The January Hit List: Punk Wok, Lou/Na, Il Forno, and More

An American izakaya has joined the growing roster of eateries in Sylvan Supply (Radish Kitchen, Black Dynasty Ramen, and Red Perch are good company). Punk Wok’s Nashville roots stem from restaurateur Clay Greenberg of  Germantown’s now-closed Silo, whose bold new concept is bringing a mix of flavors to the table. That means sushi, crab rangoon with pimento cheese, Japanese potato salad with Kewpie mayo, and kimchi fried rice are all available. There’s no lack of personality here, either: order any maki Russian roulette-style to share with friends, in which one piece of sushi has a piece of habanero pepper inside. Whoever gets the pepper takes a shot as a prize. 

With a name inspired by the moon, Lou/Na’s location on the 25th floor of the Grand Hyatt sets the stage for snacks and drinks with a stunning view. It’s a loungey rooftop bar with shared plates and roomy seating areas, serving up oysters, beet carpaccio, and crispy pork belly alongside cocktails like the Lounar Eclipse, with Hendricks, St. Germain, lemon, and rosemary syrup. 

Sushi, curries, noodles, and fried rice all live in harmony on the menu of this Asian-fusion restaurant. Choose from three locations for a hip environment where cocktails, beer, and wine are also available. 

Chef Maneet Chauhan’s lively chaat house is a beacon of light in January, with a colorful interior and plenty of spice to warm things up. Fried chicken marinated in ginger beer and served with Indian comeback sauce is a good start, followed by curries, pakora, samosas, and an excellent selection of pillowy Indian breads. There are plenty of bold cocktails to accompany your meal of Indian street food, too. 

Neapolitan-style pizza is on display at Il Forno, a food truck-turned-restaurant in Wedgewood Houston. Italian chef Egidio Franciosa and partner Jannah Franciosa have quietly opened a chic neighborhood spot serving pies with perfectly charred crusts, housemade pastas like bucatini with octopus ragu. Don’t miss the nutella pizza for dessert! 

Carey Bringle, the pitmaster behind ever-popular Peg Leg Porker, has opened an outpost for more ‘cue in the Nations. Bringle is stepping away from his standard West Tennesse style of barbecue, this time taking smoked meat fans on a journey to Texas. Brisket, beef ribs, and smoked turkey are taking the front row, with roasted street corn and more Texas flavor. There’s indoor seating, but outside has a large, turf-clad space with a fun walk-up window and bar for hamburgers, hot dogs, and kid’s menu items to keep everyone out of the hanger zone. It’s ideal for dogs, kids, and anyone who enjoys frozen cocktails, bourbon, and piles of smoked meats. 

Sylvan Park has added a Spanish restaurant to its lineup of sports bars and barbecue with Lola, a gorgeous new restaurant from the crew behind Epice and Santo. Tapas and Spanish wine are the leading roles at this moody spot, where patatas bravas, albondigas, and octopus with chorizo are all on the menu.

Call 615-830-5499 for reservations. 

Pelican & Pig is still smoking in the new year, and husband and wife team Nick and Audra Guidry have an updated menu of wood-fired dishes like ember-oven mussels with fennel, chorizo, and white wine, and a NY strip with mushrooms and onion cream. The restaurant, which is in a converted auto upholstery shop, offers an intimate look into the workings of the kitchen, with plenty of live fire action to keep diners entertained between courses. 

There’s a new, suitably swanky addition to the elegant destination that is The Continental: The Vesper Club, a reservation-only martini tasting that pairs each cocktail with caviar. Don’t worry, the martinis are tasting size (2 ounces) so you’ll be able to make it to the end, and dinner afterward. Each one is a take on the classic, so there will be some interesting variations. It’s available Wednesday through Sunday only; head to The Continental’s Resy reservations section and choose “Vesper Club” to make those special arrangements. 

A Nashville landmark is still chugging along, but with a new dining destination inside. Stationairy is now open in The Union Station Hotel, the historic stone building that has been presiding over the Gulch for over a century. It’s a beautiful, sleek renovation inside, but still has every bit of the hotel’s storied past on display — the high ceilings, enormous arched windows, and views of Broadway are all part of the draw. The menu is American, with headliners like duck breast with foie gras powder, beef tartare, and squash velouté with lobster; cocktails feel similarly polished, with wine, beer, and bubbles on hand to transport you back to another era of Nashville. 

Call 615-726-1001 for reservations.