Sage Advice

Best Thanksgiving cooking video ever: Just Put the F*cking Turkey in the Oven

Terrified about how your turkey is going to turn out this Thanksgiving? Follow this sage advice from San Francisco cooking teacher Mary Risley and lighten up.

In a video that has become a YouTube sensation, Risley simply says the turkey ain't gonna taste that great no matter what you do to it.

"I've never had outstanding turkey, whether it's been brined, whether it's been cooked in the paper bag, whether it's been barbecued or deep fried or cooked with breast side down, everything. In 40 years of being a culinary professional, I've seen people try everything with a turkey. It's still never any good. It's just turkey. It tastes like cardboard."

Her advice: "I say put some butter, salt and pepper on it and put it in the oven." And then focus on what really matters: Gravy, cranberry and Pinot Noir. "That's what makes turkey taste better," she says.

All kidding aside, Risley offers some great tips for the nervous, first-time turkey cooker (most of all, have fun), along with instructions for making homemade gravy and cranberry sauce.

"Turkeys are never perfect so don't worry about it. Just serve it to your friends. Give them some more Chardonnay or Pinot Noir and make sure they have a good time," she says.

We'll drink to that.

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What's Eric Eating Episodes 404 and 405

Bobby Heugel gets candid about the future of restaurants in Houston

Courtesy of Through Fare Hospitality.

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On this week's episode of "What's Eric Eating," hospitality veteran Bobby Heugel joins CultureMap editor Eric Sandler to discuss the current state of the restaurant industry. One of the founders of Anvil. Heugel is a co-owner of Thorough Fare Hospitality, the company behind Refuge, Squable, Better Luck Tomorrow, Theodore Rex, and Catbirds.

While those places have achieved considerable fame and financial success, Heugel is concerned about the future prospects of independently-owned restaurants and bars. He and Sandler discuss the increased costs for materials, labor, and real estate that make it more expensive than ever to operate a business. They also look at some of the behind-the-scenes requirements of leasing real estate that didn't exist when he opened Anvil in 2009.

It has him concerned that quirky, ambitious establishments won't be able to call Houston home.

"I hear more about the struggles than I did in the past. If you compare this era to 2010, 2012, which I know was a big boom for independent restaurants in the city, I know there was a lot of optimism at that time. We opened Anvil in 2009. I did Underbelly, Hay Merchant, and Blacksmith after that," he says.

"That optimism is not here anymore. There's so many more financial barriers. There's no way that we open Underbelly today. It's not possible. WE don't get approved as tenants. We can't afford to open the restaurant. It never exists. That building gets sold to a developer who wants to turn it into an AT&T store."

Listen to the full episode to hear Heugel's thoughts on the kind of concepts he thinks are still viable. He also provides a brief update on the first year of operations at Catbirds.

On this week's other episde, Chelsea Thomas, staff writer for The Infatuation Houston, joins Sandler to discuss the news of the week. Their topics consist of Shake Shack closing two Houston locations and the extension of Houston Restaurant Weeks.

In the restaurants of the week segment, Thomas and Sandler share first impressions of Thai Tail, the fast casual restaurant from the owner of Kin Dee, and Ramen Moto, the new izakaya from Tiger Den chef and founder Mike Tran.

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Subscribe to "What's Eric Eating" on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hear it Sunday at 10 am on ESPN 97.5.

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