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Noko
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Xiao Bao
Three years have passed since the pandemic changed the hospitality industry, with chefs and restaurateurs adapting to lockdowns, cutbacks, supply chain disruptions, and labor shortages.
Amidst it all, Nashville never stopped building. Commercial real estate prices soared. Tourism returned with a fury. We’ve all experienced a seesaw of emotions: feeling jazzed for shiny-new openings and saddened by closures of beloved mainstays. It all begs the question, where are we, as a culinary city, headed? For this year’s restaurant issue, we’re diving into all that and more. What are the culinary trends to come (and go) next? Without question, 2022 was the year of the chef-driven hotel restaurants: Drusie & Darr at the Hermitage Hotel; Mimo at the Four Seasons; Carne Mare at the W Hotel; 1 Kitchen at 1 Hotel; and Blue Aster at the Conrad.
What will 2023 be known for? With new concepts, new restaurants, and the return of beloved favorites, we’re optimistic about what’s on the horizon.
ASIAN INFUSION: NASHVILLE’S DINING SCENE FINALLY EXPANDS ITS REACH
The array of cuisines of the Far East, with their specialized cooking techniques and exotic flavor profiles are arriving in places and ways we’ve not experienced before. Kisser, of course, falls into this category. Also on the east side, Xiao Bao has been wowing diners with their distinctive South Asian comfort food. The McFerrin Park eatery has already built a following by interpreting delectable dishes that owners Joshua Walker and Duolan Li have relished throughout China, Japan, Thailand, and Malaysia, including dumplings, noodles, bao, stir-fry, and so much more.
Over on Porter Road in the former Pomodoro East site, Jon Murray (owner/founder), Wilson Brannock (managing partner), and Dung Vo (exec chef/partner) have launched Noko. The ambiance is Japanese farmhouse, the menu is replete with Asian wood-fired comfort foods inspired by their travels, and the culture is employee- driven. A positive, supportive work environment (four- day work weeks, holidays, paid vacays, health benefits) will bolster a happy and hospitable experience for guests.
Momotaro the lauded, elegant Japanese restaurant from Chicago is coming to the May Hosiery, Co-op Complex in Wedgewood-Houston, offering their signature array of nigiri, sushi, maki, robatayaki, and coal- fired dishes. The highly anticipated haunt is set to open across from Soho House, though as of this writing, no official date has been set.
Nikkei cuisine is an exciting meld of Peruvian and Japanese culinary traditions that took root after a wave of Japanese immigrants settled in Peru beginning at the turn of the 20th century. (The word Nikkei itself denotes descendants of Japanese immigrants around the world.) Chotto Matte, a modern, high-end restaurant founded in London in 2013 and renowned for its Nikkei preparations, has been making a strong entry across the pond with locations in Toronto, San Francisco, and Miami. Here, it will dazzle diners throughout the first and second floors of the landmark ONE 22 ONE building on Broadway starting this spring.