I live in the Third Ward, blocks away from what I'm listing below
For food and beer, I would recommend in order
1. Rumpus Room. Awesome food, and excellent selection of micros and limited edition brews
2. Hinterland. Awesome (pricey) food, and good selection of Hinterland brews from Green Bay
3. Ale House. Don't eat the food, their beers are decent, and have gotten better over the years
4. Cafe Benelux. Food is hit or miss but the sweet potato fries are always good, good selection of taps, and huge selection of bottles. Belgian experience
5. Water Street Brewery. Decent food, decent brews. Haven't been here in a while, it's in one of the dirtier parts of downtown