what's Eric Eating Episodes 452 and 453

Meet the man pairing chocolates and cocktails at a Houston speakeasy

Casey McNeil is this week's guest.

Courtesy of CASE Chocolates

On this week’s episode of “What’s Eric Eating,” chocolatier Casey McNeil joins CultureMap editor Eric Sandler to discuss CASE Chocolates, his East End business that sells liquor-filled chocolates.

The conversation begins with McNeil explaining how success as a tech entrepreneur paved the way for him to explore his passion for making chocolate. He traveled to Switzerland to learn the basics of making chocolate as well as the specialized technique of Starch Casting, which is a candy-making practice that allows Case’s chocolates to be liquid-filled.

Rather than simply sell chocolates to-go, Case hosts nightly tastings that pair its chocolates with cocktails and sips of premium liquors. Sandler asks McNeil why he decided to go this route instead of opening a more conventional chocolate shop. As he explains, it’s an outgrowth of his appreciation for whiskey and other fine spirits.

“I love collecting whiskey. I really wanted to have a whiskey aesthetic,” McNeil says. “You think of cigar boxes for the packaging. Maybe a speakeasy element. As we talked more about it, I couldn’t see it any other way. That’s the direction we’ve gone.”

Listen to the full episode to hear what McNeil has learned since Case opened in July. He also discusses where he’d like to open a second location.

On this week’s other episode, Sandler and co-host Monica Danna discuss the news of the week. Their first topic is the opening of Little Dreamer Coffee in Montrose. They also share some thoughts on the opening of the Montrose Country Club, a new pool bar and restaurant, and banter about Le Petit Chef, a animated dining experience that recently arrived in Houston.

In the restaurants of the week segment, Danna and Sandler review their recent meal at Maximo, the sophisticated Mexican restaurant from Local Foods Group. They rave about a few favorite dishes and draw comparisons to Milton’s, the Italian restaurant the company opened last year. Listen to the full episode to hear which dishes they’d order again.

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to the moon

Beard Award-winning Houston chef blasts off with new tasting menu concept

Benchawan Graham Painter Street to Kitchen

Photo by Eric Sandler

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James Beard Award-winning chef Benchawon Jabthong Painter (better known as Chef G) has won acclaim for her unapologetically Thai flavors at Street to Kitchen, her East End restaurant that holds a Bib Gourmand designation in the Michelin Guide. Beginning Friday, May 8, she’ll showcase her passion for other styles of cuisine at Jantra, a new tasting menu concept.

Located in Street to Kitchen’s former private dining room, Jantra will only offer one seating per night for up to eight people. Inspired by Chef G’s family name, the restaurant’s name translates as “To the Moon,” imagining what it might be like to return to Earth after a journey to outer space and experience ingredients and flavors for the first time, according to press materials.

“Jantra is about seeing everything as if for the first time,” Chef G said in a statement. “The world is a small place when you approach it from outer space.”

Diners can expect a meal of between eight and 12 courses for $175. Graham Painter, the chef’s husband, business partner, and beverage director, will contribute a pairing that will be priced at $85-120, depending on how many courses are served and what’s being poured.

“We will write the menus in Crayon, allowing things to change on a whim,” Painter tells Cu!tureMap.

Without being limited to only Thai flavors, Jantra’s menu will be guided by whatever the chef is most excited about at the moment. It also allows her to experiment with new ingredients and techniques, previewing where she’s going.

The chef previously collaborated with David Skinner, the imaginative chef behind Kemah restaurants Eculent and Ishtia, on Th Prsrv, a short-lived tasting menu concept that explored the evolution of Thai and Native American cooking across time. While that experience has come to an end, the couple learned lessons that have shaped the experience at Jantra. For example, they learned a lot about pacing and portions, achieving the tricky balance between diners leaving feeling full but being able to enjoy every course.

“Given the historical context of ThPrsrv, creativity was found within limitations,” Graham Painter explains. “Chef had to keep her recipes limited to ingredients found within certain time periods in a historical context. Jantra is the opposite. Free from techniques, limitations on ingredients, or anything else, G has a blank slate from which to create.”

Reservations for Jantra are available on OpenTable. They open at 10 am on the first of the month.

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