What's Eric Eating Episodes 382 and 383
Meet the man leading Houston restaurant after its founder's passing
The restaurant will soon open its new location in The Woodlands.
On this week’s episode of “What’s Eric Eating,” Kevin Lee joins CultureMap editor Eric Sandler to discuss Phat Eatery. Along with Marvin He, Lee is one of the restaurant’s directors of operations.
He and Sandler have quite a bit to discuss. Not only is the restaurant preparing to open a new location in The Woodlands, but it is also still mourning the death of founder Alex Au-Yeung, who passed away in March after a battle with cancer.
Lee begins the conversation by discussing the career path that led him to work alongside Au-Yeung to open Phat Eatery in 2018. From there, they discuss the restaurant’s evolution. He also provides an update on plans to open a new location in The Woodlands, including a promise that it will debut later this summer.
Eventually, the conversation turns to Au-Yeung. Sandler asks Lee to share one happy memory from his time with his friend and colleague.
“His last few days with us, he was still very energetic. One day, he said, ‘Kevin, I want to sing karaoke.’ He was a huge Sinatra guy. He loved singing ‘My Way.’ Where in Houston at 4 pm can we sing karaoke? We found a place in the Southwest side of town that allowed us to open up one of their VIP rooms. We said, how much to open at 4 pm? They said, ‘we’re not open until 9.’
“I was, like, here’s $1,000. It was Marvin and I and him. We sang for five hours. My eyes crossed at 8 pm, but we stayed until 2 am. I can guarantee, if you ask anyone about him and karaoke, he was a karaoke fanatic.”
In this week’s other episode, Sandler and co-host Mary Clarkson discuss the news of the week. Their topics include: the closure of Vietnamese restaurant Xin Chao; restaurateur Benjy Levit’s decision to replace French restaurant Eau Tour with a new Italian concept called Milton’s; and the team behind upscale omakase restaurant Neo opening Kira, a new hand roll establishment, in Upper Kirby.
In the restaurant of the week segment, Clarkson and Sandler recap their recent meals at Bar Bludorn, chef Aaron Bludorn’s lively tavern in Memorial. They discuss how the restaurant has evolved since their first visit at the end of March and share some favorite dishes for people to try.
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