{"id":285978,"date":"2026-05-09T16:01:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-09T16:01:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/285978\/"},"modified":"2026-05-09T16:01:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T16:01:09","slug":"every-stop-chris-shepherd-hits-in-this-no-theme-episode-of-eat-like-a-local","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/285978\/","title":{"rendered":"Every stop Chris Shepherd hits in this no-theme episode of \u2018Eat Like a Local\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this episode of \u201cEat Like a Local\u201d<\/a>, Chris Shepherd\u2019s premise is simple: no theme, no rules\u2014just the Houston-area places he\u2019s excited to eat right now (plus a couple of \u201cyou\u2019ve gotta try this\u201d recommendations). Here are all the restaurants\/food stops he visits in the episode, in order, with what to get and why they made the cut.<\/p>\n

1) J.A.M Viet Kitchen (West Side \/ Westheimer)<\/p>\n

Why it\u2019s on the list: Shepherd says he found dishes at J.A.M Viet Kitchen<\/a> he hadn\u2019t seen since traveling in Vietnam\u2014plus a Vietnamese-ingredient-driven bar program that\u2019s not typical for most Vietnamese restaurants.<\/p>\n

J.A.M Viet Kitchen (Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n

What he eats\/drinks in the episode<\/p>\n

Egg coffee (cold version)\u00a0\u2014 whipped egg yolk + sweetened condensed milk foam over Vietnamese coffee.<\/p>\n

Salted caramel coffee\u00a0\u2014 heavy cream whip with powdered sugar + sea salt over the same coffee base.<\/p>\n

Egg coffee martini (espresso martini riff)\u00a0\u2014 Vietnamese coffee + the egg\/condensed milk element turned into a cocktail.<\/p>\n

Ph\u1edf B\u1eafc (pho-based cocktail)\u00a0\u2014 tequila infused with skimmed pho fat for \u201call the flavors of pho\u201d in drink form.<\/p>\n

J.A.M Viet Kitchen (Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n

B\u00e1nh tr\u00e1ng n\u01b0\u1edbng\u00a0\u2014 crispy, egg-seared rice paper \u201cpizza\u201d style snack with sausage; he calls out the\u00a0quail eggs\u00a0as the best part.<\/p>\n

B\u00e1nh c\u0103n\u00a0\u2014 small skillet rice-flour pancakes (Central Vietnam-style), topped with seafood like crab, cuttlefish, shrimp.<\/p>\n

B\u00e1nh b\u1ed9t chi\u00ean\u00a0\u2014 steamed rice cake with fried egg, Chinese sausage and a soy\/vinegar element.<\/p>\n

C\u01a1m t\u1ea5m (\u201cSaigon oi\u201d broken rice platter)\u00a0\u2014 pork chop + steamed pork cake + pork sausage, plus crispy\/rendered bits and shredded pork skin; he mentions you can even add shrimp, bone marrow, or a tomahawk.<\/p>\n

Cao l\u1ea7u\u00a0\u2014 a Hoi An specialty with roasted pork, herbs, crunch, citrus, and distinctive noodles; Shepherd highlights the noodles\u2019 chew and says to get it \u201cas fast as you can.\u201d<\/p>\n

J.A.M Viet Kitchen Cao l\u1ea7u\u00a0 (Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n

Shepherd\u2019s quick \u201cwhat to order\u201d recap<\/p>\n

B\u00e1nh tr\u00e1ng n\u01b0\u1edbng<\/p>\n

B\u00e1nh c\u0103n<\/p>\n

Cao l\u1ea7u\u00a0<\/p>\n

Saigon oi \/ broken rice platter<\/p>\n

Finish with an\u00a0egg coffee martini\u00a0(and he also raves about the\u00a0pho cocktail)<\/p>\n

PREVIOUS EPISODE: Chris Shepherd shares two of his favorite Houston-area spots for a great meal with friends<\/a><\/p>\n

2) Milton\u2019s (Rice Village)<\/p>\n

Why it\u2019s on the list: If you want a \u201cclassic Italian-American dinner,\u201d Shepherd calls Milton\u2019s<\/a> the place\u2014 especially for a certain comfort-food classic he can\u2019t stop talking about.<\/p>\n

What he orders<\/p>\n

Chicken Parmesan\u00a0\u2014 the one he says he \u201cdreams about,\u201d praising the fry, seasoning, moist chicken, melted cheese, and sauce.<\/p>\n

Chicken Parmeson at Milton’s (Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n

Extra notes he drops<\/p>\n

Pasta is\u00a0made in-house.<\/p>\n

Great-value wine list.<\/p>\n

Cocktails are \u201cfantastic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mentions\u00a0Lee\u2019s\u00a0next door as a nearby spot to nightcap\/pre-game.<\/p>\n

