On today's episode Eric is joined by the Swanky Maven herself Felice Sloan to discuss some of the latest happenings in the Houston restaurant and bar scene. The duo speak about the new concept coming from Aaron Bludorn and his team, Gold Tooth Tony's heading to Bellaire for it's second location, houston.com/">Prego's surprising announcement that they will now close instead of relocating, and Craft Burger in Katy being taken over by a blue hedgehog... yes that blue hedgehog... gotta go fast! In the Restaurants of the Week section, MF Lobster & Ceviche 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:

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Patrick Pham and Daniel Lee of Duckstache Hospitality. The guys speak with Eric about how they got into their respective culinary careers, what brought them together, how they came up with the idea for Kokoro, why Kokoro has proven to be a staple of Bravery Chef Hall while other concepts in the food hall have come and gone, developing Handies Douzo, what they do different with their menu at Handies Douzo compared to other handroll concepts, the secret design to Handies Douzo, how Aiko differs from their other concepts, Aiko being an affordable date spot, how the concept for Himari came together from one of their own long time chefs Tye Nguyễn, the neighborhood's response to Himari so far, what took them to Dubai to open another Kokoro, their experience bringing Doku and Bar Doku to Autry Park, their future plans, 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:

On today's edition of What's Eric Eating, Eric is joined by Monica Danna to discuss some of the latest new from the Houston restaurant and bar scene. Monica and Eric discuss Vibrant's new location in Memorial Park, the soon to be open restaurant called Blue Tuba that's not quite like anything Houston has seen before, and the new cocktail lounge called Plume that's opening soon in Shady Acres. In the Restaurants of the Week portion, Little Rey and htx.com/">Maximo 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:

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Nina Quincy and Sarah Dowling of Underbelly Hospitality. Nina and Sarah speak with Eric about how their respective career paths that led them to Underbelly Hospitality, what the transition period was like at Underbelly following the departure of Chris Shepherd, the current state of Underbelly Hospitality, how things have changed at Georgia James with their new chef making the restaurant more approachable, Sarah's amazing ability to pick the right wine every time, why Underbelly decided to close Pastore Italian Kitchen, what's happening at Wild Oats, the latest with Comalito, what's next for Underbelly, the goals for the beverage programs, 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:

On today's podcast Eric is joined by Chelsea Thomas of The Infatuation Houston to dive into some of the latest happenings from the Houston restaurant and bar scene. Eric and Chelsea discuss Magnol French Baking's announcement of their new location in the Heights, Arizona based breakfast concept Hash Kitchen bringing multiple locations to Houston, and Bazaar Food and Wine, Houston's newest food festival, debuting with more than 30 Houston area chefs. In the Restaurants of the Week section, EMA 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:

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Evelyn Garcia and Henry Lu of JŪN. Evelyn and Henry speak with Eric about why the spot on 20th street was the right location for JŪN, what convinced Henry to come to Texas for this concept, the development of the menu, their time working pop-ups together, the moment things got real for them, what Henry has learned so far about the Houston culinary scene as well as what rodeo season means for businesses, how they've appealed to the neighborhood, Evelyn's post Top Chef season 19 life, the creation of their blood sausage dish, what the recognition means to them, the potentials for expansion, and more! Plus Henry's first time going through the 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:

On the podcast today Eric is joined by Mary Clarkson to go through some of the latest news hitting the Houston restaurant and bar scene. The pair discuss Emmanuel Chavez of Tatemó being the only chef of the 11 Houston semifinalists to be named a James Beard award finalist this year, the announced 2nd location of Pinkerton's Barbecue, and Ben Berg's big push into downtown with 3 new restaurants. In the Restaurants of the Week portion Bar Bludorn and Magdalena's Trattoria & Pizzeria 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:

Last week the Houston culinary scene lost one of it's most prominent chef's, Alex Au-Yeung. Alex, the owner of Phat Eatery, passed away due to cancer on March 21st at the age of 52. Today's episode is dedicated to him and celebrating his memory. Eric alongside Terry Wong, Stevie Vu, Isabel Protomartir, Felice Sloan, Thomas Nguyen, and Abbas Dhanani, share stories and memories of Alex. Plus they discuss his focus on community, uplifting others, his lasting impact on the Houston food scene, and the legacy he leaves behind. In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donations in Alex’s honor to the Southern Smoke Foundation to support hospitality workers in need.

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Michael Fulmer from the Houston BBQ Festival! Eric and Michael discussed...

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:

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Travis Tober and Karole Hardwick of Nickel City. The pair speak with Eric about their respective careers in the bar industry, how Travis' travels with Aviation Gin influenced his idea for Nickel City, why they decided to bring Nickel City to Houston, opening the first Nickel City in Austin, Karole's biggest adjustment coming from a fine dining steakhouse to Nickel City, developing the beverage program, keeping up in these agave times, the cheese curds, the programming they offer, the goals for Nickel City, the possibility of bringing other concepts to Houston, and so 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: