American Greens, Cheap Eats and Beats, and a Japanese Hideaway: A Foodie Day Planner

Let's do lunch:
There's no more American place to nosh this pre-Fourth Friday than a barn, albeit one packed with the tanned and the yoga toned. SF Weekly food critic Meredith Brody advises the roasted beets-and-greens salad (with pomegranate, goat cheese, caramelized onions, candied pecans, and garlic croutons) at Blue Barn Gourmet (2105 Chestnut at Steiner, 441-3232).

Drink therapy:
Escape all the red, white, and blue crap in a dim, chandelier-hung bar: $2 pints, $3 wells, buy-one-get-half-off eats, as well as beats from DJ Darren D at The Triple Crown (1760 Market at Octavia, 863-3516), 5:30-8 p.m.

Booze on the cheap in a warm, pebbly-and-wood-grained retreat: half-off cocktails and beers, as well as half-price salads and apps at Nihon Whisky Lounge (1779 Folsom at 14th St., 552-4400), 5:30-7 p.m.