What's Eric Eating Episode 68

Get the scoop on Houston's sexy new seafood spot, plus a tasty West African pop-up

On this week's episode of "What's Eric Eating," Sambrooks hospitality owner Michael Sambrooks and director of operations Steve Breaker join CultureMap food editor to discuss their newly formed restaurant group, Sambrooks Hospitality. Known as the owner of Montrose barbecue joint The Pit Room, Sambrooks recently acquired Pi Pizza, Lee's Fried Chicken & Donuts, and Star Fish from Cherry Pie Hospitality.

Sambrooks and Breaker begin by discussing their entrance into the hospitality industry and how their paths crossed at Reef, where Sambrooks worked as a server and Breaker served as a manager. From there, Sambrooks started The Pit Room, which earned a spot on Texas Monthly's list of the state's 50 best barbecue joints courtesy of its creative blend of Central Texas-style smoked meats with Tex-Mex touches like queso and tortillas made with smoked brisket fat.

Finally, the two discuss their plans for the new acquisitions. While Sambrooks and Breaker have only minor changes planned for Lee's (starting with a new neon sign) and Pi Pizza (Chicago-style deep dish and more sandwiches), bigger changes are coming to Star Fish.

"We want to make that a flagship, high-end restaurant for our group that is going to express our personalities, our style of food, the things that we want to see on a high-end seafood menu," Sambrooks says. "It's probably going to be a total redo — nothing wrong with what was there before — but we want to show what we would like to see in that style of concept. We've got a lot of ideas on how that's going to look. Instead of bigger plates, it's probably going to be more simple, elegant plates with a few components . . . We might do a little minor construction of the interior. The team so far has been great helping us out with the transition."

Prior to Sambrooks and Breaker joining the show, Sandler and co-host Megha Tejpal discuss the news of the week. Their topics include the revelation that celebrity chef Jonathan Waxman will be opening a cafe at Bellaire's new H-E-B, Adair Concepts takeover of the restaurant at Evelyn's Park, Robert Del Grande's new menu at The Hobby Center's new restaurant Diana American Grill, and Delicious Concepts owner Ken Bridge's purchase of a Bentley with bitcoin.

In the restaurants of the week segment, Tejpal and Sandler describe their experience at ChòpnBlọk, a pop-up series that's serving as a test kitchen for a forthcoming fast casual restaurant that aims to bring West African flavors into the mainstream. They rate the positives and negatives of their meal and discuss whether the concept is likely to achieve its goal of becoming the West African equivalent of Local Foods. In addition, they share some first impressions of the new breakfast offerings at BuffBurger.

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Sambrooks is best known as the owner of The Pit Room.

Photo by Eric Sandler

Sambrooks is best known as the owner of The Pit Room.

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ps, we're closed

Houston's most pretty-in-pink restaurant quietly closes in Upper Kirby

Photo by Jenn Duncan

You'll see a lot of pink at PostScript.

PostScript, Upper Kirby’ posh pink restaurant, has quietly closed, CultureMap has learned.

Although the restaurant is still accepting reservations on OpenTable — and is, as of this article’s publication, listed as open on both Yelp and Google — reports circulated on social media this weekend that it had abruptly canceled diners’ Mother’s Day reservations. In addition, its dining room in the Shops at Arrive mixed-use development has been emptied of furniture.

[Update: After the publication of this article, PostScript's management provided CultureMap with the following statement:

We are saddened to announce the closure of PostScript HTX.

We sincerely thank our patrons for their loyalty and support. It has been an honor to serve you and be part of your special moments. The people and culture in Houston are first class. We wish you all the best and hope our paths cross again in the future.]

PostScript opened with considerable fanfare in February 2024. Owners Veeral Rathod and Obi Ibeto, brought their experiences as partners in the Dallas-based GAP Hospitality to the project, which operates establishments such as XOXO Dining Room, Lyla, and Drai’s Dallas. Particularly inspired by XOXO Dining Room, they created an ode to pink that included pink exterior and interior walls, a pink quartz bar, and a pink grand piano. “Push for Champagne” buttons added to the lively spirit.

Chef Bryan Caswell created the menu. Best known for his pioneering Gulf Coast seafood restaurant Reef that closed in 2019, Caswell’s menu included fried chicken with hummus, oysters three ways (raw, roasted, and fried), a sushi roll, and the double smoked pork chop that was a Reef staple. A doughnut topped with caviar became a customer favorite.

Since Caswell was only consulting on the project, he left a couple of months after opening. Latuli, Caswell’s new Gulf Coast-inspired restaurant in the Memorial area, is expected to open soon.

CultureMap has reached out to PostScript via email, phone, and Instagram message for comment on the decision to close the restaurant. We will update this article if they reply.

PostScript’s closure follows that of Cru, which ended a 13-year run in December 2024. On the other hand, Kira, a sushi hand roll concept from Houston’s Comma Hospitality that’s also located in the development, is thriving, having earned the No. 4 spot on Texas Monthly’s list of the state’s best new restaurants. The development is also home to beloved Indian restaurant Pondicheri, an outpost of the steakhouse chain Eddie V’s, and top tier Houston shopping destination Tootsie’s.

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