Food Truck Fundraiser

Bun B and Houston food trucks team up for Astroworld victims fundraiser

Trill Burgers and other vendors will participate in Sunday's fundraiser.

Photo by Emily Jaschke

A group of top Houston food trucks are teaming up to raise money on behalf of the victims of the Astroworld Festival tragedy. Bun B Presents: Breaking Bread will take place at 8th Wonder Brewery on Sunday, November 14 from 1-8 pm (2202 Dallas St.).

Led by the Eatsie Boys, the pioneering Houston food truck that shares ownership with 8th Wonder, the event includes several vendors who lost sales when the Astroworld festival was cancelled. Sunday's event will give them the opportunity to recoup lost revenue and raise funds that will be donated to verified GoFundMe drives that benefit people who were seriously injured or killed at the concert.

“This is about helping our friends and our community in any way we can,” Eatsie Boys’ founder and chef said Matt Marcus in a statement. “I’ve watched these food trucks grow from start-ups to some of the city’s best. They were hit hard last weekend. Then of course, there are the victims and their families, going through unfathomable pain. In Houston, we do know how to lift one another up.”

Participants include: Bun B's Trill Burgers smash burger concept; chicken wing favorite Sticky's Chicken; taco and quesadilla truck Blk Mkt Birria; Korean fried chicken truck Seoulside Wings; Korean-Mexican fusion favorite Oh My Gogi; hot dog truck Happy Endings; The Waffle Bus; and, of course, The Eatsie Boys. In addition, 8th Wonder Brewery will also donate a portion of sales from their taproom to the cause.

To contribute, attendees simply buy food or beer from the participating vendors. The event is free to attend.

“Festivals, especially the music ones in Houston, are a huge deal for food trucks. What happened at Astroworld was devastating,” said Patsy Vivares, co-owner of Trill Burgers and Sticky’s Chicken. “With a surplus of supplies, my brother Benson had the idea to gather our core food truck friends that we do festivals with, sell what we have and donate a portion of that to the victims and their families.”

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What's Eric Eating Episodes 518 and 519

Meet the men behind River Oaks' new destination for bowls and broth

Photo by Becca Wright

Find Honest Mary's in the River Oaks Shopping Center.

On this week’s episode of “What’s Eric Eating,” Honest Mary’s founder Nelson Monteith and COO Andrew Wiseheart joined CultureMap editor Eric Sandler to discuss the Austin-based restaurant that just opened its first Houston location in the River Oaks Shopping Center (2047-A West Gray St).

Monteith shares that he started the restaurant in 2017 in order to fulfill his vision of a restaurant which could serve food that’s fast, fresh, and affordable. A trained chef who operated pioneering Austin restaurant Contigo, Wiseheart joined the group to bring both culinary expertise and operational acumen to the grouping company.

Part of what sets Honest Mary’s apart is that diners can add cooked vegetables to the rice and proteins at the heart of every bowl. The “Market Sides” section includes an array of roasted vegetables — including sweet potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, beets, and Brussels sprouts — as well as black beans, maple-glazed carrots, and green lentils. Bowls can be further enhanced with toppings such as Texas pecans, crispy chickpeas, goat cheese, avocado, and apples as well as sauces such as creamy poblano, cashew lime crema, sesame vinaigrette, spicy peanut, chimichurri and apple cider vinaigrette

Monteith explains that looking at the ingredients on display usually inspires him when he’s deciding what to eat at Honest Mary’s.

“I will almost always look at the line and see what looks fresh and good,” Monteith says. “Today, I got the salted kale with white rice. Then, I got garlic-pepper steak. I added on lentils — they’re my go-to in the winter. They blend everything together, and I love it Then Brussels sprouts looked green. I got some jalapenos. Avocados, cause that’s healthy. Then I got the chimichurri sauce.”

Honest Mary’s is also known for its hearty broths, a classic chicken and a vegetarian option made with seaweed and mushroom. Sandler raves about the chicken broth to Wiseheart, who shares how it’s made.

“We spent six or seven months testing recipes and drinking it ourselves to see if it’s a good idea,” Wiseheart says. “I talk about it as a great complement to the menu. It’s healthy. It’s really simple. Most of the kitchens I came up with were rooted in French cuisine. This is just chicken stock with salt in it.”

Listen to the full episode to hear more about Honest Mary’s plans for additional locations in Houston and Dallas. Then Monteith asks a Sandler a few questions about the Houston dining scene.

In this week’s other episode, Sandler and co-host Mary Clarkson discuss the news of the week. Their topics include Home Slice Pizza opening a new location in the Heights; the closures of Brett’s BBQ Shop in Katy and Killen’s Barbecue in The Woodlands; and Esquire including ChòpnBlok on its list of America’s best new restaurants.

In the restaurant of the week segment, the two friends discuss their recent meal at Hypsi, the Italian restaurant in the newly-opened Hotel Daphne. Listen to the episode to hear their favorite dishes and other thoughts on the meal.

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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.

Photo by Becca Wright

Find Honest Mary's in the River Oaks Shopping Center.

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