A $75 lobster roll??

Hot Houston smash burger and sushi spots' pop-up serves fanciest fish filet ever and lavish lobster roll

Two CultureMap Tastemaker Award winners are teaming up for a pop-up that’s sure to sell out. For the latest edition of its Guest Chef Series, smash burger restaurant Burger Bodega has invited the chefs of sushi omakase restaurant Neo to put two dishes on its menu for one day only.

Burger Bodega Neo collaboration sturgeon sandwich

Photo by Adrian Barboza

The sturgeon sandwich is the fanciest filet o' fish ever.

Happening this Wednesday, July 19, the menu will feature a Norwegian blue lobster roll and sturgeon fish sandwich created by Neo chefs Paolo Justo and Luis Mercado in collaboration with Burger Bodega chef-owner Abbas Dhanani. It’s a big change from Neo’s typical offerings, which are usually served as part of elaborate omakase menus of 16 or more courses served at its 10-seat counter.

“I think anyone who follows me knows Neo is one of my favorite experiences in Houston. They’re good friends of mine,” Dhanani tells CultureMap. “When I started this guest chef series, I knew in the back of my mind that Neo was one I wanted to do.”

For previous collaborations with the likes of Raffi Nasr from Craft Pita and Alex Au-Yeung from Phat Eatery, Burger Bodega has stuck to burger-based creations. Wednesday’s pop-up will be the first time the restaurant serves seafood. Moving beyond burgers has always been part of Dhanani’s plans for the collaborations.

“When we started the Guest Chef Series, we were never bound to any sort of cuisine or anything like that. It’s always been about showcasing different chefs around Houston,” Dhanani says. “Selfishly, it’s places I like to go eat. It also gives chefs a completely different platform.”

Of course, using premium ingredients brings a premium price. The fish sandwich will cost $33 (add a quarter-ounce of Golden Kaluga caviar for $25), and the lobster roll will cost $50 (add California uni for $25). Pair them with truffle fries — topped with fresh winter truffles from Chile, naturally — for an additional $25.

“With Neo you know you’re getting premium ingredients that can come from anywhere in the world,” Dhanani adds.

As noted above, both restaurants have been recognized by the Tastemaker Awards. Burger Bodega won Best Burger in 2023, while Neo took home Best Pop-Up/Start-up in 2022.

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a spoonful of sugar

New Mexican eatery sweetens Houston with 150 spirits and bold flavors

Courtesy of Mexican Sugar

Mexican Sugar is coming to Regent Square in December.

A Dallas-based Mexican restaurant is coming to Houston. Mexican Sugar will open its first Houston location in Montrose this December.

Located next to Georgia James in the Regent Square mixed-use development, Mexican Sugar will occupy a two-story, 13,000-square-foot building. All that room offers seating for 375 as well as two private dining rooms with full audio-visual capabilities. Both the upstairs and downstairs patios will have a view of nearby Buffalo Bayou Park.

Its part of FB Society, the Dallas-based hospitality group behind Whiskey Cake, Sixty Vines, and Haywire, the Texas-inspired comfort food restaurant that opened its first Houston-area location earlier this year. Mexican Sugar has three locations in the Dallas area: Plano, Las Colinas, and Uptown Dallas.

In a release, Mexican Sugar touts its use of seasonal ingredients. It also makes its tortillas by hand. Menu highlights include skirt steak, lobster fundido, and a bone-in pork chop. At brunch, look for options such as cajeta French toast, Benedictos Rancheros, and vanilla-cinnamon pancakes.

Agave fans will find plenty of choices courtesy of more the 150 tequilas and mezcals. They’re available in individual pours as well as in flights that allow customers to compare the flavors of the different spirits.

“Our goal is to create a dining experience that blends bold Mexican flavors with our signature style of hospitality that stays two steps ahead,” Justin Beam, Mexican Sugar’s director of operations, said in a statement. “We’re excited to offer Houstonians an immersive Mexican experience in a fresh, light, and approachable way.”

Courtesy of Mexican Sugar

Mexican Sugar is coming to Regent Square in December.

news-you-can-eat openings mexican sugar