Designer Aaron Rambo, principle at Found for the Home in Highland Village, constructed the lights at right from found objects. The 1934 art deco-style building was adapted for Local Foods by architects Michael Hsu and Micah Land.
2
Seating upstairs overlooks Main Street. Diners can also sit at the bar for cocktails, or the raw bar for seafood. Touches of whimsy suffuse it all, including bar stools constructed to resemble giant champagne corks.
3
Seating upstairs overlooks Main Street. Diners can also sit at the bar for cocktails, or the raw bar for seafood. Touches of whimsy suffuse it all, including bar stools constructed to resemble giant champagne corks.
4
The BHR Ham sandwich’s name comes from Black Hill Ranch, Felix Florez’s farm that provides the tender flesh. It’s stacked on a crusty mini baguette with house kimchi, honey beer mustard and grated butternut squash.
5
The BHR Ham sandwich’s name comes from Black Hill Ranch, Felix Florez’s farm that provides the tender flesh. It’s stacked on a crusty mini baguette with house kimchi, honey beer mustard and grated butternut squash.
6
In the cooler weather, there’s no better way to warm up than with tomatillo chicken pozole. The soup has been available previously at other Local Foods locations, but right at this moment, it’s only on the Downtown menu.
7
Milton’s sandwich, named for owner Benjy Levit’s father, has been the runaway hit at the new location. Slices of Hebrew National beef salami are crisped and served with a runny farm egg, mustard and aioli, held together on Texas toast with sharp cheddar.
8
Each Local Foods has a unique feature—at Upper Kirby, for example, it’s the rotisserie; in Tanglewood, it’s wood-fired pizza. The new location boasts a raw bar with a separate menu. It may not be seafood, but the edamame-spinach dip, served with warm slices of naan, eats like a putting on a warm Snuggie on a chilly day.
9
In the cooler weather, there’s no better way to warm up than with tomatillo chicken pozole. The soup has been available previously at other Local Foods locations, but right at this moment, it’s only on the Downtown menu.
10
Gulf shrimp is cured “ceviche-style,” then pressed into a layer of avocado purée and decorated with chile threads.
11
Each Local Foods has a unique feature—at Upper Kirby, for example, it’s the rotisserie; in Tanglewood, it’s wood-fired pizza. The new location boasts a raw bar with a separate menu. It may not be seafood, but the edamame-spinach dip, served with warm slices of naan, eats like a putting on a warm Snuggie on a chilly day.
12
Octopus is braised and sliced, then mixed with cucumber, tomato, onion, feta and preserved lemon for a dish that would fit in on any Greek menu. Other raw bar options include oyster shooters, snapper campechana made umami with miso, and jalapeño hummus.
13
Gulf shrimp is cured “ceviche-style,” then pressed into a layer of avocado purée and decorated with chile threads.
14
The Mr. Pink cocktail centers around rum infused in-house with hibiscus, ginger beer and citrus. The Sangria Locale features white and red wines, brandy and local citrus fruits. For those seeking something that packs less of a punch, Pat Greer’s Kitchen is specially formulating seasonal kombuchas. Currently on tap: hibiscus.
15
Octopus is braised and sliced, then mixed with cucumber, tomato, onion, feta and preserved lemon for a dish that would fit in on any Greek menu. Other raw bar options include oyster shooters, snapper campechana made umami with miso, and jalapeño hummus.
16
Milton’s sandwich, named for owner Benjy Levit’s father, has been the runaway hit at the new location. Slices of Hebrew National beef salami are crisped and served with a runny farm egg, mustard and aioli, held together on Texas toast with sharp cheddar.
17
The Mr. Pink cocktail centers around rum infused in-house with hibiscus, ginger beer and citrus. The Sangria Locale features white and red wines, brandy and local citrus fruits. For those seeking something that packs less of a punch, Pat Greer’s Kitchen is specially formulating seasonal kombuchas. Currently on tap: hibiscus.
18
Designer Aaron Rambo, principle at Found for the Home in Highland Village, constructed the lights at right from found objects. The 1934 art deco-style building was adapted for Local Foods by architects Michael Hsu and Micah Land.
Some new restaurants attract diners slowly as they discover it’s open. The new Local Foods, at 420 Main Street in downtown Houston, was busy from the beginning with diners who’d been peeking their heads in to see when it would start serving well before food hit the grill. The restaurant has been so popular in its first two weeks, in fact, there’s already talk of expanding its hours.
For now, though, it’s open from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. every day. Like all of Benjy Levit’s restaurants, which include all four Local Foods and both Benjy’s, the space has style to spare. But we visited with new offerings in mind. Flip through the slideshow for shots of the dining room, as well as food and drinks not available at any other Local Foods locations.
Alice joined Houstonia in November 2015 and has been relishing exploring the city’s vibrant food scene ever since.
She began her journalism career at age 13 with a cult film criticism ’zine. As an adult, stints with WWE Magazine and EatingWell led to her job as senior food writer at Vermont’s alternative newsweekly, Seven Days, in 2008. In that capacity, she became one of the state’s most well-known TV and radio personalities. Her first book, Vermont: An Explorer’s Guide, was published in 2015. Alice has won an AltWeekly Award for Best Food Writing, two Daysies for Best Print/Online Journalist, and two "Top Social Foodie" awards from Burlington Social Media Day.
