaraderie. Shawn speaks with Eric about what got him first interested in becoming a chef, his journey beginning with his Dad's deli to eventually working in Michelin star restaurants, working at his 2nd grade teacher's restaurant, what brought him to Houston, why he decided to join Goodnight Hospitality, creating the program at Rosie Cannonball, why he decided to pursue savory over doing something like a bakery given his pastry chef background, when he knew the timing was right to open his own restaurant, why the location for Camaraderie was the right spot, the story behind the name, why they're kinda doing both a tasting menu and an a la carte menu, developing the prefix menu, the work/life balance, 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 456 - Chardon and Yuston's Apr 01, 2025

Show notes

On today's episode Eric is joined by Mary Clarkson to discuss some of the latest happenings from the Houston restaurant/bar scene. Eric and Mary speak about the recent closings of both Auden and Mi Cocina, whether there's been an actual of rash of closings as of late, Dallas restaurants making their way to Houston, and the Kahani Social Group's latest concept Kitchen Rumors. In the Restaurants of the Week portion Chardon and Yuston's 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 455 - Suu Khin of Burmalicious Mar 27, 2025

Show notes

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Suu Khin of Burmalicious. Suu speaks with Eric about how Burmese cuisine is different from other southeast Asian food, starting her food blog, how she got on Master Chef, her experience being on the show, doing the show in the midst of the pandemic, meeting each other for the first time, sharing her Burmese heritage through her food, working with Cucharita for the Burmalicious pop-ups, being nominated for a James Beard award, her goals, the possibility of opening her own establishment, 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 454 - Annam & a Trip to Redbird BBQ Mar 25, 2025

Show notes

On today's podcast Eric is joined by Michael Fulmer to go through some of the latest news happening across the Houston restaurant/bar scene. Eric and Michael discuss Shawn Gawle's new restaurant Camaraderie, the space that once held Flying Fish transforming into a new cocktail bar called The Kid, and Eric's road trip to Redbird BBQ. In the Restaurants of the Week portion Annam 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 453 - Casey McNeil of Case Chocolates Mar 20, 2025

Show notes

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Casey McNeil of Case Chocolates. Casey speaks with Eric about how he got started down the chocolate career path, the early days of his career, learning how to make chocolates with liquid centers, why he decided to open a speakeasy, wanting to tell a story with cacao, returning customers, plans for the future, 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 452 - Maximo Mar 18, 2025

Show notes

Monica Danna is back on the podcast! Eric and Monica catch up a bit and then dive into some of the latest news from the Houston bar and restaurant scene. The duo discuss Matt Toomey opening a brick and mortar location of Little Dreamer Coffee in Montrose, Jeff Harmon bringing a new venture to Montrose called Montrose Country Club (if you're thinking about going there for golf you'd be wrong to do so), and the interesting 3D animated dinner presentation coming to the InterContinental Houston hotel called La Petit Chef. In the Restaurants of the Week section Maximo 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 451 - Kripa and Kirthan Shenoy of Auden & EaDough Mar 13, 2025

Show notes

On the podcast today, Eric is joined by Kripa and Kirthan Shenoy of Auden & EaDough. The couple speak with Eric about they first met, how they both got into their respective culinary careers, the decision to comeback to Houston after working in New York, how the ideas for their concepts grew organically, creating EaDough, how the pandemic affected the initial stages of the bakery, developing the EaDough menu, what makes a good muffin, creating Auden, how's it's grown to become what is now, how the menu has changed in the year and a half the concept's been open, their goals for Auden, whether expansion plans are in their future, possible future concepts, 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:

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

What’s Eric Eating

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected