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    What's Eric Eating Episodes 426 and 427

    Expert panel drafts Houston's best bars and cocktails

    CultureMap Staff
    Nov 27, 2024 | 5:30 pm
    Refuge Floridita bar neon

    Refuge earned two first round selections.

    Photo by Jenn Duncan

    On this week's episodes of "What's Eric Eating," CultureMap editor Eric Sandler recruits six friends for the Ultimate Houston Bar Draft. Working from the familiar fantasy football draft format, the panelists make selections in the following categories:

    • Cocktail Bar
    • Neighborhood Bar
    • Martini
    • Margarita
    • Bar Food
    • Wild Card



    Joining Sandler in the draft are corporate event planner Lawton Driscoll, Reserve 101 co-owner Sean Fitzmaurice, Monkey's Tail director of operations Lainey Collum, Heights Grocer owner Mary Clarkson, The Infatuation Houston staff writer Chelsea Thomas, and Anvil co-founder Bobby Heugel. With such a broad array of backgrounds, their picks show off the depth of Houston's bar scene.

    Overall, the draft recognizers both established favorites — one panelist selected Kenneally's Irish Pub — as well as of-the-moment spots like Clarkwood. While you'll have to listen to the whole episode to hear all the picks, the first round proceeded as follows:

    Driscoll: Bandista for Cocktail Bar
    Fitzmaurice: Refuge for Martini
    Collum: Refuge for Cocktail Bar
    Clarkson: Catbirds for Martini
    Thomas: Bad News Bar for Cocktail Bar
    Heugel: Poison Girl for Neighborhood Bar
    Sandler: Anvil for Cocktail Bar

    In this week's second episode, Houston bar experts Brad Moore (Grand Prize, Big Star Bar) and Lindsay Rae Burleson (Two Headed Dog) pick a winner. They also share some of their own thoughts on the state of Houston's bar scene and suggest a few categories for Sandler to include in the inevitable Ultimate Houston Bar Draft Part II.



    -----

    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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    lumpia lost

    Guy Fieri-loved Filipino restaurant closes in the Heights after 6 years

    Eric Sandler
    Mar 31, 2026 | 4:30 pm
    Be More Pacific Houston exterior
    Courtesy of Be More Pacific
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    A pioneering Houston Filipino restaurant has served its last meal. Be More Pacific is closed as of Tuesday, March 31, the restaurant announced on Instagram.

    The note traces the restaurant’s evolution from an Austin food truck to an Austin restaurant and eventually to a Houston location.

    “To our guests, friends, and community — thank you. Thank you for the support, the Kamayan feasts, the celebrations, the halo-halo summers, the karaoke parties, and for letting us share a piece of our culture with you,” the note reads in part. “You helped make Filipino food part of the conversation, and we’re incredibly proud of that.”

    The Houston location opened in 2020. It distinguished itself with its stylish layout that includes an indoor-outdoor bar, a spacious patio, and karaoke rooms. At the time, founders Giovan Cuchapin and Mark Pascual teamed up with Houston hospitality veteran Roveen Abante (Conservatory Gallery, among others) to bring the Houston location to life. Abante referred all questions about the closure to Cuchapin, who has yet to respond to CultureMap’s request for comment.

    When it opened, the restaurant quickly earned a following for its flavorful Filipino fare, including signature items such as lumpia, garlic fried rice, and chicken adobo. Groups could order a kamaya feast built around proteins such as roast pork or whole snapper.

    Guy Fieri featured Be More Pacific on a 2021 episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. In this clip, he samples the restaurant’s kare kare, a curry made with brisket.



    Be More Pacific was among the first ambitious Asian restaurants to open in the Heights. While it may have closed, its legacy lives on with concepts such as JŪN and Agnes and Sherman, both of which earned finalist nominations in the 2026 James Beard Awards.

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