First bite: Flora

Jason here: I attended the media-exclusive soft opening of "Flora" yesterday at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Gardens.

Driving the news: Flora opens next Wednesday in the spot where Trellis operated for over a decade before chef Lisa LaValle retired in October.

• Chef Suman Hoque and his wife, Cynthia Hoque, run the new restaurant. They also own HoQ, another farm-to-table restaurant in the East Village.

On my plate: Tandoori chicken salad sandwich, which included watermelon radish that was harvested from an organic farm near Harlan.

• The full sandwich is $16 and comes with fries.

💭 My thought bubble: The sample was a little explosion of flavor with a nice crunch.

• I look forward to giving the full menu a try!

Dig in: Starting Dec. 18, Flora is open Wednesdays through Sundays, 11am-2pm.

• 909 Robert D. Ray Drive in DSM.