Enjoy a savory-sweet morning with Ford Food & Drink's ricotta toast

Think French toast is squishy and cloyingly sweet? Ford has engineered the answer: a house-baked cardamom bread, toasted and topped with clouds of ricotta, nutty granola, and dried cranberries, all drizzled with honey ($6). It’s sturdy and crunchy; whisper-sweet and a lot savory, with shocks of black pepper, cashew, and toasty coconut in every bite. 

Get a merry-go-round meal at Sushi Chiyo

One of the cleanest, most cheerful sushi-go-rounds in town, Hollywood’s Chiyo boasts a conveyor belt of surprisingly fresh, quality dishes ($1.35–3.25). Keep an eye out for firm salmon and albacore, generous tempura shrimp-stuffed rolls, flaky-fleshed whole fried fish hunks, and craggy, bubble-skinned pot stickers still hot from the fryer. (Psst: 2–4:30 p.m. Sunday-Friday, all plates are $1.85) 

Go east side on the west side at Bethany Village Centre’s micro-restaurant cluster 

Hungry whilst exploring the west side suburbs? Planned community Bethany Village’s chichi strip mall hides a grip of PDX-style micro-eateries—Waffle Window to Taiwan Eats. Grab Koi Fusion short rib tacos, hefty gyros at Baba’s Mediterranean Grill, and a massive plate of fire-spiced chicken and waffles courtesy of Cackalack’s Hot Chicken Shack, and then devour your shared feast on the heat lamp-lit patios. Better tack on a couple of triple-chocolate cupcakes from Bliss Bake Shop while you’re at it.