What's Eric Eating Episode 262
Sneak peek of Houston's new live fire steakhouse, plus the latest food news
Michael Sambrooks, left, and Louis Maldonado, second from right, are this week's guests.
On this week's episode of "What's Eric Eating," Sambrooks Management Group founder Michael Sambrooks and executive chef Louis Maldonado join CultureMap food editor Eric Sandler to preview Andiron, the company's new live fire steakhouse that will open in December in the historic Star Engraving building on Allen Parkway.
The conversation begins with Maldonado, who competed on the New Orleans season of Top Chef and was named People magazine's sexiest chef in 2018, discussing the roots of his culinary career and his decision to move to Houston to work at Andiron. Sambrooks talks about the decision to open a steakhouse and how he thinks Andiron will distinguish itself from other restaurants, particularly in terms of ingredients and its use of a range of life fire techniques.
Sandler notes that steakhouses aren't typically chef-driven restaurants. He asks Maldonado what he adds to the restaurant that will help Andiron stand out.
"Honestly, it's questioning the steakhouse standard. The creative side is obvious, but also questioning, what is it? What is a steakhouse? We're going to have a sauce program. We'll have a saucier to do beautiful sauce work," he says. My role is driving the creativity, the vision."
Listen to the full interview to hear Sambrooks discuss the restaurant's different dining rooms and his expectations for the experience. Maldonado also shares some of his favorite meals in Houston so far.
Prior to the interview, Sandler and co-host Linda Salinas discuss the news of the week. Their topics include: a quick recap of the best bites at this year's Southern Smoke festival; chef Christine Ha's plans to open a new sandwich shop in Spring Branch; and Niko Niko's opening a new location in The Woodlands.
In the restaurant of the week segment, Salinas and Sandler share first impressions of Wild, the tropical-themed restaurant that just recently opened in the former UB Preserv space. Tune in to hear their thoughts on chef German Mosquera's menu and the CBD-infused cocktails.
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