What's Eric Eating - TopPodcast.com

Latest Episodes:

Episode 410 - State of Grace Oct 01, 2024

Show notes

On today's edition of the podcast, Eric is joined by Mary Clarkson to discuss the latest happenings from the Houston restaurant and bar scene, including several notable restaurant closings including Benny Chows, HiWay Cantina, and Vinny's Pizza.
Montrose area restaurant Andiron deciding to change up their concept to something more relaxed.
The New York Times including Seabrook restaurant Viola and Agnes in their 50 favorite restaurants of the year!
And in the Restaurants of the Week portion, State of Grace 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 409 - Ford Fry and Bobby Matos of Rocket Farm Restaurants Sep 26, 2024

Show notes

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Ford Fry and Bobby Matos of Rocket Farm Restaurants, the hospitality group behind local concepts State of Grace, La Lucha, Superica, and Little Rey. The guys speak with Eric about why they decided now was the time to change things up at State of Grace, how they've changed the menu at State of Grace, the response from customers regarding the changes, whether their Atlanta concept Marcel influenced the new State of Grace menu, the inspiration behind Little Rey, why the decided to bring Little Rey to Houston, the wood fire powered grill that's behind the food at Little Rey, what makes Little Rey's chicken wings some of the best in the city, 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 408 - Drake's Hollywood and Októ Sep 24, 2024

Show notes

Today Eric's joined by Monica Danna to go through the some of the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including Ronnie Killen's announcement of the closure of Killen's STQ, Katz's opening a new location in the Memorial City area, and Loro's 2nd Houston location has an opening date. In the Restaurant of the Week portion Eric and Monica are joined by special guest, Lawton Driscoll. The trio discuss Drake's Hollywood and Októ.
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 407 - Ope Amosu of ChòpnBlọk Sep 12, 2024

Show notes

Today on the show, Eric is joined by Ope Amosu of ChòpnBlọk. Ope and Eric discuss Opeyemi's journey from the pop up he held in an apartment complex years ago to now opening his first brick & mortar location of ChòpnBlọk. Plus, Ope speaks with Eric about why the space in Montrose was the right spot for him, the design of the location, the references/symbolism made within it's design, what customers can expect with the new expanded food menu, the beverage program, what they're planning for brunch, finding out about the James Beard Award nomination, 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 406 - Kira Sep 10, 2024

Show notes

On today's edition of the podcast, Eric is joined by Mary Clarkson to discuss the latest happenings from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including Underbelly Hospitality closing Wild Oats, Nando's Peri-Peri claiming it's 3rd Houston area location, and Postino WineCafé adding it's first ever cocktail menu. In the Restaurants of the Week portion, Kira 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 405 - Bobby Heugel of Thorough Fare Hospitality Sep 05, 2024

Show notes

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Bobby Heugel of Thorough Fare Hospitality for in-depth conversation regarding the pricing structure at restaurants and bars. Bobby and Eric speak about the differences now versus pre-pandemic, the cost of goods, the cumulative effects of alcohol/food inflation, the rise of labor costs, what a personal guarantee for lease means for people behind restaurant concepts, why Bobby is wary of real estate prices right now, why Houston needs to rethink parking requirements, the deterioration of who's owning restaurants, the financial hurdles that hurt businesses today, the struggle of the lunch in Houston, vibe dining, the investment needed to open a simple bar/restaurant nowadays, cocktail prices, the hardest concepts to open right now, what the future possibly holds, and more! Plus, they discuss how things have been going at Catbirds since Thorough Fare Hospitality took over operations of the concept last year.
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 404 - Thai Tail and Ramen Moto Sep 03, 2024

Show notes

On today's podcast Eric is joined by Chelsea Thomas of The Infatuation Houston to talk about some of the latest happenings from the Houston restaurant and bar scene. The pair discuss the closure of 2 Houston area Shake Shack locations and Houston Restaurant Weeks extending through the end of September. In the Restaurants of the Week portion Thai Tail and Ramen Moto 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 403 - Manabu “Hori” Horiuchi and Ryan Snyder of Katami Aug 29, 2024

Show notes

On today's edition of the show, Eric is joined by Manabu “Hori” Horiuchi and Ryan Snyder of Katami. The guys cover a range of topics with Eric, including how Ryan and Hori-san first met, what Ryan learned early on from Hori-san, why Hori-san left for Kata Robata, the beginnings of Kata Robata, what went into the decision to evolve into doing something new with a new restaurant, what makes Katami different from Kata Robata, the big risk they took with their sake program, what Hori-san took away from his time in Japan in preparing for Katami, why dry-aging fish is a no-go for them, how customers have responded so far to Katami, the omakase experience coming to the restaurant, what the local/national recognition that Katami has received means to them, the possibility of getting a Michelin star, 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 402 - Granger's and Balboa Surf Club Aug 27, 2024

Show notes

Today on the podcast, Eric is joined by Michael Fulmer to go through some of the latest headlines from the Houston restaurant and bar scene. The pair speak about State of Grace undergoing some major changes, Southern Living's list of The South's Best New Barbecue Joints of 2024 that included 5 Texas spots, and European coffee shop Coffee Fellows' announcement of 4 new locations coming to Houston. In the Restaurants of the Week portion Granger's and Balboa Surf Club 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 401- Lance McCullers Jr., Nico Baizán de Aldecoa, & Juan Carlos Martinez de Aldecoa of Maven Coffee + Cocktails Aug 22, 2024

Show notes

On today's edition of the show, Eric is joined by Lance McCullers Jr., Nico Baizán de Aldecoa, & Juan Carlos Martinez de Aldecoa of Maven Coffee + Cocktails. The guys speak with Eric about the development of Maven, why Lance decided to pursue this as a venture outside of baseball, Juan Carlos' family's long legacy in coffee, how they went about this process backwards in a way, the elements of a great coffee shop they wanted to include into Maven, how Nico got involved with the concept, elevating the food experience customers get at Maven compared to other coffee shops, how the Thompson Hotel became one of their locations, why Silver Street was the best location for their first brick + mortar location, they approach they're making with the food menu at their Silver Street location, bringing Nina Quincy on, Michelin coming to Texas, and more! Plus, Lance's shares a bit about his future with the Astros and the city of 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:

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