On today's podcast Eric is joined by frequent cohost Mary Clarkson. The pair dive into some of the latest news from the Houston restaurant and bar scene including chef Christian Hernandez bringing his new restaurant Barbacana to downtown Houston and country music star Koe Wetzel bringing a new location of his Koe Wetzel's Riot Room to Houston. In the Restaurants of the Week portion, Birdie's and Nickel City are featured.   

ICYMI: On episode 375, Michael Posey of Wild Sol stopped by the podcast and surprised listeners with a treat. Any What's Eric Eating podcast listener can get a 20% discount on Wild Sol's website at checkout. All listeners have to do is head over to Wild Sol's website, wildsol.co, and then click on shop now. Once you've selected your salsas, go to checkout, and use promo code ERICSANDLER for a 20% discount. It's seriously that easy, so visit Wild Sol's website today and use promo code ERICSANDLER at checkout for a 20% discount. 

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

• Houston Chef with Michelin-Starred Resumé Plans Ambitious New Downtown Restaurant
• Montrose Pizzeria Known for '90's Vibes and Late Night Hours Suddenly Shutters
• Street-Style Taco Shop's Baybrook-Area Location Sets Opening Date
• Proprietor of Smash Hit Seafood Spot Revives Cult Favorite Galveston Taco Shop
• Social Club Devoted to Activities Relocates to Spring with Drinks and BBQ
• Bun B and Alex Bregman Team Up for Limited Time Only Smash Tacos

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Michael Posey of Wild Sol. Michael speaks with Eric about how he began working with Alex Bregman, why they decided to transition off the Breggy Bomb branding, what Wild Sol is, how Wild Sol is different from other salsas out there on the shelves, how involved Alex and Reagan Bregman's involvement, the flavor depth of Wild Sol's salsas, the collaboration with Trill Burgers, whether future collaborations are in the plans, what's next for Wild Sol, the future if/when Alex Bregman leaves the team, working to become a national brand, and much more!

For listeners wanting to try some Wild Sol salsa visit their website wildsol.co today. When you do, click on shop now, and then once you're done go to checkout and use code ERICSANDLER for a 20% discount on your order! It's that easy!   

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

• Growing Houston Beer Brand Claims Prime Sawyer Yards Brewery and Taproom
• Posh Mexican Steakhouse Arrives in Houston with Wagyu Beef and Parkside Views
• Astros Pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. Opens Coffee Shop & Bar at Stylish New Houston Hotel
• Houston Chef with Michelin-Starred Resumé Plans Ambitious New Downtown Restaurant
• LA Bar Vets Open Casually Stylish New Cocktail Lounge in Montrose

Today on the podcast Eric is joined by Michael Fulmer to go through some of the latest happenings from the Houston restaurant and bar scene. The guys discuss Gulf Coast Distillers' announcement that they're taking over the former Buffalo Bayou Brewing Company facility for their Tejas Beer brand, Noble 33 saying their luxury steakhouse Toca Madera will be opening in Houston in June, and Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr.'s new coffee shop and bar opening in the Thompson Hotel. In the Restaurants of the Week portion Late August and The Pit Room are featured. 

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

• Growing Houston Beer Brand Claims Prime Sawyer Yards Brewery and Taproom
• Posh Mexican Steakhouse Arrives in Houston with Wagyu Beef and Parkside Views
• Astros Pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. Opens Coffee Shop & Bar at Stylish New Houston Hotel
• Houston Chef with Michelin-Starred Resumé Plans Ambitious New Downtown Restaurant
• LA Bar Vets Open Casually Stylish New Cocktail Lounge in Montrose

Today on the show Eric is joined by Brock Wagner of Saint Arnold Brewing Company. It's Saint Arnold Brewing's 30th anniversary this year so Brock takes Eric back down memory lane to discuss the early days of Saint Arnold Brewing. The guys talk about how hard it was starting up a craft beer company 30 years ago, doing tastings at grocery stores, when Brock knew he had something with the company, making the move to downtown, getting the law changed to be able to sell directly to customers, opening the restaurant, building the Saint Arnold army, getting involved with the Art Car Parade, the planning of live events, the current state of the brewery, their brief time with seltzers, the craft beer landscape currently, what's next for Saint Arnold Brewing, and much more! 

