Maximo

3 Houston Restaurants to Try This Weekend: May 16 | Eater Houston

"Tucked into West University, this modern Mexican spot has gone through a recent reshuffle: opened by the hospitality group behind Local Foods and Milton’s in 2024, it paused earlier this year and brought in young, DACA-recipient chef Adrian Torres to rework the menu. The kitchen now turns out vivid, thoughtfully composed plates — a confit brisket taco with pickled red onion and salsa macha taquera, a bright ceviche, and a heart-of-palm salad with strawberries, basil, queso enchilado, and a Champagne vinaigrette. The standout is Torres’s homemade masa cornbread, served over a buttery mole soubise and finished with an umami-rich chicatana (fire-ant) butter, caviar for salinity, and hoja santa oil. For a broader tasting, a five-course menu showcases oysters two ways, a squash-blossom tetela, the masa cornbread, a sope topped with truffle short rib and mole negro, and a must-have dessert: a banana-pudding buñuelo filled with creamy vanilla custard and a homemade banana ice cream shaped like the fruit." - Brittany Britto Garley