What's Eric Eating Episodes 450 and 451

Meet the married chef duo operating 2 Houston restaurants

On this week’s episode of “What’s Eric Eating,” chefs Kirthan and Kripa Shenoy join CultureMap editor Eric Sandler to discuss their restaurants EaDough and Auden.

Open since 2022, EaDough is a bakery and coffee shop in EaDo that serves freshly baked pastries and sweets at breakfast with pita bowls for lunch. The married chefs tell Sandler that they’ve been able to incorporate South Asian flavors into their menu by serving items such as nihari kolaches and chicken tikka pita pockets.

Auden, which recently earned an honorable mention on Texas Monthly’s list of the state’s best new restaurants for 2025, took a little while to find its groove. Kripa notes that the restaurant got labeled fine dining, which was never the chefs’ intention. Kirthan adds that the restaurant’s initial menu was too concerned with being similar to other restaurants in the area.

“We’ve never been not proud of the food that we were cooking at Auden, but now we can say Auden is a true representation of Kripa and myself,” he says. “Even from the service, we’re training the servers to be themselves and relax. Even if someone had the worst meal of their life or the best meal, they’re still going to be hungry again in a few hours. Don’t take it too personally. Take everything professionally. The imposter syndrome is gone after a year-and-a-half.”

Listen to the full episode to hear the chefs talk about why they aspire to open a neighborhood bar, as well as the Houston bars they most enjoy patronizing.

In this week’s other episode, Sandler and co-host Lawton Driscoll discuss the news of the week. First, they discuss the state of Houston steakhouses in light of the recent closures of Andiron and Savoir/Patton’s. Then, they talk about Texas Monthly’s aforementioned best new restaurants list and a’Bouzy owner Shawn Virene’s plans to open Succulent Fine Dining, a California-inspired restaurant in Montrose.

In the restaurants of the week segment, the two friends discuss their recent meal at Haii Keii. They find a lot to like about their meal at the recently-opened Upper Kirby pan-Asian restaurant, including lobster dumplings, sushi, and an Australian wagyu ribeye. Tune in to hear which dishes came up short and whether they plan to return for another meal.

Photo by Jordan Hughes

Married chefs Kirpa and Kirthan Shenoy.

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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.

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One Day Only

Chef of Michelin-starred Texas BBQ joint pops up at Houston crawfish favorite

Photo by Quit Nguyen

Join Lucas McKinney for a crawfish pop-up this Sunday, May 17.

The pitmaster behind one of Texas’ Michelin-starred barbecue joints will be in Houston for a one-day-only crawfish boil. Evan LeRoy, chef and co-owner of Austin’s LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue, will be at Josephine’s this Sunday, May 17 from 2-6 pm.

Part of the restaurant’s Backyard Boil pop-up series, LeRoy and Josephine’s executive chef Lucas McKinney have collaborated on a four dishes that will be served at the pop-up, which will take place on Josephine’s patio. They are:

Smoked Crawfish Boil Sausage on a Stick: andouille flavored pork sausage with crawfish, corn, and potatoes
Brisket and Cheddar Croquettes: Chopped brisket and cheddar cheese in a creamy bechamel. Scooped, breaded in panko, and fried til crispy
Oysters on the Half Shell: Pickled Onion Mignonette, Smoked Jalapeno Salsa, Kimchi Elote
Smoked Salsa Macha with Beef Tallow: Guajillo, ancho, and arbol chiles, lime, soy, garlic, onion, pepitas, and pecans

The pop-up is part of LeRoy’s tour for his new book, New School Barbecue: Recipes for Next-Level Smoking and Grilling, which he co-wrote with Texas Monthly restaurant critic Paula Forbes. Released this week, the book contains almost 100 recipes for mains, sides, and desserts.

LeRoy & Lewis Evan Leroy ATX Evan LeRoy is coming to Houston this weekend. Photo by Briana Balducci

“Lucas asked me to participate in a crawfish boil this year, and it happened to line up with the release of the book, so I said yes,” LeRoy tells CultureMap. “The event format centers around a crawfish boil, along with some fried items and oysters, so it doesn't necessarily reflect the recipes in the book. Instead, we decided to bring a few dishes we’ve been working on over the past year or so, including the brisket and cheddar croquettes — which will definitely make it into my next cookbook.”

McKinney has already hosted pop-ups with the likes of ChòpnBlọk chef-owner Ope Amosu and Mike Pham of Trill Burgers.

“With these crawfish boils, I want each chef to bring their own perspective and let the menu reflect their personal style of cooking,” McKinney adds. “Events like this are really centered around community, collaboration, and introducing something fresh and exciting to Houston each time.”

LeRoy and Lewis has earned wide acclaim for its “new school” barbecue. In addition to being one of only four Texas barbecue joints to hold a Michelin star, it ranked No. 2 on Texas Monthly’s list of the state’s 50 best barbecue joints. McKinney began patronizing the restaurant when his friend, pitmaster Cole Parkman, worked there.

“It’s incredibly good,” McKinney says. “Eating there feels like they’re telling you, ‘I know you think you like brisket, but this is what you should really like.’ I really respect that they’ve planted their feet firmly in the ground and committed to doing things differently. It all makes so much sense — and it’s delicious.”

Reservations (free) are required to attend the Backyard Boil at Josephine’s; both 2 pm and 4 pm seatings are available. Attendees will purchase food and drinks a la carte. Josephine’s regular menu will not be available at the pop-up. Copies of New School Barbecue will also be available for purchase.

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