This category could alternately be called Best Reason to Get a GPS, because Sol—the Mexican sister of Jason McConnell's Red Pony—and Wild Ginger, the sleek Asian-fusion indie in Cool Springs, are seducing even the most resolutely urban of the doughnut-county-dreaders to drive south on I-65. Sol offers a sultry taste of Mexico (think homemade masa and tableside guacamole) in a richly colored building on historic Main Street. Meanwhile, with gorgeous sushi, ambitious architecture and a ringer for Nobu's miso cod, Wild Ginger sets a new dining standard in the sprawling chain-dominated landscape of Cool Springs. —CARRINGTON FOX
