(Photo courtesy of http://washington.org/restaurantwk/)

It’s the hap-happiest season of all–and I’m not talking about Christmas. Every winter for one week only, Washington restaurants participate in Winter Restaurant Week, offering 3-course prix fixe menus for $20.10 at lunch and $35.10 at dinner. This year’s event will take place Jan. 11-17, 2010 and reservations are already filling up fast.  For a full list of participating restaurants, click here.

My advice for diners on a budget who are looking to get the best value: If you have the time, go for lunch, because most restaurants serve the same menu for lunch and dinner. Save the tapas restaurants (Jaleo, La Tasca) for another time–you probably won’t spend $35.10 each on tapas anyway. Conversely, if there is a fancy and expensive restaurant you have been dying to try, Winter Restaurant Week is the perfect time to make a reservation.

I’ve already made a reservation at Art and Soul and am SO excited! I’m still trying to decide on one more place…any suggestions from readers??

Restaurant Week occurs twice a year during the slow restaurant season in the winter (usually January) and the late summer (usually August). Restaurants are typically slow around the holiday season and in the summertime when people take vacation away from the DC area. Many restaurants welcome Restaurant Week as a way to drum up new business. This year’s winter restaurant week in DC starts on Monday, January 11th; however many DC restaurants extend their promotions an extra week or sometimes an entire month. Last Summer Dining in DC was the first site to offer restaurant week menus. Here are the Restaurant Week Summer 2009 menus. Check back for an updated list!

Click HERE for the Winter 2010 DC Restaurant Week Menus

Some of the hottest new restaurants are participating this winter, such as Againn, the new British Gastropub, Kellari Taverna, Bibiana, Zentan, Kora, and others.  See http://washington.org/restaurantwk/ for the RW official page to see participating restaurants, and to make reservations.

For example, the new Kora by Morou in Crystal City will offer the special restaurant menu for the entire month including with a complimentary bottle of wine (for every two guest).  Make it an event! Morou says, “If you are a party of six and you all order the restaurant week menu than you can have three bottles of wine for free.  The wines you may choose from will be some what limited but we are giving the guests 6-8 bottles to choose from.” Kora is located at 2250-B Crystal Drive.

From Summer’s Restaurant Week Posting: A few tips!

• Restaurant week is an excellent opportunity to try a new place, or one that you simply could not afford otherwise. To get the most “bang” for your buck, choose really expensive restaurants with superior reputations, for example, I choose restaurants that have been on the Washingtonian’s 100 Very Best Restaurant list consistently that I haven’t tried. Or perhaps your dollar would be best trying a place that serves a cuisine that you’ve always wanted to try, but were too timid to risk shelling out good money for.
• Dinner prices have increased over the last couple of years. This year; three courses now cost $35.10. (one cent increase – wooo!) Lunch remains, the same terrific deal it’s always been: $20.10 for a starter, main course and dessert. Some restaurants will offer their full menu while others will have a special Restaurant Week menu.
  • One of the absolute best ways to take advantage of restaurant week is to go to lunch at a fine dining establishment that you would not normally be able to afford. I recommend Rasika, Oval Room, Bibiana, and Againn.
• Restaurants that offer their full menu are considered the best deal. The restaurants that offer prix fixe menus or pre-theatre menus all year long you can take advantage of anytime. In addition, restaurants that offers any small-plates/tapas/mezze, such as Zaytinya, Jaleo, Oyamel, all great, but already generally offer good deals year-round. Some restaurants offer only limited selections, or include various upcharges (sometimes called supplemental fees) for some of their better dishes – these should be avoided. Check out my top ten picks based on their reputation, quality of food, restaurant week menu offerings, or based on my own restaurant week experience for Summer 2009.
  • Two Reviews from Summer:
    • Columbia Firehouse: http://wp.me/ptKry-qq
    • Me Jana: http://wp.me/ptKry-qh

Après une agréable visite aux Héroïnes Héroïques samedi (où j’ai d’ailleurs pu choisir un très joli cadeau de St-Nicolas, des boucles d’oreilles de la Princesse), nous avons été manger. C’était la Restaurant Week, et comme deux fois par an, nous en avons profité pour tester un nouveau restaurant. Suivant une certaine logique, nous avons décidé de continuer la découverte des restaurants d’hôtels, souvent peu connus mais avec une délicieuse cuisine. Après le Smoods de l’hôtel Bloom et l’Atrium du SAS Radisson, nous avions choisi le Dominican.

Le restaurant et ses bouquets – je dois dire que c’est plus joli dans le noir

Première belle surprise: la salle est magnifique, très grande, au haut plafond, au bouquet de fleurs quelque peu tentaculaire et cauchemardesque et surtout, très silencieuse même quand la plupart des tables sont occupées.

