What's Eric Eating - TopPodcast.com

Latest Episodes:

Episode 590 - Aaron Bludorn of Bludorn Hospitality Group Oct 01, 2026

Show notes

Aaron Bludorn is back on the podcast!

He joins Eric today to discuss the opening of a 2nd location of Bar Bludorn, why the Woodlands was the right spot for the 2nd location of the concept, why he decided to go with a 2nd location of Bar Bludorn rather than go with a new concept or a new location of one of the other Bludorn Hospitality Group concepts, the food options at the 2nd location versus the 1st location, what the community is saying ahead of Bar Bludorn's opening, the team at the location, whether the perception of The Woodlands is changing from a lackluster food destination to more of a hot spot, and more!

Plus, Aaron speaks with Eric about how things are going for the hospitality group as a whole, Houston's strength as a dining community, plans for anything outside of the city, working with the Houston Texans, and the work he's doing with C•CAP.

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

Episode 589 - Mack Allen's Sep 29, 2026

Show notes

This week Mary Clarkson joins Eric to discuss:

News on restaurants Southern Jerks, BARI Ristorante, and more!
Restaurant of the Week - Fine dining steakhouse Mack Allen's

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

Episode 588 - Brian Gendron from The Riot Comedy Club Sep 24, 2026

Show notes

What's Eric Eating with host Eric Sandler!

This week's special guest is Brian Gendron, the owner of The Riot Comedy Club!

Eric and Brian discussed how he got his start in comedy, some of the comedy legends who have stood on their stage, changing locations to a new spot on Washington Ave, their new food service, and more!
Got a question for Eric? Email him at eric@culturemap.com. Follow Eric on Instagram @ericsandler and check out some of Eric's latest articles online at Culturemap.com:

Episode 587 - Exilio Latin Flair, and Food and Wine Best New Chef Sep 22, 2026

Show notes

What's Eric Eating with host Eric Sandler! This week he's joined by special guest Rafael Nasr, the founder of Craft Pita!

This week the pair discussed...

Food & Wine naming Houston chef Lucas McKinney their best new chef
Picos has found a new home, on Westheimer
Hamari sushi coming to Briar Grove
And Rafael has a new pop up, with a Peruvian-Chinese fusion menu!

PLUS, restaurant of the week - Exilio Latin Flair

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

Episode 586 - Joe Cervantez and Raz Halili of Parkwood American Grille & Pier 6 Seafood Sep 17, 2026

Show notes

Joe Cervantez and Raz Halili of Parkwood American Grille and Pier 6 Seafood & Oyster House join Eric on the podcast today. The pair speak with Eric about the initial idea of the Parkwood American Grille concept, why this style of cuisine, developing the menu, building the steak program, the vast array of caviar options on the menu, making chicken nuggets in house, balancing the steaks/seafood at the concept, the secret to great fried shrimp, increasing their sushi options, working with the Ladies of Libation on their cocktail program, what inspired the design of the restaurant, how things are going so far, and more! Plus, Joe and Raz give an update on how things are going at Pier 6, what's going on over in Galveston with Fish Company Taco, possible future concepts, and they hear Eric's pitch for a restaurant concept that could work here in Houston... or be a complete bust... you be the judge.

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

Episode 585 - Parkwood American Grille and chrôma Sep 15, 2026

Show notes

Felice Sloan, a.k.a. The Swanky Maven, is back! Felice joins Eric to discuss some of the latest happenings from the Houston food scene including H&H Bagels opening their first Houston location, Ronnie Killen's push to get a Michelin Star, and the closure of the final remnants of Underbelly Hospitality. In the Restaurants of the Week portion Parkwood American Grille and chrôma are featured.

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

Episode 584 - Douglas Rodriguez and Pedro Teyuca of Exilio Latin Flair Sep 10, 2026

Show notes

Today on the podcast, Eric is joined by Douglas Rodriguez and Pedro Teyuca of Exilio Latin Flair. Pedro was unable to join for the first portion of the podcast so Douglas speaks with Eric about his career, where it's taken him, why he came to Houston, getting the "Godfather of Nuevo Latino Cuisine" moniker, winning a the James Beard Rising Star Chef Award back in 1996, redesigning the menu at Exilio to reflect his style, and being on the hunt for marlin. Then Pedro joins the discussion and speaks about why Douglas was the right fit, why Exilio was the right next step for the company, their service standards, and more. Plus, the group discuss the must have dishes on the menu, their goals, and Pedro drops some exclusive breaking news.

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

Episode 583 - Eastbound Barbecue, Willow's Smokehouse & Tavern, and Terry Black's BBQ Sep 08, 2026

Show notes

It's a Post Labor Day edition of What's Eric Eating! Today Eric is joined by Houston BBQ Festival co-founder Michael Fulmer to discuss some of the latest happenings from the Houston food scene. The pair speak about the decision by Pappas Restaurants to close the original location of Pappasito's and Graham Laborde's new gulf coast seafood concept called Little Bird. Then in the Restaurants of the Week portion, the focus is on the mini barbecue boom of 2026. The guys speak about 3 relatively recent openings including; Eastbound Barbecue, Willow's Smokehouse & Tavern, and Terry Black's BBQ.

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

Episode 582 - Juan Antonio Hernandez and Aquiles Chávez of Pochitos Mariscos y Más Sep 03, 2026

Show notes

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Juan Antonio Hernandez, a.k.a. Tony, and Aquiles Chávez of Pochitos Mariscos y Más. The duo speak with Eric about working together, where the name of the concept came from, creating the new menu for Pochitos Mariscos y Más, the fusion of ideas in creating some of the menu items, the origin story of the sushi hot dog, Aquiles being happy to be back in Houston for this project, goals, and more. Plus, Aquiles speaks about what he's been up to, Tony shares what took him from music to the restaurant business, having stars do TikTok dances to his music, and more.

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

Episode 581 - The Audrey & a Food Critic Learns about Real World Prices Sep 01, 2026

Show notes

Chelsea Thomas is back on the podcast today to speak with Eric about all the latest happenings and annoying things happening in the Houston food scene. The pair discuss Pizzaro's expanding with 2 new locations and CultureMap contributor Brianna McClane's Steak Night Round Up article. In the Restaurants of the Week portion, The Audrey is featured. Then the duo react/discuss former Houston Chronicle Food Critic Alison Cook's recent blog post regarding her ~~recent~~ experience at Osteria di Mercato. Was she fair in her critiques? Eric and Chelsea, say nope... not at all.
Got a question for Eric? Email him at eric@culturemap.com. Follow Eric on Instagram @ericsandler and check out some of Eric's latest articles online at Culturemap.com:

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