What's Eric Eating Episode 27

Restaurateur's big move, Astros Series win, and foodie road trip are hot podcast topics

On this week's episode of "What's Eric Eating," Killen's Restaurants director of operations Graham Laborde joins CultureMap food editor Eric Sandler to discuss his role helping acclaimed local chef Ronnie Killen manage his growing company. Laborde, who won the CultureMap Tastemaker Award Rising Star Chef of the Year in 2016, shares some of his family history that led him to the kitchen, as well as the professional experiences he had in New Orleans and Houston prior to joining up with Killen.

So why did Laborde choose to sign on with Killen's after closing Bernadine's, the Gulf Coast-inspired restaurant he led for the Treadsack Group?

"He offered me something that didn't necessarily exist with a number of other offers I had, and that was the ability to really, really learn something," Laborde says. "The ability to learn different kinds of concepts that I hadn't done in the past. I'd never done a fast casual concept. I've never done a burger restaurant. I've never done barbecue before. Not only learning those cuisines, but really learning how to run those different businesses and the different challenges that come with it."

Prior to the interview, Houston Life producer/reporter Stephanie Gerry and Sandler discuss the news of the week. Even though the podcast primarily discusses food, Gerry and Sandler take a couple of minutes to discuss the Astros World Series victory. Then, they move on to Brasserie 19's plans to mitigate the effects of construction at its shopping center, celebrity chef Michael Mina's announcement that International Smoke, his globally-inspired barbecue restaurant with cookbook author Ayesha Curry, is coming to Houston next year, and the latest addition to UberEATS: caviar and truffles from DR Delicacy.

In the restaurant of the week segment, Sandler shares his impressions of two Dallas restaurants: Town Hearth, an over-the-top steakhouse that features a 300-gallon fish tank, and Zoli's, the New York-inspired pizza restaurant from the owner of Cane Rosso. Gerry recommends taking a road trip to Pete's Burger Place in Porter for a classic chili cheeseburger done right.

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

Killen's Restaurants director of operations Graham Laborde is this week's guest on "What's Eric Eating."

Courtesy photo

Killen's Restaurants director of operations Graham Laborde is this week's guest on "What's Eric Eating."

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steakhouse switcheroo

River Oaks restaurant fields a new menu devoted to prime and wagyu steaks

Courtesy of Fielding's Steak

The new menu includes steak and sides such as onion rings.

A River Oaks restaurant is switching things up. After a year of operations, Fielding’s River Oaks has rebranded as Fielding’s Steak with an all-new menu that will launch on Tuesday, January 27.

While the restaurant has always served steaks from Texas ranch 44 Farms, Fielding’s Steak leans more heavily into beef with more cuts and more kinds of beefs, including both American and Japanese wagyu. Similarly, diners can pair their steaks with steakhouse sides such as lobster mac and cheese, creamed spinach, and onion rings.

The new menu starts with four prime steaks — filet, ribeye, NY strip, and bavette — along with a dry-aged cuts including a 35-ounce cowboy ribeye, a porterhouse, a 12-ounce bone-in ribeye, and a 22-ounce bone-in ribeye. Those seeking the most luxurious experience may opt for a wagyu tasting that features four ounces each of Japanese, Australian, and American striploin.

Appetizers and salads include a number of familiar dishes, such as lobster bisque, wedge salad, fried calamari, shrimp cocktail, and an imperial crabcake. Non-steak entrees include maple-brined salmon, lobster risotto, lamb chops, and a grilled Kurobata pork chop with apple mostarda.

Fielding’s River Oaks opened in December 2024. Part of Fielding’s Culinary Group, The Woodlands-based hospitality company behind Fielding’s Local Kitchen & Bar and Fielding’s Wood Grill, the restaurant served a European-inspired menu that included pizzas, pastas, steaks, and seafood.

“Fielding’s Steak represents the natural evolution of who we are and where we’re going,” said CEO Cary Attar said in a statement. “We wanted to create a true steakhouse experience — one that’s chef-driven, ingredient-focused, and worthy of the River Oaks dining scene — while still feeling warm, welcoming, and unmistakably Fielding’s. This new menu allows us to showcase exceptional proteins, refined flavors, and a level of execution that reflects our passion for hospitality and culinary excellence.”

Fielding’s Steak will be open Tuesday through Sunday for lunch from 11:30 am-3 pm and dinner beginning at 5 pm. Reservations are available on OpenTable.

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