
18
"At first, Neo is hard to find. The exclusive, 10-seat counter is located inside a Montrose townhouse behind a clothing couturier. You might wonder what the hell you’re doing in a store with clothing somehow even more expensive than the meal you are about to eat. But once you’re whisked behind a closed door speakeasy-style and handed that first piece of nigiri, any bit of confusion disappears. Dinner consists of 18-20 courses of straight sushi. Each piece builds on the last and is served at the perfect temperature with light drizzles of sauce or minimal toppings. It’s blissful sushi matrimony. Even though Neo went back to bookable reservations and abandoned the former newsletter-sign-up schadenfreude, it’s still difficult to grab a seat at the popular sushi omakase counter. While the first seating at 5:45pm is often available, the second seating at 8:30pm is harder to get last minute. So either opt for an early evening of 18-ish courses and make plans to digest afterward, or grab seats at least a few weeks in advance." - chelsea thomas, gianni greene