On this week’s episode of “What’s Eric Eating,” restaurateur Matt Gottlieb joins CultureMap editor Eric Sandler to discuss his career. Together with his business partner Robert Quick, Gottlieb leads Western Addition, the Texas hospitality group behind two Galleria-area establishments, Italian restaurant il Bracco and California-inspired seafood restaurant Balboa Surf Club.
The conversation begins with Gottlieb discussing his lengthy career with the Hillstone Group, including time as an assistant general manager at the shuttered Houston’s location on Westheimer. Ultimately, he and Quick partnered to launch Western Addition with the first location of il Bracco that opened in Dallas in 2019.
Gottlieb and Sandler discuss both il Bracco and Balboa Surf Club in depth. For example, Gottlieb notes that il Bracco caters to people seeking more traditional Italian fare such as cacio e pepe and pasta bolognese as well as those looking for Italian-American classics like eggplant parm and meatballs. Balboa has a similarly wide-ranging menu, supplementing its sushi and seafood with a cheeseburger, roasted chicken, and a recently-introduced Sunday night prime rib special.
While the company may have been founded in Dallas, Gottlieb wants Houstonians to know it has extensive local ties, too.
“We get called the Dallas import. Balboa is a Houston-specific concept. We tried to integrate ourselves into the community and become part of the neighborhood. Myself and my team are down there every week. A.J., one of our vice presidents, is based there. We try to create a Houston presence for ourselves, plus we employ close to 150 people in Houston,” he says.
“We’ve invested more money into our Houston restaurants than in Dallas. We use local farmers, local seafood companies, meat companies. We try to highlight and show what’s the best of Houston.”
On this week’s other episode, Sandler and co-host Felice Sloan discuss the news of the week. Their topics include: Mi Luna reopening in Montrose; Melrose, the upscale cocktail bar coming soon to the former La Grange space; and interactive art exhibit Meow Wolf’s plans to include a restaurant and bar as part of its offerings.
In the restaurant of the week segment, Sloan and Sandler discuss their recent meal at Azumi, the new sushi restaurant from the owners of Loch Bar and Marmo. Tune in to hear their favorite dishes as well as how it compares to nearby Japanese concepts such as Uchiko and Roka Akor.
Western Addition developed Balboa Surf Club for Houston.
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