Thanks to Amelia Hard for her tip on this kick*** new hole-in-the-wall near our office (1237 S.W. Jefferson Avenue).  Chef Naoka is a charming joint with outstanding organic Japanese options, open only for lunch, we found the food highly fresh with great clean flavors. We loved the salmon bentos — both the ginger and the herb.  

Lovely grilled zucchini and roasted tomato accompany the fish

The bento box is $ 10.00 and we also had the interesting rice cake sides stuffed with things like cheese (?!!) and seaweed (our favorite) and the seasonal salad ($5.50) which was dressed in a sweet Asian vinaigrette.

Delicious salad with beans, seaweed and other cool stuff

 Please check it out and let us know what you think!

Downtown Drinking on a Dime

Our mission: To seek out downtown happy hour destinations where we can fill our bellies for $10 or less. The good news is that there are a ton of hot, hip fantastic options. That’s right, a table for two can enjoy cocktails and hearty appetizers and drop a $20.00 plus tip. So come along the LAD happy hour trail and drink up!

Red Star Happy Hour Beer and Food Pairings Under $10!

Places we went:

• 23 Hoyt
• Basta’s
• Carafe
• Clyde Common
• Masu
• Red Star
• Rock Bottom
• Silk
• Southpark
• Ten 01

23 Hoyt:

Here’s the great thing about 23 Hoyt’s happy hour menu: it runs until 7:00. Although I really like a good happy hour, I rarely make it out of the office in time to get somewhere by 6:00 p.m., so a later happy hour always makes me, well, happy. When I first went to 23 Hoyt’s happy hour I was seriously questioning whether it would pass the $10 happy hour challenge. I was expecting small portions and large prices, mostly given the location, atmosphere and clientele. I was pleasantly surprised on all fronts.

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Every month LAD puts together a list of some of our favorite things. This month, it’s a list of wonderful things I’ve had the pleasure of eating and drinking during my most recent trip to New York City:

1. PDT (Please Don’t Tell) — highlight — gorgeous Aquavit Cocktail with a hint of Sambuca
2. Spotted Pig — highlight — big bowl of haddock chowder seasoned perfectly with lots of paprika
3. Degustation — highlight — slow cooked poached egg with cheese foam and two salty pieces of proscuitto
4. Gotino — highlight — fantastic pot of salt cod scooped up with crunchy crosstini
5. Scarpetta — highlight — roast chicken with liver sauce, lipsmacking good
6. Morandi — highlight — a sloppy, rustic presentation of tiramisu made it appear like a brand new idea in desserts, plus it was dee-licious
7. Momofuko Noodle Bar — crudo of fluke with confit capers and micro cilantro paired with an Ommagen Wheat beer
8. Anthos — highlight — soft shell crabs with rhubarb compote and house-made rustic style cured ham
9. Gotham Bar & Grill — highlight–a classic place for a lingering prix-fixe lunch, always love the pasta there
10. Clover Club — Pimms Cup punch, nice vintage flair, enjoyed the Brooklyn terroir
11. Prune – whole roasted fish was perfectly seasoned