Loro’s New Location Brings Asian Barbecue Fusion to Addison

One might, at first blush, wonder how a blend of Asian cuisine and Texas barbecue could be a happy marriage. But with the expertise and creativity of James Beard Award-winning chefs Aaron Franklin of Franklin Barbecue and Tyson Cole of Uchi, one need blush no longer.

The original Dallas location of Loro, on Haskell Avenue, was named one of the essential barbecue spots in Dallas by the Observer last year. A second location opened a month ago in Addison. When unseasonably mild January weather befell us, some friends decided to get together during happy hour and try out some of Loro's fare while sitting outside on the expansive patio, watching the sun set over The Village on the Parkway, sipping drinks and enjoying the pleasant breeze.
Happy hour is 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays, with a limited menu of specially priced items; the full menu is also available. Happy hour draft beers are Sapporo at $4 and Community at $5, and there are a couple of wines and sake on tap, and a frozen gin and tonic. We tried each beer as well as the frozen gin and tonic, which is as it sounds: a slushy, ginny Slurpee. The brave member of our party who ordered it expressed his verdict thusly: “It’s not for me.”
We started with the smoked salmon dip prepared with yuzu, Sriracha aioli and togarashi and served with crispy wonton chips. The dip was fine, though the citrus flavor from the yuzu was perhaps a bit too pronounced. The chips, however, were “dope,” according to the members of our gathering.
The karaage are bite-sized fried chicken nuggets served with chili aioli and Thai herbs. Serviceable, to be sure, but perhaps we’ve been spoiled by Ramen Izakaya Akira, which offers a phenomenal version of this dish.

Our second round of drinks included a ginger old fashioned (fair, but a bit on the sweet side) and a few more bites: a crispy smoked chicken sandwich, a Loro cheeseburger and some brisket tostadas. Once the food was ready, we made our way outside and cozied up in a couple of comfy chairs and a porch swing to dig in.

The Loro cheeseburger was served on a good bun with red onion-brisket jam, Muenster cheese and lettuce. The burger patty itself was really good flavor-wise, if a bit on the dry side. In any event, it was finished off pretty quickly between sips of Sapporo.
The chicken sandwich was served on a fresh bun with spicy honey, citrus-cabbage slaw and hot sauce. It was crispy and light but needed more spice. The coleslaw on top was good and provided a welcome contrasting texture.

The tostadas are corn tortillas topped with brisket, crème fraiche, red onions, cilantro and shishito salsa verde. These looked really good but were finished off rather quickly by one of our party, so we’ll just have to take his word for it when he says “they were delish.”

All of these bites were under $10 during happy hour, which was an added bonus to the enjoyment of some pretty good eats in wonderful weather with even better company. We will definitely be back to try the full menu proper.

14999 Montfort Drive, Addison, Sunday – Thursday, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. – 12 midnight; Happy Hour, 2 p.m. – 6 p.m., Monday – Friday.