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Good things come in small packages. Sometimes, chicken and corn do, too.

Monday Feb 05, 2007.     By Erin Brereton

Lifestyle Feed

Ah, drinks and snacks: They made up the bulk of my Sunday this week (the Bears may have lost the Superbowl, but I suspect I gained a few pants sizes). And I am sure drinks and snacks will rear their tasty head again this week.

Not that I'm complaining: A cocktail and an appetizer can be the perfect after-work wind down activity, or something to wash down while catching up with friends. But when you're on a budget—or, mayhap, trying to offset those frosted linebacker cookies you housed—something reasonable and light can be hard to find. Healthy appetizers are rare and often pricey. Curly fries are a bargain, yes, but probably not the best pre-dinner option (really, is ingesting nine potatoes before a meal ever a good thing?).

But light fare is currently the name of the game at SushiSamba Rio, Chicago's offshoot of the New York City eatery. In addition to a new line of alcohol-free cocktails (for the designated drivers, the pregnant and those whose holiday season got a little out of control), SushiSamba Rio has created three Happy Boxes, each available Monday to Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. For $10, you can choose between three box options, each bearing four items based on one country's cuisine.

Note they come in plates, not boxes (for all of you hoping for a toy inside). There's "Japan" (which was my favorite), containing some tasty sesame-soy glazed edamame, shrimp and shiso leaf tempura. (Yes, it's a fried leaf, but trust me, it's better than it sounds. Let's just say I enjoyed it enough for my windowsill fern to be concerned.)

Carnivores, rejoice: The Brazil box contains, not surprisingly, a lot of meat—a churrasco skewer, shrimp and a seafood mix. Peru's box has chicken, tuna seviche (which I'm told was tasty) and these large corn kernels, which appeared to be grilled and slightly seasoned. I didn't have time to ask exactly how these were prepared because I was too busy freebasing them before the other people at my table could get some—very, very tasty.

What's nice about the Happy Box deal is that, should you have a certain craving or be a vegetarian like me, you also have the option of building your own box with any four items. And it's light food: An ideal option to accompany that after-work cocktail, because it won't end up being dinner No. 1 but it also won't leave you starving.

In addition, order one of four corresponding cocktails with the box and the drink is just $5. (Choices include the sambatini and a Caipirinha, the national drink of Brazil.) And with martinis that giant, I don't need much more to make me happy.

Curious about SushiSamba Rio's Happy Boxes? Check out its happy hour, Monday to Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. at 504 N. Wells, (312) 595-2300.

Erin Brereton is our resident urban cowgirl on a bi-weekly search for life on the cheap. If you know of a Cheap Thrill, do clue her in.