Spice & Rice is nice...

... with low price(s). Sorry, that was horrible. I promise not to blog again before fully caffeinated.

Anyways: In my search for the best lunch specials this city has to offer, I truly landed on a gem in Inman Square last weekend. You guessed it: Spice & Rice. Lunch menus are great because you can sample cuisine from better restaurants in the city on a budget — or in the case of SNR, you can get a ton of non-flashy, tasty food for $6.95. That's less than a martini, yo.

The boyfriend and I stopped in during the freak rain-snow-sleet fest on Sunday, and were immediately warmed by the colorful decor and hot tea. We considered sushi, but ultimately sprang for lunch combinations. I picked the garlic chicken, and substituted crispy tofu. (Yay for veggies: Tofu can be substituted in any of the lunch specials.)

The main dish came with rice, spring rolls, and miso soup. Perfect. And the best thing? Spice & Rice solves the age-old pad Thai vs. everything else debate I have every time I eat Thai food. (Sample internal struggle: Why should I get tofu cho-chee when I know how much I love pad Thai? Something new would be adventurous. But, Courtney, can you really deny the peanuty, cilantro-y, crunchy goodness of pad Thai?) Problem solved: You can get pad thai in the place of rice as a side for no extra charge.

We'll be back. But only between 11 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. After that, entrees go up to $11-$14.