What's Eric Eating Episode 61

Hot Houston chef dishes on her speedy rise, plus first taste of a Washington Avenue classic

On this week's episode of "What's Eric Eating," Kulture owner Marcus Davis and executive chef Dawn Burrell join CultureMap food editor to discuss their downtown restaurant that's serving an elevated take on African-American cuisine. The conversation begins with Davis discussing the path that led him to open Houston institution The Breakfast Klub and Burrell explaining how she made the transition from Olympic track and field athlete to a chef who worked at both Sparrow Bar + Cookshop and Uchi.

After opening quietly in April, Kulture has been earning enthusiastic reviews for Burrell's creative interpretations of African-American food. For example, rather than served braised collar greens in the traditional manner, Burrell wraps them up in collard leaf "purses" that add visual appeal. With full service and a full bar, the restaurant also represents a step up from what Davis offers at The Breakfast Klub, and he discusses the reasons he felt the time was right for such a move.

While Burrell's creative cooking is the restaurant's primary draw, Davis takes the restaurant's name seriously. In addition to food, he's using the restaurant to explore African-American visual art and music with the help of two locals who are just as talented within their fields as Burrell is within hers.

Kulture is our expression of our ancestors' contributions in a number of ways. Food is a big part of what we do, but Kulture is about food, music, and art. Dawn is our culinary architect; she's responsible for how we present the food. We also have an art director who is responsible for bringing in the art work and the art shows. We're treating the restaurant as a gallery . . . . where we're highlighting the works of different artists every quarter. Robert Hodge, who's a nationally known local artist, is curating that. Also, Chase Jordan, who's a national known jazz artist is curating the music, bringing in some of Houston's, and even beyond, hottest jazz talent. This is about food, it's about music, and it's about art.

Stick around for the lighting round, when Burrell responds to Sandler's question about her favorite Houston athlete past or present by giving a shout out to her brother, Olympic gold medalist Leroy Burrell.

Prior to Burrell and Davis joining the show, Sandler and co-host Mary Clarkson, the owner of L'Olivier restaurant in Montrose, discuss the news of the week. Their topics include Tony Vallone's recent shuttering of two of his restaurants, Ciao Bello and Vallone's, Snooze: An AM Eatery's plans to open near the Galleria, and what the one-day lockouts of Star Fish and Pi Pizza might mean for the future of Cherry Pie Hospitality.

In the restaurants of the week segment, two duo rave about their breakfast at The Classic All Day and offer a more nuanced perspective on a dinner at La Villa Saint-Tropez, the recently opened French restaurant that replaced Cafe Azur.

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Subscribe to "What's Eric Eating" on iTunes or Google Play. Listen to it every Saturday at 11 am on SportsMap 94.1.

The chef and owner of Kulture are this week's guests.

Kulture Restaurant/Facebook

The chef and owner of Kulture are this week's guests.

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One Day Only

Chef of Michelin-starred Texas BBQ joint pops up at Houston crawfish favorite

Photo by Quit Nguyen

Join Lucas McKinney for a crawfish pop-up this Sunday, May 17.

The pitmaster behind one of Texas’ Michelin-starred barbecue joints will be in Houston for a one-day-only crawfish boil. Evan LeRoy, chef and co-owner of Austin’s LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue, will be at Josephine’s this Sunday, May 17 from 2-6 pm.

Part of the restaurant’s Backyard Boil pop-up series, LeRoy and Josephine’s executive chef Lucas McKinney have collaborated on a four dishes that will be served at the pop-up, which will take place on Josephine’s patio. They are:

Smoked Crawfish Boil Sausage on a Stick: andouille flavored pork sausage with crawfish, corn, and potatoes
Brisket and Cheddar Croquettes: Chopped brisket and cheddar cheese in a creamy bechamel. Scooped, breaded in panko, and fried til crispy
Oysters on the Half Shell: Pickled Onion Mignonette, Smoked Jalapeno Salsa, Kimchi Elote
Smoked Salsa Macha with Beef Tallow: Guajillo, ancho, and arbol chiles, lime, soy, garlic, onion, pepitas, and pecans

The pop-up is part of LeRoy’s tour for his new book, New School Barbecue: Recipes for Next-Level Smoking and Grilling, which he co-wrote with Texas Monthly restaurant critic Paula Forbes. Released this week, the book contains almost 100 recipes for mains, sides, and desserts.

LeRoy & Lewis Evan Leroy ATX Evan LeRoy is coming to Houston this weekend. Photo by Briana Balducci

“Lucas asked me to participate in a crawfish boil this year, and it happened to line up with the release of the book, so I said yes,” LeRoy tells CultureMap. “The event format centers around a crawfish boil, along with some fried items and oysters, so it doesn't necessarily reflect the recipes in the book. Instead, we decided to bring a few dishes we’ve been working on over the past year or so, including the brisket and cheddar croquettes — which will definitely make it into my next cookbook.”

McKinney has already hosted pop-ups with the likes of ChòpnBlọk chef-owner Ope Amosu and Mike Pham of Trill Burgers.

“With these crawfish boils, I want each chef to bring their own perspective and let the menu reflect their personal style of cooking,” McKinney adds. “Events like this are really centered around community, collaboration, and introducing something fresh and exciting to Houston each time.”

LeRoy and Lewis has earned wide acclaim for its “new school” barbecue. In addition to being one of only four Texas barbecue joints to hold a Michelin star, it ranked No. 2 on Texas Monthly’s list of the state’s 50 best barbecue joints. McKinney began patronizing the restaurant when his friend, pitmaster Cole Parkman, worked there.

“It’s incredibly good,” McKinney says. “Eating there feels like they’re telling you, ‘I know you think you like brisket, but this is what you should really like.’ I really respect that they’ve planted their feet firmly in the ground and committed to doing things differently. It all makes so much sense — and it’s delicious.”

Reservations (free) are required to attend the Backyard Boil at Josephine’s; both 2 pm and 4 pm seatings are available. Attendees will purchase food and drinks a la carte. Josephine’s regular menu will not be available at the pop-up. Copies of New School Barbecue will also be available for purchase.

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