NIXTAMALIZATION TAKES CENTER STAGE AT WEST UNIVERSITY’S MAXIMO

Since opening in early April, nixtamalization specialist Maximo has become one of Houston’s most popular new restaurants. The collaborative effort between Benjy Levit and Dylan Murray of Local Foods, Eau Tour, and Lee’s Den’s, and chef Tony Luhrman, pays homage to Mexican and Texan heritage cooking, and the Gulf Coast region. The 1,500-square-foot space was packed on its first Friday afternoon after opening its doors on Tuesday, April 9. Families from the surrounding West University community, couples, and young professionals seeking a new spot for happy hour waited patiently for a menu that’s already building an impressive reputation.

“We’re blending a lot of cultures, and we are using preparations from a bunch of different culinary traditions, including Japanese techniques and flavors, Texas barbecue, and of course Mexican cooking,” Luhrman told Eater Houston. “I think it’s made us an exciting place for those who want flavors that are more complex and representative of what’s here in Texas.”

Garnish Design’s Brittany Vaughan took inspiration from the desert meeting the ocean to design the inviting space, and makes heavy nods to mid-century modern Mexico art. Artwork, including pieces from Houston’s Southern Kindness Gallery, illustrates Western landscapes and ranchers painted in vivid coats of cobalt blue and rose pink. Plush, marmalade-hued velvet seats stacked on royal blue foundations shape the counter-service restaurant’s interior, which overlooks a 35-seat patio that the Luhrman says already commands a near-daily waitlist.

The chef and San Antonio native worked closely with Levit’s culinary director Seth Siegel-Gardner to craft a menu rooted in the tradition of tortillas de nixtamal; that is, tortillas that are prepared from heirloom Mexican field corn that has been soaked in an alkaline solution of calcium hydroxide — a process the Luhrman described as a “culinary line bath.”

“Maximo is really grounded in the tortilla,” he says. “We set that as the base for a lot of what we do. We believe that we’re creating some of the best, most thoughtful, nutritive, delicious tortillas around, and it starts with the process of nixtamalization.”

The chef, who has Mexican, Jewish, and German heritage, took inspiration from his diverse background — which included a stint working as a teenager as an assistant pitmaster — while running the popular El Topo food truck-turned-restaurant that formerly sat in the Maximo space. After closing El Topo in 2023, Luhrman previously announced plans to develop a concept called Teshica. He spent time journaling and meditating before approaching Levit with a new idea (the restaurateur often stopped by El Topo with his wife, according to Luhrman). The chef spent about nine months working with Levit and Murray’s teams to build out the West University space and develop the menu, which includes an intentional focus on technically driven tortilla making.

Outstanding Mexican restaurants certainly aren’t an anomaly in Houston, and Maximo’s distinctive imprint on the teeming landscape is visible in plates driven by the chef’s embrace of regional ingredients and time-tested techniques. Luhrman has taken advantage of Maximo’s Mill Scale smoker, which he uses “to achieve a bunch of different flavors.” Tacos include the barbacoa, adobo-braised taco roasted over mesquite and served with epazote aioli, pickled red onions, and cilantro; and sweet potato masa tempura-fried tacos with baby kale, lime crema and cumin vinaigrette, and dusted with pepitas and sesame — one of many vegetarian options on the menu.

“We’re smoking whole sweet potatoes until they’re all the way done, and then we’re cutting them into ribs and then tempura-frying them,” said Luhrman. “We’re smoking around pastrami in-house and making a torta out of it. We’re using preparations from what we’ve learned during these years, and that means that we’re having fun.”

Tacos with king crab and edamame, and a battered fish taco have already become menu mainstays. The refried lentil hummus with crudité is both sharp and creamy, immediately puncturing the senses, which are then balanced with a spoon of the light, fresh side of fragrant red rice. Among many sides and salads is the quintessential queso, enlivened by a wood fire roasting process, and accentuated with pickled onion, cilantro, cotija and salsa. The watermelon and cotija salad with pickled Fresno chile, cucumber and peanut crumble is worthy of any al fresco lunch — and any visit to the restaurant.

Dessert options include a rotating selection of soft-serve ice cream and horchata rice crispy drinks, and the drink list boasts crafted cocktails, beer, wine, and frozen and on-the-rocks margaritas. Maximo is located at 6110 Edloe Street, and is open daily from 11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.

2024-04-17T19:11:28Z dg43tfdfdgfd