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

• Saint Arnold Toasts 30 Years with Festival Featuring 4 Houston Music Stars
• LA Bar Vets Open Casually Stylish New Cocktail Lounge in Montrose
• Astros Pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. Opens Coffee Shop & Bar at Stylish New Houston Hotel
• Guy Fieri-Approved Montrose BBQ Joint Opens Massive Memorial City Location
• Aaron Bludorn's New Restaurant Checks in to Upcoming Montrose Boutique Hotel
• Viral Sonic the Hedgehog Pop-Up Cafe Takes Over Katy Burger Joint for 3 Months

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, 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 [email protected]. Check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com:

• Aaron Bludorn's New Restaurant Checks in to Upcoming Montrose Boutique Hotel
• Houston's Smash Hit Detroit Pizzeria Shines with New Bellaire Location
• Landmark Rice Village Restaurant Cancels Relocation Plans - Will Shutter Instead
• Viral Sonic the Hedgehog Pop-Up Cafe Takes Over Katy Burger Joint for 3 Months
• Houston's Tropical, Adults-Only Pool Bar Dips into 2024 with New Cocktails
• New Orleans-Based Brewery Suddenly Shutters Sawyer Yards Taproom

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 [email protected]. Check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com:

• Landmark Rice Village Restaurant Cancels Relocation Plans - Will Shutter Instead
• Houston's Smash Hit Detroit Pizzeria Shines with New Bellaire Location
• Saint Arnold Toasts 30 Years with Festival Featuring 4 Houston Music Stars
• New Orleans-Based Brewery Suddenly Shutters Sawyer Yards Taproom
• Vegas-Inspired Cocktail Lounge Takes Flight in Shady Acres Office Building
• Top 10 Houston Restaurants Crafting Modern and Traditional Caviar Creations

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 Maximo are featured. 

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

• Houston Restaurant Known for Gluten-Free Eats Adds New Location in Memorial Park
• Inventive New Heights Restaurant Blends European Flavors with Texas Traditions
• Vegas-Inspired Cocktail Lounge Takes Flight in Shady Acres Office Building
• Saint Arnold Toasts 30 Years with Festival Featuring 4 Houston Music Stars
• Houston's Smash Hit Detroit Pizzeria Shines with New Bellaire Location
• New Orleans-Based Brewery Suddenly Shutters Sawyer Yards Taproom

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 [email protected]. Check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com:

• Top 10 Houston Restaurants Crafting Modern and Traditional Caviar Creations
• Inventive New Heights Restaurant Blends European Flavors with Texas Traditions
• Houston Restaurant Known for Gluten-Free Eats Adds New Location in Memorial Park
• Local Foods' Bigger, Better Galleria Location Opens with Covered Patio and More Wine
• Houston's Cheeky New Mini Golf Course and Restaurant Tees off This Week
• Houston Billionaire Tilman Fertitta Buys More Than 5 Acres of Galleria-Area Properties

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 [email protected]. Check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com:

• Bakery Known for Houston's Best Croissants Rolls into The Heights
• New Sugar Land Food Festival Features More than 30 Houston-Area Chefs
• Tilman Fertitta's Master Chef Receives Prestigious French Agriculture Award
• Houston Developer Plans Major Changes for Historic Westheimer Properties
• Local Foods' Bigger, Better Galleria Location Opens with Covered Patio and More Wine
• Local Foods Owner Maximizes Tacos at Newly-Opened Modern Mexican Restaurant in West U.

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 [email protected]. Check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com:

• Only 1 Houston Chef Named a Finalist in the James Beard Awards
• Favorite Houston BBQ Joint Picks Prime Inner Loop Diner for New Location
• Ben Berg Bringing 3 New Restaurants to 2 Downtown Office Buildings
• Healthy-Eating Houston Restaurant Sets Opening Date for New Tanglewood Location
• Former Ninfa's Chef Finds New Home at Prolific Houston Restaurant Group
• Memorial City's New Texas-Inspired Restaurant Goes Haywire Beginning Next Month

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 [email protected]. Check out some of his latest articles at Culturemap.com:

• Only 1 Houston Chef Named a Finalist in the James Beard Awards
• Favorite Houston BBQ Joint Picks Prime Inner Loop Diner for New Location
• Ben Berg Bringing 3 New Restaurants to 2 Downtown Office Buildings
• Healthy-Eating Houston Restaurant Sets Opening Date for New Tanglewood Location
• Former Ninfa's Chef Finds New Home at Prolific Houston Restaurant Group
• Memorial City's New Texas-Inspired Restaurant Goes Haywire Beginning Next Month