What's Eric Eating Episode 25

Ace baker, Depressed Cake party, new restaurants are hot food topics on podcast

On this week's episode of "What's Eric Eating," Jodycakes owner Jody Stevens joins CultureMap food editor Eric Sandler to discuss her business that's become a go-to destination for people looking for vegan and gluten-free options.

Stevens shares how a divorce prompted her to make the leap to operating a bakery full-time and how she's grown her business primarily through word of mouth and customer referrals. The duo also reference "Jodycakes after dark," which makes adult novelty cakes for bachelorette parties and similar occasions.

On a more serious note, Stevens discusses her role in bringing the Depressed Cake Shop to Houston. The annual event, which takes place Sunday (October 29) at Underbelly from 2 to 5 pm, raises awareness about depression by recruiting many of the city's top pastry chefs and bakers to create grey-colored cakes that are sold at the event.

Prior to Stevens joining the show, L'Olivier owner Mary Clarkson stops by to discuss the news of the week. Topics include the closure of SaltAir Seafood Kitchen, 8th Wonder Brewery's plans to open a distillery, and the Southern Smoke festival. In the restaurants of the week segment, Clarkson and Sandler discuss their first visit to Theodore Rex, chef Justin Yu's replacement for Oxheart, and Sandler shares some impressions of chef Mike Tran's two new Chinatown eateries, Night Market Thai and poke shop Laki Fish.

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

Visit the Depressed Cake Shop on Sunday.

Depressed Cake Shop Susan Molzan Petite Sweets

Courtesy photo

Visit the Depressed Cake Shop on Sunday.

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a spoonful of sugar

New Mexican eatery sweetens Houston with 150 spirits and bold flavors

Courtesy of Mexican Sugar

Mexican Sugar is coming to Regent Square in December.

A Dallas-based Mexican restaurant is coming to Houston. Mexican Sugar will open its first Houston location in Montrose this December.

Located next to Georgia James in the Regent Square mixed-use development, Mexican Sugar will occupy a two-story, 13,000-square-foot building. All that room offers seating for 375 as well as two private dining rooms with full audio-visual capabilities. Both the upstairs and downstairs patios will have a view of nearby Buffalo Bayou Park.

Its part of FB Society, the Dallas-based hospitality group behind Whiskey Cake, Sixty Vines, and Haywire, the Texas-inspired comfort food restaurant that opened its first Houston-area location earlier this year. Mexican Sugar has three locations in the Dallas area: Plano, Las Colinas, and Uptown Dallas.

In a release, Mexican Sugar touts its use of seasonal ingredients. It also makes its tortillas by hand. Menu highlights include skirt steak, lobster fundido, and a bone-in pork chop. At brunch, look for options such as cajeta French toast, Benedictos Rancheros, and vanilla-cinnamon pancakes.

Agave fans will find plenty of choices courtesy of more the 150 tequilas and mezcals. They’re available in individual pours as well as in flights that allow customers to compare the flavors of the different spirits.

“Our goal is to create a dining experience that blends bold Mexican flavors with our signature style of hospitality that stays two steps ahead,” Justin Beam, Mexican Sugar’s director of operations, said in a statement. “We’re excited to offer Houstonians an immersive Mexican experience in a fresh, light, and approachable way.”

Courtesy of Mexican Sugar

Mexican Sugar is coming to Regent Square in December.

news-you-can-eat openings mexican sugar