west u's new taqueria

Local Foods owner maximizes tacos at newly-opened modern Mexican restaurant in West U

The wait is over for the new Mexican-inspired restaurant from the owners of Local Foods. Maximo is now open daily for lunch and dinner.

Located in the former El Topo space at 6119 Edloe in West University Place, Maximo blends the best parts of El Topo with the expertise of Local Foods owners Dylan Murray and Benjy Levit and the company’s culinary director Seth Siegel-Gardner. The result is a family-friendly, counter service restaurant based around Mexican flavors, Texas ingredients, and tortillas made with nixtamalized heirloom corn.

“Every item on this menu was carefully selected to ensure all our ingredients are from nearby farms and producers that reflect the bounty of the Gulf Coast region,” Levit said in a statement. “From farm-fresh vegetables to locally sourced meats and cheeses, every ingredient embodies the ethos of local foods.”

Led by executive chef and former El Topo owner Tony Luhrman, the former restaurant’s signature barbacoa taco remains, but the rest of its lineup is new. They include two tempura-fried tacos made with a gluten-free batter — one, a fish taco topped with avocado-pea puree, lime crema, and more, and the other, a hen-of-the-woods mushrooms topped with corn nut chili crisp and pickled beech mushrooms. Other choices include smoked chicken with corn rajas and pepitas and a sweet potato taco with bagna cuada and shaved kale salad. Those looking for a touch of luxury with find a king crab taco dressed with edamame, asparagus, chive flowers, baja crema, cornichon, and nasturtium.

Starters include a selection of salads and shareables, including Caesar salad, watermelon salad with fresh cotija cheese, campechana, and chips with salsa, queso, or guacamole. Even the El Topo smash burger has been reworked to include a topping of onions, lettuce, and remoulade that’s partially inspired by the Edloe Street Deli and partially inspired by a Big Mac. For dessert, the restaurant will offer a rotating selection of soft serve ice cream with toppings as well as horchata rice krispie treats.

Maximo restaurant smash burger The burger features two beef patties, special sauce, lettice, onions, and cheese.Photo by Julie Soefer

Beverage options include housemade agua frescas and cocktails such as a frozen margarita, the Peacemaker (bourbon, mezcal, Montenegro), and the Red Dawn (rum, prickly pear).

All that eating and drinking takes place in a space that’s been completely redesigned by Brittany Vaughn of Garnish Design, who also created the signature looks for Levit’s Rice Village French restaurant Eau Tour and its adjacent wine bar Lees Den. Inspired by the setting of a desert oasis, the 35-seat dining room incorporates mid-century modern elements and features art from Houston’s Southern Kindness Gallery. The patio has been covered and reworked with booth-style seating and a fountain.

Photo by Julie Soefer

Maximo is now open for lunch and dinner daily.

Maximo restaurant patio The patio has been covered and now features a fountain.Photo by Julie Soefer

Prior to partnering with Levit and Murray, Luhrman operated El Topo first as a food truck and then as a restaurant. As he told CultureMap last year, the restaurant struggled financially despite praise that included making Texas Monthly’s best new restaurant list in 2021, multiple CultureMap Tastemaker Award nominations, and Luhrman twice winning the Golden Cleaver at the Butcher’s Ball food festival. He saw partnering with Murray and Levit as the way to focus on his strengths while gaining expertise in other aspects of restaurant operations.

“Ultimately, I love food. I love cooking. It’s one of the things I’m best at. I’ve been working really hard for almost two decades to make the best food possible. I had to step away from that to keep the business running,” Luhrman said last year prior to closing El Topo to convert it to Maximo. “Launching this restaurant is an opportunity for me to refocus on the food I really want to cook.”

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One Day Only

Chef of Michelin-starred Texas BBQ joint pops up at Houston crawfish favorite

Photo by Quit Nguyen

Join Lucas McKinney for a crawfish pop-up this Sunday, May 17.

The pitmaster behind one of Texas’ Michelin-starred barbecue joints will be in Houston for a one-day-only crawfish boil. Evan LeRoy, chef and co-owner of Austin’s LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue, will be at Josephine’s this Sunday, May 17 from 2-6 pm.

Part of the restaurant’s Backyard Boil pop-up series, LeRoy and Josephine’s executive chef Lucas McKinney have collaborated on a four dishes that will be served at the pop-up, which will take place on Josephine’s patio. They are:

Smoked Crawfish Boil Sausage on a Stick: andouille flavored pork sausage with crawfish, corn, and potatoes
Brisket and Cheddar Croquettes: Chopped brisket and cheddar cheese in a creamy bechamel. Scooped, breaded in panko, and fried til crispy
Oysters on the Half Shell: Pickled Onion Mignonette, Smoked Jalapeno Salsa, Kimchi Elote
Smoked Salsa Macha with Beef Tallow: Guajillo, ancho, and arbol chiles, lime, soy, garlic, onion, pepitas, and pecans

The pop-up is part of LeRoy’s tour for his new book, New School Barbecue: Recipes for Next-Level Smoking and Grilling, which he co-wrote with Texas Monthly restaurant critic Paula Forbes. Released this week, the book contains almost 100 recipes for mains, sides, and desserts.

LeRoy & Lewis Evan Leroy ATX Evan LeRoy is coming to Houston this weekend. Photo by Briana Balducci

“Lucas asked me to participate in a crawfish boil this year, and it happened to line up with the release of the book, so I said yes,” LeRoy tells CultureMap. “The event format centers around a crawfish boil, along with some fried items and oysters, so it doesn't necessarily reflect the recipes in the book. Instead, we decided to bring a few dishes we’ve been working on over the past year or so, including the brisket and cheddar croquettes — which will definitely make it into my next cookbook.”

McKinney has already hosted pop-ups with the likes of ChòpnBlọk chef-owner Ope Amosu and Mike Pham of Trill Burgers.

“With these crawfish boils, I want each chef to bring their own perspective and let the menu reflect their personal style of cooking,” McKinney adds. “Events like this are really centered around community, collaboration, and introducing something fresh and exciting to Houston each time.”

LeRoy and Lewis has earned wide acclaim for its “new school” barbecue. In addition to being one of only four Texas barbecue joints to hold a Michelin star, it ranked No. 2 on Texas Monthly’s list of the state’s 50 best barbecue joints. McKinney began patronizing the restaurant when his friend, pitmaster Cole Parkman, worked there.

“It’s incredibly good,” McKinney says. “Eating there feels like they’re telling you, ‘I know you think you like brisket, but this is what you should really like.’ I really respect that they’ve planted their feet firmly in the ground and committed to doing things differently. It all makes so much sense — and it’s delicious.”

Reservations (free) are required to attend the Backyard Boil at Josephine’s; both 2 pm and 4 pm seatings are available. Attendees will purchase food and drinks a la carte. Josephine’s regular menu will not be available at the pop-up. Copies of New School Barbecue will also be available for purchase.

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