3) Yiayia\u2019s Greek Kitchen (Richmond)<\/p>\n

Why it\u2019s on the list: Shepherd frames YiaYia\u2019s<\/a> as a must for the \u201cthings I really love to go eat\u201d portion of the lightning round\u2014Greek food with a high-end approach, a big bar, and a deep Greek wine selection.<\/p>\n

What he drinks<\/p>\n

YiaYia\u2019s tonic\u00a0\u2014 an herb-forward gin & tonic he says is perfectly balanced (with noticeable dill that doesn\u2019t go too far).<\/p>\n

Kokkini Sunset\u00a0\u2014 tequila + mezcal with a bell pepper cordial, named after Kokkini Beach outside Corfu.<\/p>\n

What he eats<\/p>\n

Chicken souvlaki\u00a0\u2014 air-chilled chicken thighs, finished with olive oil\/garlic\/shallots; served with tzatziki, grain salad, charred tomato. He says this is what other souvlaki \u201cwant to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Saganaki (tableside)\u00a0\u2014 seared\u00a0Kefalograviera\u00a0(sheep\u2019s milk cheese) flamb\u00e9ed with brandy and topped with a date\/pear compote; served with house pita.<\/p>\n

YiaYia’s Greek Kitchen Chicken Souvlaki\u00a0 (Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)YiaYia’s Greek Kitchen Saganaki (Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n

Extra notes he drops<\/p>\n

Mentions it\u2019s relatively new and references the space\u2019s prior identity (YiaYia Mary\u2019s).<\/p>\n

Calls out\u00a0100+ Greek wines\u00a0on the list.<\/p>\n

Encourages:\u00a0get a reservation\u00a0and go.<\/p>\n

4) Tornado Burger (Stafford)<\/p>\n

Why it\u2019s on the list: A recommendation-driven stop\u2014he says \u201cAbbas<\/a> told me\u201d to get the spicy burger, and he\u2019s here specifically for that.<\/p>\n

What he orders<\/p>\n

Double Spicy Burger\u00a0\u2014 patties ground with\u00a0jalape\u00f1o, garlic, and onion\u00a0so the heat\/flavor is built in (not just chunks). He notes it\u2019s not overly spicy, and you can add more jalape\u00f1os if you want.<\/p>\n

Double Meat Spicy Burger at Tornado Burger (Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n

Also mentioned (temptations)<\/p>\n

Cheesesteak\u00a0(including the idea you can do it spicy).<\/p>\n

Onion strings\u00a0(he sees them and has to get them).<\/p>\n

5) Froberg\u2019s Farm (Alvin) \u2014 for the fried pies<\/p>\n

Why it\u2019s on the list: This is the nostalgia\/pilgrimage stop. Shepherd says when he was cooking at Brennan\u2019s, they\u2019d come down to Froberg\u2019s Farm <\/a>weekly for produce\u2014and it was \u201cmandatory\u201d to come back with fried pies.<\/p>\n

What he gets<\/p>\n

Fried pies\u00a0\u2014 he rapid-fires flavors including\u00a0lemon, pineapple, tart cherry, coconut, chocolate, buttermilk, strawberry, plus a \u201cSweet Caroline\u201d flavor he describes like banana cream.<\/p>\n

Froberg’s Farm Fried Pies (Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n

Why it works<\/p>\n

He ties it to seasonality and place: seeing strawberries growing nearby and then eating a strawberry fried pie made with preserves that aren\u2019t \u201cout of a big jug.\u201d<\/p>\n

The takeaway: a Houston-area hit list with zero rules<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re copying Shepherd\u2019s exact \u201cno theme\u201d energy, do it like this:<\/p>\n

Start with\u00a0J.A.M Viet Kitchen\u00a0for Vietnamese snacks + coffee\/cocktails.<\/p>\n

Go classic comfort at\u00a0Milton\u2019s\u00a0with chicken parm.<\/p>\n

Make it a night at\u00a0Yiayia\u2019s\u00a0(cocktails + souvlaki + tableside cheese).<\/p>\n

Detour to\u00a0Stafford\u00a0for the\u00a0Tornado Burger\u00a0spicy smash.<\/p>\n

Finish with a drive to\u00a0Alvin\u00a0for\u00a0Froberg Farms\u00a0fried pies.<\/p>\n

\u201cEat Like a Local with Chris Shepherd\u201d<\/a> is your guide to the best food in Houston. Watch new episodes Saturdays at 10 a.m. on KPRC 2.<\/p>\n

Season 3 of \u201cEat Like a Local\u201d<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In this episode of \u201cEat Like a Local\u201d, Chris Shepherd\u2019s premise is simple: no theme, no rules\u2014just the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":285979,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[9044,9043,49,56,19337,58,57,354],"class_list":["post-285978","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-houston","tag-chris-shepherd","tag-eat-like-a-local","tag-food","tag-houston","tag-houston-food","tag-houston-headlines","tag-houston-news","tag-restaurants"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285978","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=285978"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285978\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/285979"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=285978"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=285978"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=285978"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}