What's Eric Eating Episode 245

Houston's Top Chef Season 19 star dishes on her TV time and new restaurant, plus the latest food news

Chef Evelyn Garcia is this week's guest.

Photo by David Moir/Bravo

On this week's episode of "What's Eric Eating," chef Evelyn Garcia joins CultureMap food editor Eric Sandler to discuss her time on Top Chef Season 19 and her upcoming restaurant, Jūn by Kin. The conversation opens with Garcia explaining her decision to participate in the show and how she reacted when she found out it would be filmed in her hometown of Houston.

The conversation touches on a number of topics, including Garcia's status as the unofficial "tour guide" for her fellow cheftestants, her favorite dishes from the various challenges, and when she started thinking about the dishes she served during the final episode. Sandler asks the chef about her emotional interviews where she wasn't afraid to get a little weepy.

"Guys were like, 'oh, I'd never cry on TV.' I was, like, whatever. I don't care," Garcia says. "This is who I am. I feel all the emotions, and I feel all the emotions now. If I'm not trying to hold back in my cooking, I was like I'm not holding back on being me."

The conversation concludes with Garcia discussing Jūn by Kin, the restaurant in The Heights she's opening with her business partner Henry Lu. She explains Lu's role in the project and describes the process of recruiting him to move from New York to Houston. Sandler asks about how the cuisine will be different from her stint at Decatur Bar & Pop-Up Factory, the innovative concept that closed in 2019.

"As we've seen in the show, it's very important for me to connect with my food. It's part of my philosophy and the way that I cook. That's the core of what Jun is going to be," she says.

"It's going to speak to my story, Henry's story. We're both first-generation American. I'm Mexican-Salvadorian. He's Chinese American via New York. We're calling it 'New Asian American,' because it's inspired by Asian flavors but Henry has a lot of influence from Peruvian flavors. His ceviches are killers. It's really going to speak a lot to Houston and really going to connect to us."

Prior to the interview, Sandler and co-host Matt Harris discuss the news of the week. Their topics include: the Texas winners of this year's James Beard Awards; Phat Eatery's plans to open a new location in The Woodlands; Ronnie Killen hiring former J-Bar-M Barbecue chefs Willow Villarreal and Jasmine Barela; and globally-renown South African restaurant Nando's Peri-Peri's upcoming entrance into the Houston market.

In the restaurant of the week segment, Sandler and Harris discuss their recent meal at Hugo's. Listen to the full episode to hear why the Houston classic might be better than ever.

-----

Subscribe to "What's Eric Eating" on Apple podcasts, Google Play, or Spotify. Listen to it Saturday at 1 pm on ESPN 97.5.

chefs interview podcasts

when I dip, you dip

Heights restaurant's new lunch service will only offer 1 sandwich

Courtesy of La Lucha

La Lucha will begin serving French dips on Friday, June 12.

If a sandwich hall of fame existed, one of its plaques would surely be devoted to the French dip. Its combination of thinly-sliced beef, tangy horseradish sauce, and a savory au jus is a winning formula.

Beginning Friday, June 12, Heights restaurant La Lucha will be showcasing two takes on the venerable sandwich when it starts serving them for its new Friday-only lunch service, which will be held from 11 am-2 pm. To be clear, the two sandwiches (plus fries) will be the only menu items available at lunch — apologies to anyone hoping to ease into the weekend with La Lucha staples like fried chicken or the pharmacy burger.

The two sandwich choices are: a West Coast style French dip that’s just shaved meat and au jus or an East Coast style that adds provolone and caramelized onions. Both are served with horseradish aioli on bread from Houston’s Royal Bakery that “gets crispy and delicious,” according to executive chef Bobby Matos.

The meat is the same prime rib that newly opened steak joint Star Rover, La Lucha’s sister restaurant, serves as part of its viral, “I ate the 76’er” eating challenge. Priced at $26, the sandwich offers a healthy seven ounces of thinly-sliced beef.

“They’ve done this at Little Sparrow in Atlanta but for late night. It’s been a huge success and people are digging it,” Matos explains about the motivation to introduce the offering.

Limiting the menu to two variations of the same sandwich, fries, and beverages — both alcoholic and non-alcoholic — allows La Lucha to offer its Friday lunch service more easily than if Matos had to staff the kitchen to parepare its full menu.

“It’s just bringing more people to the Heights and giving them a chance to get to know our restaurants,” Matos adds. “There are still people who don’t know about La Lucha, and it’s been eight years.”

Although Matos moved to Texas from California, he says he prefers the East Coast French dip. “I want cheese and onions on mine. I like cheese on French dips,” he says.

news-you-can-eat