What's Eric Eating Episode 111

Houston chefs take on food deserts, plus Montrose's new tiki-themed restaurant

On this week's episode of "What's Eric Eating," chefs Chris Williams of Lucille's and Dawn Burrell of Kulture join CultureMap food editor Eric Sandler to discuss the Food Apartheid Dinner Series (F.A.D.S.). Led by chef Dominick Lee of Poitín, the pop-up dinners feature four of the city's highest-profile African American chefs (Jonny Rhodes of Indigo is the fourth) who have teamed up to raise money to combat Houston's food deserts.

Williams and Burrell hadn't met before Lee introduced them. Asked about what it's been like to cook together, Williams shares an anecdote about Burrell showing off a bit for the talented group.

"It's Dom's idea. It's his baby, but chef Dawn insisted on forcing the labor pains on herself. This woman wanted to make all the fresh bread that day, wanted to make the fresh bread for the bread pudding, took on three courses. ... She did a lot. ... To be honest, it was our first time in the kitchen. ... She is doing everything. I'm, like, okay, shit. This is a little intimidating. I've got my fish with lime. All I need is two pots. I felt bad."

Since this is Williams' first appearance on the show, he also discusses how Lucille's has evolved since it opened in 2012 and shares some plans for the future. Burrell discusses Kulture's new brunch menu.

Prior to the interview, Avondale Food & Wine owner Mary Clarkson and Sandler discuss the news of the week. Their topics include the recent changes at Night Heron to make it more of a European bistro, the reopening of El Segundo Swim Club, and the dinner party they attended that featured recipes from Chris Shepherd's new cookbook, Cook Like a Local.

In the restaurants of the week segment, the duo relate their experiences dining at two recently opened establishments: Savoir, the wine-fueled restaurant in The Heights from proprietor Brian Doke and chef Micah Rideout, and The Toasted Coconut, the tiki-inspired bar and restaurant from Nobie's owners Sara and Martin Stayer.

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The Toasted Coconut is the restaurant of the week.

Photo by Vivian Leba

The Toasted Coconut is the restaurant of the week.

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NYT best dishes

Houston Mediterranean restaurant makes NY Times' best desserts list

Sayad Mediterranean Kitchen/Facebook

Sayad Mediterranean Kitchen is the only Houston restaurant on either list.

The New York Times included four Texas restaurants among its favorite dishes of 2025. Divided into two lists — The 23 Best Restaurant Dishes We Ate Across the U.S. in 2025 and The 14 Best Restaurant Desserts We Ate Across the U.S. in 2025 — the dishes are:

Bad Honey Bunny at Mercado Sin Nombre (Austin)
Ketan Hitam at Yeni’s Fusion (Austin)
Konafa Naama at Sayad Mediterranean Kitchen (Houston)
Picadillo Macaroni and Cheese at 2M Smokehouse (San Antonio)

Times food writer Priya Krishna, who authors the entries for all four Texas dishes, traveled to far west Houston to visit Sayad Mediterranean Kitchen. “The konafa, a signature here, arrives with a molten layer of cheese under a sticky-sweet layer of golden, nutty semolina. The craft is evident, the konafa gone in a few bites,” she writes.

Sayad Mediterranean Kitchen Konafa Naama Don't skip dessert at Sayad Mediterranean Kitchen.KSayad Mediterranean Kitchen/Facebook

In Austin, Krishna praises the rice pudding at Yeni’s Fusion. “This barely sweet version, lush with coconut milk, aromatic with pandan and as soothing as warm porridge, is the gentlest way to end a meal,” she states.

Already hailed as one of America’s best breakfast spots by Bon Appetit, Krishna singles out a honeybun at Mercado Sin Nombre. “The coiled honey bun at this semi-clandestine cafe looks almost cartoonishly perfect, and the heady scent of cardamom and honey hits you before you even take a bite. Somehow, it tastes every bit as plush and elegant as it appears,” she writes.

The picadillo mac and cheese at 2M Smokehouse showcases how the San Antonio restaurant incorporates Mexican flavors into traditional Texas barbecue. “Imagine Hamburger Helper, but spicier, punchier and even more luxuriously creamy. It’s not easy to one-up the singular, thickly spiced brisket here, but the picadillo mac and cheese — which runs as an occasional special — holds its own and then some,” Krishna writes.

The New York Times regularly shines its spotlight on Texas restaurants, In September, it named four establishments — ChòpnBlọk (Houston), Isidore (San Antonio), Lao’d Bar (Austin), and P Thai’s Khao Man Gai & Noodles (Austin) — to its list of America’s 50 Best Restaurants.

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