After a successful first week, CultureMap's new food podcast "What's Eric Eating" returns for its second episode.
To open the show, food editor Eric Sandler and his co-host, restaurant consultant Nathan Ketcham, discuss the significance of Hugo Ortega'sJames Beard Award victory and make some predications about which Houston chefs could be next. Then they contemplate whether the city needs 25 locations of New Orleans-based hot dog joint Dat Dog.
Next, the duo turn to the news that controversial Austin chef Paul Qui has hired two local chefs to oversee his upcoming Montrose restaurant, Aqui. As they discuss CultureMap's latest list of new patios to try, Ketcham explains why restaurateurs love patios almost as much as diners do.
In the Restaurantsof the Week segment, Ketcham and Sandler discuss three recently-opened restaurants with Austin roots — Ramen Tatsu-ya, Dolce Neve, and Tacodeli — and debate which are worth lining up for.
Finally, Sandler and acclaimed Houston chef Ronnie Killen sit down for an in-depth chat about his struggles to get Killen's Burgers perfected. As Killen prepares to celebrate the restaurant's first anniversary on May 28 with another free burger giveaway, he explains what remains to be done before he can begin to franchise the concept.
After discussing the success of Killen's STQ, the chef turns to what's next, and he reveals exclusive details about the possibility of bringing Killen's Barbecue to Austin with a location at Lakeway (his comments come a little after the 42-minute mark). The conversation concludes with Killen's thoughts on the upcoming ranking of the state's top 50 barbecue joints by Texas Monthly and what he told Houston Texans superstar JJ Watt when he tried to get a table at STQ (that comes at the 49 minute mark).
Don't miss a single episode. Subscribe to What's Eric Eating on iTunes. If you like what you hear, be sure to rate it and leave a comment.
Ronnie Killen is the featured guest on this week's episode of "What's Eric Eating."
