For the first time since college, my bank account has dipped below $200. While this would have been no sweat off my back a few years ago, I now have a car payment and loans to pay off. Thanks to automatic bill pay, I could find myself in an overdraft situation before payday if I’m not careful.
So as I took a long hard look at my bare pantry, a growing pile of papers on my desk and a crumbled $20 in my purse, I knew I had a serious lunch decision to make. Let’s face it, peanut butter sandwiches and jumbo pizza slices have really lost their edge.
I took a walk down to Amen Street Fish and Raw Bar to fuel up for the rest of the day. While Amen doesn’t have a separate lunch menu, they offer half sizes of their fresh fish preparations. I’ve heard Amen buys their seafood from local fisherman daily, which is obviously true as a man came through the front door toting a very large bag of clams to the kitchen.
On the menu were four fresh fish options with three super unique preparations and accompanying sides. Laura Lovisone, Amen’s General Manager, helped me navigate through the menu. I decided on the tuna, herb grilled, served with an artichoke risotto cake, tomato vinaigrette and herb oil.
Chef Ollard served up an extremely satisfying meal. The spices from the tuna steak and cheesy risotto cake made a great pair. The diced tomatoes in the vinaigrette were so red and sweet, I had to wonder if someone hopped the fence to my grandfather’s garden to pick them.
3.5 ounces of fish is the perfect lunch portion and only cost $12.95 for the plate. Sure, I could have saved three bucks and bought a kinda-questionable supermarket deli sandwich and chips, but why? There’s nothing more satisfying than a having a full belly, supporting local business and leftover cash…