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    What's Eric Eating Episode 5

    All-BBQ edition of What's Eric Eating: Podcast breaks down winners and losers in Texas Monthly top 50

    CultureMap Staff
    May 25, 2017 | 12:49 pm

    On the latest episode of "What's Eric Eating?," Houston Barbecue Festival co-founder Michael Fulmer joins CultureMap food editor Eric Sandler to break down Texas Monthly's newly released list of the state's top 50 barbecue joints. The two men, who've been known to hit the road together in search of great 'cue, start by discussing the seven Houston-area restaurants that made the list, including some specifics on Tomball's Tejas Chocolate Craftory, which emerged as the list's surprising sixth highest-rated outpost.

    Other topics include the process that Roegels Barbecue underwent in its transformation from Baker's Ribs into a spot on the top 50 and whether Killen's Barbecue deserved a place in the statewide top 10 (full disclosure, Fulmer is a Killen's employee).

    Speaking of the statewide list, that conversation begins with the most obvious topic: Is Snow's BBQ in the tiny town of Lexington a worth choice for the top spot? Sandler notes that some of the criteria that may be important to diners — sides, desserts, hours of operations — don't seem to play much of a role in the rankings. They also discuss the shift towards being able to find more high quality options in big cities.

    In the interview segment, CorkScrew BBQ owners Nichole and Will Buckman join the show to discuss their reaction to being named the seventh best barbecue joint in Texas, how they deal with the pressure that comes with diners' high expectations, and what it means to work at their business every day it's open.

    Nichole provides a succinct "No" to the answer of whether they'd ever open a second location but admits they have plans for when their children are older. For now, diners will have to be content with going to Spring and waiting in line for some of the best brisket and ribs in Texas.

    Subscribe to "What’s Eric Eating?" on iTunes or listen to it on 1560 AM every Saturday at 11 am.

    A little bit of everything (except chicken) at CorkScrew BBQ.

    CorkScrew BBQ Spring full tray
    Photo by Eric Sandler
    A little bit of everything (except chicken) at CorkScrew BBQ.
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    a cursed location?

    Ramen joint that served super hot broth will shutter after only 18 months

    Eric Sandler
    Jan 19, 2026 | 12:00 pm
    Kazzan Ramen bowl
    Photo by Tracy Ling
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    A Heights-adjacent ramen shop will soon serve its final bowl of soup. Kazzan Ramen & Bar will close this Saturday, January 24.

    Located at 191 Heights Blvd., Kazzan was only the second American location of a restaurant that’s based in Osaka, Japan. Named for the Japanese word for “volcano,” Kazzan distinguished itself from other ramen restaurants by serving its noodles in a stone bowl that’s heated to 350 degrees Celsius — more than 650 degrees Fahrenheit. When the broth is poured tableside through a cylindrical top, the steam shoots out like a volcanic eruption. The menu also includes shareable plates like gyoza and rice bowls.

    Diners who visit the restaurant during its final week of operations will receive 50-percent off all alcoholic beverages, including beer, wine, sake, cocktails, and spirits.

    Google lists its other U.S. location in Los Angeles as “temporarily closed.” A representative declined to comment on the reason for the closure but confirmed that Kazzan is not looking for another Houston location at this time.

    Notably, Kazzan is the fourth restaurant to occupy the space at 191 Heights. Originally, it was home to Bradley’s Fine Diner, a short-lived New American concept from Las Vegas-based chef Bradley Ogden. Next up was Star Fish, an ambitious seafood restaurant from the late Houston restaurateur Lee Ellis’ Cherry Pie Hospitality.

    When Sambrooks Hospitality acquired Ellis’ restaurants, it rebooted the space as 1751 Sea & Bar, a seafood concept that closed in 2023. Kazzan opened in July 2024, so its tenure only lasted about a year and a half.

    So, yes, restaurant obsessives, the time has come to discuss whether the location is “cursed.”

    Kazzan isn’t the only ramen restaurant in the area to close recently. Nearby Ninja Ramen shuttered at the end of December after 11 years. The space has been claimed by Yuma, a Cuban and Brazilian-inspired sandwich pop-up that will open its first brick-and-mortar location later this spring.

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