What's Eric Eating Episode 274

Veteran Houston chef dishes on his seafood-focused Italian restaurant and eclectic cafe, plus hottest food news

On this week's episode of "What's Eric Eating," chef Justin Turner joins CultureMap food editor Eric Sandler. As the director of culinary hospitality for McCord Development, Turner currently oversees two restaurants in the Generation Park project near Lake Houston — Bocca Italian Kitchen and Lupo Caffe.

Justin Turner generation park bocca lupo

Photo by Marco Torres

Chef Justin Turner is this week's guest.

The conversation begins with Turner discussing his decision to close Bernie's Burger Bus and accept his current position with McCord. From there, Sandler and Turner discuss Bocca's evolution into a seafood-oriented Italian restaurant and Lupo's transition for a pizzeria to a more eclectic cafe that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

One of Turner's responsibilities is to help recruit other restauranteurs to open their own concepts at Generation Park. The chef shares that he aspires to open an intimate, tasting menu space that would take some of its inspiration from his time as a private chef for former NBA player Shane Battier.

"I cooked for them. They ate at their island. They'd have guests over. I'd engage with them," Turner says about his time working the former Houston Rocket. "That experience was so great. I got to explain what I was doing and why I was doing it. I was so passionate about it. I want to create that experience."

Prior to the interview, Sandler and co-host Linda Salinas discuss the news of the week. Their topics include: chef Philippe Schmit returning to restaurants at PS21; Best Regards, a new bar and lounge opening in the Heights; and Haywire, a Dallas-based comfort food restaurant that will open at Gateway Memorial City.

In the restaurant of the week segment, they share thoughts about their recent meal from PrimoHoagies. Listen to the full episode to learn whether Salinas and Sandler think the East Coast-based sandwich shop is a worthy addition to Washington Avenue.

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Subscribe to "What's Eric Eating" on Apple podcasts, Google Play, or Spotify. Listen to it Saturday at 2 pm on ESPN 97.5.

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Spring Branch rising

Eclectic EaDo pastry shop bakes up new location in Spring Branch

Koffeteria Facebook

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One of Houston’s most acclaimed bakeries is opening a second location. Koffeteria is coming to Spring Branch.

The satellite location, called Lil’ Koffeteria, will be part of The Quad at Brittmoore, a mixed-use development near the intersection of the Katy Fwy and the Sam Houston Tollroad. Expected to open later this spring, the 770-square-foot space will serve as a satellite location to Koffeteria’s main location in EaDo.

Open since 2019, Koffeteria serves a mix of sweet and savory breads and pastries created by chef-owner Vanarin Kuch. The bakery’s offerings nod to Houston’s immigrant culinary traditions — consider the signature beef pho kolache or pistacchio baklava croissant — as well as Kuch’s Cambodian heritage.

As it approached its fifth anniversary, Koffeteria earned considerable local and national acclaim in 2024. That began in the spring, when Kuch won Pastry Chef of the Year in the CultureMap Tastemaker Awards. In addition, Koffereria earned a James Beard Award semifinalist nomination for Outstanding Bakery and the New York Times named it one of America’s 22 best bakeries. This week, Koffeteria earned another James Beard Award semifinalist nomination.

“We are thrilled to find a second home for Koffeteria in our city at The Quad,” Kuch said in a statement. “Our team will continue to serve the same quality pastries and foods Houstonians have come to know at our homebase in EaDo.”

Located at 1410 Brittmoore Rd., The Quad is a four-building office complex created from former industrial warehouses. Owned by Houston developer Wile Interests, its tenants include Pagewood, Dataprise, Homebase, Digital Wildcatters, and Siepe.

“We’re thrilled to add locally owned Lil’ Koffeteria to our office community who will serve fresh and local eats and build upon the energy we’ve created at our campus,” said Wile Interests president Randolph Wile.

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