A few months back I moved neighborhoods, from Logan to (North End) Shaw, and in the space of a few months some pretty awesome restaurants have opened up, it's akin to when 14th Street started to become a destination five or six years ago, now it's Shaw's turn. I may not get around to writing about the likes of Shaw Bijou, unless I date rich (anyone?), but I will tell you about the more affordable options. I'll start with Haikan.

Haikan doesn't just have the ramen offerings, although with the cold weather upon us you'd do right by yourself in ordering the vegetable ramen and throwing in a spice bomb and an order of roasted pork, it has plenty of spice and depth of flavor with the miso to keep those toes warm in the coming months. However, if ramen isn't you thing then there's plenty of other dishes on the menu to keep you happy - at the beginning of November they started a happy hour menu (weekdays: 5-7pm) with items such as chashu sliders with BBQ sauce and fresh jalapenos served on a soft potato roll, or a pulled chicken slider, both two for $5. The french fries served with a drizzling of shoyu sauce, albeit on the smaller side is a must order, pair it with a $4 Sapparo draft and you're all set.

I tend to hit up the restaurant at least once a week and the happy hour menu looks to change frequently so it's definitely one worth checking our regularly. I have one gripe however, and that's they don't do takeout, but it's not too bad as the music in the dining room is pretty epic, 90's pop is a favorite playlist of Chef Katsuya.

Haikan: 805 V Street, NW Washington, DC (closest metro: U Street/Cardozo, east exit)