Koré - Review - Lockeland Springs - Nashville - The Infatuation

"When you graduate to the “willing to eat ribs in front of each other” phase of the relationship, it’s time to plan a date night at Koré. It’s an Asian fusion spot in Lockeland Springs with a menu that often reads like the ingredient combos were thrown together by dartboard selection. Places like this have no grey area—they’re either going to suck or be why-hasn’t-this-been-done-before fantastic. Koré is the latter. The standout on the menu is the plate of sticky ribs. With a gorgeous crust and tender meat, sharing wet naps becomes more romantic than a Nicholas Sparks novel. Happy Hour is a good move here, too. There’s $10 crispy glazed popcorn chicken, $8 crispy spicy tuna, and $8 cocktails. photo credit: Kelli Dirks photo credit: Kelli Dirks photo credit: Kelli Dirks photo credit: Kelli Dirks photo credit: Kelli Dirks Pause Unmute Those deals ensure the bar fills up pretty quickly, no matter what day of the week it is. This means the kitchen gets backed up occasionally—it’s happened to us more than once—but odds are you won’t notice that much. And while the cocktails aren’t life changing, the Koré-anita stands out from the rest with shishito pepper and yuzu adding some brightness to a standard margarita. In the summer, there’s a certain ambiance missing from the dining room, so opt for the patio. Enjoy the weather while alternating between soy-cured salmon and some beef dumplings. Otherwise, when it’s dark and the crystal in the dining room has its time to shine, cozy up and see how many things you can try from the menu. Food Rundown Kale Salad New and unique salad dressings aren’t as prevalent as we’d like. This one is a breath of sour, sweet, and savory fresh air. The salad itself is hearty, but light. Pair it with an order of the sticky ribs and cheesecake, and you’ve got the perfect solo meal at the bar. Sticky Ribs These ribs have their own fan club, and we are the founding members. The texture is wild—crispy without being crunchy, thanks to the rice flour crust, which gives way to a creamy, dreamy, porky center. PlayMute video credit: Kelli Dirks K-Pop Chicken Like general Tso’s on steroids. We would eat this over that any day, any time. The glaze is similar to our beloved sticky ribs, though, so it’s best to choose one or the other. Crispy Tuna The crispy rice is served in little rectangles and coated in puffed pearl grains that make the whole dish. There’s plenty of spicy tuna in the little glass bowl for you to pile it generously on each one. They give you four, and the option to buy extra rectangles for $1.50 a piece, but we would eat that tuna right out of the bowl sans rice (and we have). photo credit: Kelli Dirks Basque Cheesecake Is it possible to improve upon basque cheesecake? Apparently, coating it in sugar and torching it until the top crackles like creme brulee and the inside melts a bit does the trick. A little swoosh through the wild berry sauce at the bottom and you have something more perfect than Gordon Ramsay’s jawline. photo credit: Kelli Dirks" - Ann Walczak