Virago

It’s trendy. It’s hip. It’s Virago, an ultra-contemporary sushi lounge and bar where the modern go to mingle with other hipsters in this social dining location.

Located on Division Street, which already has a roster of fast food chains and local restaurants, Virago features an environment that better resembles a big-city lounge rather than one found in the south. But perhaps it’s the exclusive-feeling ambiance of the sushi lounge and bar that brings so many regulars each night. The seating is contemporary and conducive to conversation and the low lighting casts a modern feel about the place.

But the uncommon mix of flavors keeps customers in their seats. The salad selections alone beg for a taste. The Virago house salad features red onion, wasabi peas and fried noodles over mixed greens with blood orange vinaigrette. The warm pumpkin seed encrusted goat cheese salad is served on a bed of baby spinach, dressed with chipotle and tomatillo vinaigrettes. 

The noodle and rice dishes feature mostly traditional dishes with a few surprises. The Cold Noodle and Hot Oil dish features spicy Szechuan sauce over Chinese noodles with scallions and peanuts.  

The entrée list features dishes such as chicken torimaki served with all-natural chicken breast with mushroom-jasmine rice, baby bok choy and a coconut-porcini sauce and the teriyaki-glazed salmon featuring ginger risotto, miso-braised spinach, carrots and bean sprouts and sesame-peanut sauce.

The sushi menu has all of the conventional ingredients yet paired some delectable fixings. The Super Crunch offers shrimp, tempura crumbs, spicy mustard wrapped in smoked salmon and chives. The Phantom has tempura calamari, poblano peppers, cucumber and avocado wrapped in black rice with soy tobiko, balsamic soy and sriracha.

If all else, try one of Virago’s signature cocktails. There’s the pear-lavender cocktail that contains Hendrick’s gin, lavender syrup and pear nectar and the lychee served with champagne and lychee sake. 

Reservations are recommended but not required. Reservations can be made on Virago’s website.
 

- by Leah M. Caudle , Nashville Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Leah M. Caudle

Leah Caudle is a professional storyteller with experience in covering local, community and feature stories. While at newspapers such as The Tennessean in Nashville and The Lexington Herald-Leader in Lexington, Ky., Caudle also has experience in shooting and editing videos and photos to accompany stories. The Western Kentucky University graduate received degrees in print journalism and Spanish in 2007 and also has expertise in the areas of public relations, copy editing and proofreading.