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    What's Eric Eating Episode 82

    Talented Houston chef approaches 1 million tacos sold, plus a fresh fish story

    CultureMap Staff
    Jan 11, 2019 | 11:30 am

    On this week's episode of "What's Eric Eating," Ramon Soriano Tomka joins CultureMap food editor Eric Sandler to discuss La Calle Tacos & Tortas. Tomka begins the conversation by explaining how a career working for corporate restaurants led him from Mexico City to the United States and, eventually, to Houston where he opened his downtown restaurant in 2016.

    Tomka opened La Calle (Spanish for "the street") to serve the authentic street-style tacos and tortas he grew up eating. Two years in, the restaurant has been a hit. Sometime soon, Tomka says he will sell his 1,000,000th taco. Between now and then, he's holding a contest for people to guess the exact number sold; the winner will receive 1,000 tacos.

    He credits a significant portion of La Calle's success to social media, especially Facebook, where over 17,000 people have liked the restaurant's page. Sandler asks Tomka about his strategy for social media.

    "What does work is just to be extremely participant. Every single day I post about something. What works the best is when you post something and you see it's getting traction . . . boost it. That's what has worked the most," Tomka says. "What doesn't work is just posting about your business and trying to sell. Post about other things. I frequently post memes that have nothing to do with it. I post about food from other places, even my competition. I think people appreciate that."

    Prior to Tomka's interview, Avondale Food & Wine owner Mary Clarkson joins Sandler to discuss the news of the week. Their topics include the closings of Cane Rosso's Montrose location and the Canino Produce Company, Steve and Shaun Sharma's purchase of Vara's Sports Bar, and the unusual way celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern eats crawfish. In the restaurants of the week segment, the hosts discuss their meal at Flying Fish, a new seafood restaurant in the Heights, and Sandler shares some first impressions of Blood Bros. BBQ.

    ---

    Subscribe to "What's Eric Eating" on iTunes, Google Play, or Spotify. Listen to it every Saturday at 11 am on SportsMap 94.1.

    La Calle serves authentic, Mexico City-style tacos and tortas.

    La Calle tacos and tortas
      
    La Calle/Facebook
    La Calle serves authentic, Mexico City-style tacos and tortas.
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    a fresh start

    Award-winning Houston cocktail bar diverts to new home in Montrose

    Eric Sandler
    Jun 12, 2025 | 5:00 pm
    Diversion cocktail bar Montrose
    Photo by Manoah Rodriguez
    The Vilanova Ritual is prepared tableside in a teapot.

    An award-winning Houston cocktail bar has found a new home. Diversión will reopen Thursday, June 19 in Montrose’s food-focused Harlow District development.

    Located at 1226 W Clay Street, Diversión Montrose will occupy one of the two houses that comprise Emma Jane, the European-inspired teahouse that opened last year. It replaces the original location of Diversión that opened in early 2021 in Spring Branch. Both Diversión’s original location and Degust, its companion tasting menu restaurant, quietly closed last year.

    Known for its polished service and elaborate cocktails, Esquire magazine named Diversión’s original iteration to its list of the Best New Bar in America for 2022. That ethos has been “refreshed” to be “a more intimate and playful setting,” according to press materials.

    Patrons will find a new cocktail menu that includes drinks such as the Operation: ‘White Flame’ (vodka, dry vermouth, Earl Grey, and caviar); the Sand Dollar Beach, an on-trend mini martini; and the Vilanova Ritual, which is prepared for two people in one of Emma Jane’s signature tea pots. Food options include Korean fried chicken, a Japanese-style mushroom salad (sunomono), and caviar service with crème fraiche dip, soy caramel, and crepes.

    While the original Diversión required a special trip to Spring Branch, the new one could be one stop on an evening in the Harlow District. Located on the property that served as the home to treasured Italian restaurants Nino's, Vincent's, and Grappino di Nino, the development now includes upscale Italian restaurant La Griglia, premier sushi spot Katami, and lively patio bar Verde Garden.

    Diversión will be open Tuesday-Sunday from 5 pm-1 am.


    Diversion cocktail bar Montrose
      

    Photo by Manoah Rodriguez

    The Vilanova Ritual is prepared tableside in a teapot.

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