Local Foods Group is bringing another new restaurant to Rice Village. The Houston hospitality company behind Maximo, Lee’s, and Milton’s will open Benjamin’s, a new live-fire steakhouse.
Following the company success with full-service concepts — including a James Beard Award Emerging Chef win for Maximo’s Adrian Torres and a semifinalist Best Chef: Texas nomination for Milton’s duo Seth Siegel-Gardner and Kent Domas —LFG is launching an updated version of Benjy's, the group's eclectic, farm-to-table restaurant that operated from 1995 to 2020.
Slated to open next spring, Benjamin will take over what is currently the Rice Village location of Local Foods Market (2424 Dunstan). LFG co-owner Benjy Levit tells CultureMap that Local Foods Market served an important role during Covid, but that the time had come for the company’s take on a genre that remains many Houstonians’ favorite style of fine dining.
And no, he isn’t concerned that Houstonians love to complain on social media about the city having “too many steakhouses.”
“Before we opened Milton’s, it was Alison Cook and others who said the last thing Houston needs is another Italian restaurant,” Levit recalls. “Our feeling is there’s always room for another very good restaurant regardless of the kind of cuisine. We’re confident that, similar to Milton’s, there’s room for a great steakhouse with a unique spin and a unique atmosphere in a great space.”
Siegel-Gardner, formerly co-owner of The Pass & Provisions, has served as the group’s culinary and creative director since 2023. He recruited former Riel chef Ryan Lachaine to serve as Benjamin’s executive chef. Lachaine quietly left his role as executive chef at State of Grace to lead Benjamin’s.
“I have a ton of respect for him,” Siegel-Gardner says about Lachaine. “He’s operated his own successful business, and he’s worked for other people we admire and consider some of the best in the city. I think he has a great attitude, is a hard worker, has a lot of good connections, and understands what it takes to run a successful business.”
Lachaine will be joined in the kitchen by sous chef Andy Thompson, who brings experience from both Underbelly Hospitality and Truth BBQ. LFG also employs pastry chef Samantha Mendoza, whose resume includes Triniti, Killen’s Restaurants, and Goodnight Hospitality. Beverage director Mark Sayre will oversee the wine list, while bar manager Chad Matson, a CultureMap Tastemaker Awards Bartender of the Year nominee, will create Benjamin’s cocktails. Gillian Malone (Goodnight Hospitality, Camaraderie) will transition from general manager of Milton’s and Lee’s to leading Benjamin’s.
“I think a big part of my job is recruiting and keeping people happy and creating opportunities for them and for the company,” Siegel-Gardner says. “Benjy is an incredible boss who cares about the people who work for him. We’re very lucky to be part of that.”
Turning to the menu, Siegel-Gardner says that both he and Levit see an opportunity to operate a steakhouse that brings a fresh perspective to the genre's classic dishes. While the menu is still under development, it may include items such as:
- Surf and turf: Denver steak Milanese with uni and lobster bucatini
- Steak au poivre: 20-ounce huitlacoche-rubbed, dry-aged Flannery ribeye with truffle au poivre
- Creamed spinach gnudi with bone marrow vinaigrette
- Smoked schmaltz French fries with crown-dill ranch
- Hearth-roasted chocolate soufflé with caramelized banana ice cream.
“We’ll have something for everybody there. It won’t just be cuts of meat, sauces, slabs of bacon, wedge salads, stuff like that,” Siegel-Gardner says. “We’re going to get a little cheffy with it. At the same time, if you want to have a really good dry-aged steak with an au poivre sauce, we’ve got you covered. We’ll get deep into seafood, following the seasons with things.”
A custom-built, wood-burning grill from Mill Scale Metalworks in Lockhart will power the kitchen. The modular unit will have different shelves and other surfaces that allow Lachaine, Thompson, and their team to cook different cuts with different techniques. For example, a dry-aged steak may be cooked in cast iron to preserve its signature nutty flavor, while another steak may be roasted over the coals to maximize its crust. As noted in the menu items above, even the desserts will be prepared with a live-fire element.
“For all of our full service and some of the Local Foods as well, we cook over live fire, because it gives the chefs more options,” Siegel-Gardner says. “Once they learn the different techniques, it changes the way they can start thinking about the dishes. Adrian had an aha moment when we went to Lockhart and cooked over live fire there. It changed his whole perspective on barbecue and putting dishes together.”
Levit has tapped local firm Dillon Kyle Architects to transform Local Foods Market into Benjamin’s. Although the firm recently created Chrôma, chef Claire Smith’s restaurant at the Menil Collection, it is primarily known for high-end homes, including a residence in the Museum District that was selected for this year’s AIA Houston Home Tour. With between 50 and 60 seats, Benjamin's will be far more intimate than almost every other steakhouse in Houston.
“I think we’ll bring this luxury and intimacy and fun to the atmosphere, but it will certainly be our own take on it,” Levit says. “We’re going to be really particular about the music we’re playing and the glasses that we’re using and just to exude luxury in our unique way.”
“We’re calling it Benjamin’s, because it’s kind of the grown-up version of Benjy’s,” Siegel-Gardner adds. “You could say it’s the godfather-ish figure in the family.”
While the team is firmly focused on launching Benjamin’s, Siegel-Gardner has plans for the future. Select Local Foods locations will occasionally run specials under the flag of Goldberg’s Deli, and the chef affirms it will be a restaurant at some point in the near future.
“The deli is very much on the radar. We’re looking for the right spot for it. I have the menu on a whiteboard at my house that I put ideas on all the time,” Siegel-Gardner says. “It’s something we very much want to do and will be doing in the next year or so.”
