What's Eric Eating Episode 12

Whiskey expert and H-Town restaurant news are hot topics on What's Eric Eating podcast

Reserve 101 owner Mike Raymond is the guest on this week's podcast.

Photo by Julie Soefer

"What's Eric Eating," CultureMap food editor Eric Sandler's weekly podcast that examine's Houston's amazing bar and restaurant scene, takes a deep dive into all things whiskey courtesy of guest Mike Raymond. The owner of downtown whiskey bar Reserve 101 shares the stories of he how first became interested in the spirit and the decisions that led him and business partner Steve Long to open Reserve almost 10 years ago.

Opening Reserve that long ago put the bar at the beginning of the public's renewed interest in whiskey, and Raymond discusses the effort that goes into maintaining its status as one of Houston's best whiskey bars. One way he's done that is by sourcing unique barrels that people won't be able to taste anywhere else.

Raymond discusses his recent purchases of barrels of Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey and Old Weller Antique — bottles of which are currently available for purchase at Tony K's until they sell out — and describes the process of using staves to create a custom version of Maker's Mark that will arrive in Houston soon. He also shares his thoughts on the current state of whiskey culture, the ways people buy and sell bottles on the secondary market, and the hype that leads some people to spend $600 on a bottle that retails for $60.

Finally, he offers some hints about opening another bar and breezes through the lightning round.

Prior to Raymond joining the show, Sandler and Houston Barbecue Festival co-founder Michael Fulmer discuss the news of the week. Topics include the return of Houston Restaurant Weeks, what's next for Rice Village now that Nao Ramen has closed, and whether or not they agree with a Facebook comment that Neapolitan pizza is "widely disliked" in Houston.

In the restaurants of the week segment, Fulmer and Sandler share their recent brunch experience at Lowbrow, which has a new direction after a takeover by chef John Sheely. Fulmer also describes his first visit to Nobie's in Montrose.

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

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Anthony's song

Prolific Houston pizza chef fires up a new Italian restaurant in River Oaks

Courtesy of Anthony's New York Italian

Anthony's New York Italian is now open near Central Market.

One of Houston’s most prolific pizzaiolos has quietly opened a new restaurant in River Oaks. Anthony Russo, founder of Russo’s New York Pizzeria, has opened Anthony’s New York Italian in the former Pie Tap Pizza space at 3748 Westheimer.

While Russo is known primarily for his fast casual restaurants that sling New York-style pies, Anthony’s New York Italian is both more personal and more upscale. It takes inspiration from his Italian heritage — his father grew up in Naples and his mother grew up in Sicily — as well as Russo’s Italian Restaurant, the Galveston eatery his parents operated for almost 20 years.

“We had veal, lobster, Gulf snapper, a lot of nice, classic dishes. There’s where I grew up in the kitchen,” Russo tells CultureMap. “I was always around fine dining restaurants. My mom and dad used to bring in chefs from Italy. They were excellent chefs. That’s what we had in Galveston for 18 years.”

With Russo’s at more than 50 locations, the time felt right to open a more upscale concept. Partially inspired by New York restaurants such as Carbone and Quality Italian, Russo thinks Houstonians will appreciate his high-end take on Italian American fare.

The menu includes lobster fra diavolo, a 24-ounce prime porterhouse, bone-in veal parmesan, frutti di mare (shellfish with tomato sauce over pappardelle), and more. In addition, the dish utilize Italian olive oil that’s pressed by one of the chef’s friends. Anthony’s also makes all of its doughs, sauces, and sausage in house.

Of course, Russo is making pizza, too. They’re baked in imported Italian ovens using slightly different dough and sauce recipes — along with imported mozzarella and burrata — than his more casual restaurants.

And, no, Russo isn’t concerned that a pizzeria lasted less than a year in the space.

“I feel confident this location is going to be a killer for us. We make homemade pasta on site here, fresh from scratch.” he says. “We're bringing fresh lobster. We're bringing fresh clams. We got a nice veal chop. I mean, these are all chef-selected ingredients. I don't think anybody's doing that in town right now.”

The restaurant is still in such early days that it doesn’t have its own website or social media pages yet. For now, diners can follow Russo on Instagram for updates.

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Anthony's New York Italian is open for dinner Monday-Thursday beginning at 4 pm. It’s open for lunch and dinner on Friday and Saturday beginning at 11 am. Reservations are available on OpenTable.

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