So Original

Culinary website honors Houston sommelier as a "New Original" for touting virtures of sherry

Justin Vann Public Services Tasting Table

Justin Vann (left top in yellow shirt in this photo) is a Tasting Table New Original.

National culinary website Tasting Table has included a familiar face among the nine people selected for its inaugural class of "New Originals:" Public Services owner/sommelier Justin Vann.

Who are the "New Originals?"

Tasting Table editorial director Karen Palmer describes them as follows: "These are folks from across the country who are changing not only the face of dining in their respective cities, but the national conversation about food and drink."

Vann, the only Texas representative, earned his nod for his "one-man mission to better introduce the drinking public to sherry in all its forms" by featuring an extensive selection of the wine on Public Service's list and teaching Sherry 101 classes. The bar even sports a neon Sherry sign in its window.

If one is judged by the company he keeps, then Vann has earned a significant honor with his selection. Other members of the class include New York City chefs Fabian von Hauske and Jeremiah Stone of well-reviewed sister concepts Contra and Wildair, Bonnie Morales of Russian restaurant Kachka in Portland, Oregon, and Chicago's Beverley Kim and Johnny Clark of modern Korean restaurant Parachutes.

Being a New Original is only the latest honor for Vann. In 2013, Food & Wine selected him as one of its sommeliers of the year for his work at Oxheart. Prior to opening Public Services, his PSA wine consulting business improved the selections at independent restaurants like Paulie's and Mala Sichuan.

Public Services doesn't have any classes scheduled at the moment, but those who are interested can always stop by the bar and ask for an introduction. Vann, who once wrote that Sherry "will burn your drinking routines to the ground," will be too happy to oblige.

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What's Eric Eating Episodes 450 and 451

Meet the married chef duo operating 2 Houston restaurants

On this week’s episode of “What’s Eric Eating,” chefs Kirthan and Kripa Shenoy join CultureMap editor Eric Sandler to discuss their restaurants EaDough and Auden.

Open since 2022, EaDough is a bakery and coffee shop in EaDo that serves freshly baked pastries and sweets at breakfast with pita bowls for lunch. The married chefs tell Sandler that they’ve been able to incorporate South Asian flavors into their menu by serving items such as nihari kolaches and chicken tikka pita pockets.

Auden, which recently earned an honorable mention on Texas Monthly’s list of the state’s best new restaurants for 2025, took a little while to find its groove. Kripa notes that the restaurant got labeled fine dining, which was never the chefs’ intention. Kirthan adds that the restaurant’s initial menu was too concerned with being similar to other restaurants in the area.

“We’ve never been not proud of the food that we were cooking at Auden, but now we can say Auden is a true representation of Kripa and myself,” he says. “Even from the service, we’re training the servers to be themselves and relax. Even if someone had the worst meal of their life or the best meal, they’re still going to be hungry again in a few hours. Don’t take it too personally. Take everything professionally. The imposter syndrome is gone after a year-and-a-half.”

Listen to the full episode to hear the chefs talk about why they aspire to open a neighborhood bar, as well as the Houston bars they most enjoy patronizing.

In this week’s other episode, Sandler and co-host Lawton Driscoll discuss the news of the week. First, they discuss the state of Houston steakhouses in light of the recent closures of Andiron and Savoir/Patton’s. Then, they talk about Texas Monthly’s aforementioned best new restaurants list and a’Bouzy owner Shawn Virene’s plans to open Succulent Fine Dining, a California-inspired restaurant in Montrose.

In the restaurants of the week segment, the two friends discuss their recent meal at Haii Keii. They find a lot to like about their meal at the recently-opened Upper Kirby pan-Asian restaurant, including lobster dumplings, sushi, and an Australian wagyu ribeye. Tune in to hear which dishes came up short and whether they plan to return for another meal.

Photo by Jordan Hughes

Married chefs Kirpa and Kirthan Shenoy.

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Subscribe to "What's Eric Eating" on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hear it Sunday at 9 am on ESPN 97.5.

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