Deuxième bonne surprise: les cocktails. La plupart étaient à environ 8 euros, ce qui est un prix tout à fait convenable et comme souvent dans les grands hôtels, le barman s’est révélé être un excellent mixologiste: un Martini pour diane et un Manhattan pour moi, deux classiques qui étaient parfaits. Vu la situation centrale, nous y retournerons pour prendre un verre.

Troisième bonne surprise: le menu à 27 €, menu fixe mais à un prix “restaurant week” tout à fait attractif. En feuilletant la carte, j’ai été attirée par plein d’autres plats mais leurs prix tournent autour des 20-30€ (15 pour les entrées). Après quelques tapenades maison (poivrons et olives), nous avons reçu comme entrée une petite salades au poulet fumé, avec une excellente vinaigrette et des pignons grillés. Le plat principal consistait en un très beau morceau de bar sur un lit de taboulé et accompagné d’une sauce aux poivrons (tout ça est un peu approximatif, je n’ai pas noté le menu). Et pour conclure, un crumble de fruits des bois avec une quenelle de glace vanille. Délicieux !

Et maintenant tout à fait autre chose: j’ai passé mon mercredi à Paris pour faire du shopping avec Armalite. Comme j’ai toujours du retard avec mes articles et qu’elle a fait un beau résumé de la journée, je vous renvoie aux siens. Je publierai peut-être un article plus tard sur le sujet…

I chose Bastille in Alexandria for DC’s restaurant week purely because it was walkable from Braddock Rd Metro and it had 4 “$” signs. If only all shots in the dark were this much of a success! I would go back any day of the year, Restaurant Week or no. If that’s not high praise, I don’t know what is.

Appetizers

These beignets make for an upscale snack!

The calamari and shrimp beignets are plentiful. They come out burn-your-mouth hot, but have a lovely texture (crispy on the outside and a nice doughy texture on the inside). There are nice pieces of shrimp and calamari, so you know they’re not skimping by using ground up bits. The dipping sauce had a nice spice and is definitely recommended!

The cheese is melt-in-your-mouth and on the plate delicious!

The heirloom tomato and burrata cheese, basil and oregano vinaigrette appetizer/salad is refreshing and surprisingly different than other restaurants. I think it’s the cheese. The cheese is both creamy, rich, and light all at the same time. That’s light in texture, not in calories. This is some excellent full fat cheese!

Nice light, subtle flavor

The fennel soup was on special that night, and is not on the regular menu. I was feeling like I needed something light and comforting that day. It has a subtle anise flavor, with a creamy finish.

Dinner

Great fries!

The Bastille hanger steak, cabernet shallot sauce, and pommes frites were pretty tasty. If you’re in the mood for a steak and fries, it’s hard to go wrong with this. The fries were nice and crispy on the outside. But in the end, it’s a steak and fries. I’d rather get any of the other dishes first, despite this being excellently done.

No longer on the menu. Write your senator and complain!

Unfortunately, the lamb chops are no longer on the menu. They were paired with blanched green beans, roasted peppers and late-summer squashes, and resting on top of a fennel cous-cous bed. I think my husband licked the plate.

Expertly done!

As I said before, I was in the mood for lighter fare. The grilled Branzino filet with cherry tomato, fennel and orange ragout was a home run. The fish was nicely seared, sized, and seasoned. The ragout was perfect for late summer, boasting fresh from the market tomatoes and tender, young fennel. The roasted lemon added a needed bitterness. I would order this again in a heartbeat!

Score one for Chicken!

The Moroccan-style Tajine of chicken, pearl couscous and garbanzo beans was delicious with a wall of flavor! You could taste each piece, but together… oh my! Nice balance of veggies to couscous and garbanzo. The chicken was juicy and had great color!

Dessert

A nice end to the meal

The vanilla chiffon cake, white chocolate, and raspberries was delicious, but not my favorite. I’m not a fan of white chocolate (as evidenced by my choice in dessert, below). It looks dense, but don’t let that food you. It is light and soaks up the fruit puree beautifully.

Don't let the messiness of the plate fool you. This is a well crafted machine!

The Valrhona chocolate truffle cake with Kirsch and cherries made me do the happy dance. It’s decadent, rich, flavorful, and well-balanced. The plate looks like a murder scene. Don’t let that fool you. It is one of the best desserts I’ve had. If you’re not a fan of chocolate or gooey cakes, don’t get it.

K’s friend Rebecca was in town for a couple of days and she wanted to try Nobu in Waikiki for dinner. There was a special menu as it was Restauarant Week in Hawaii. We decided to go with the four course $40 menu. It was pretty good. Though I was still hungry afterwards. And I drank too much sake… but I got to recline in my car seat and drift off into that great kind of sleep that happens when it’s late, someone else is driving, and you’ve had alot to drink but not enough to make you feel dizzy when you close your eyes.

A few days later I went to Town with Ben and Martha and had their Restaurant Week menu. Three courses for $20–an amazing deal. I had the risotto but I had a taste of Martha’s gnocchi and I’m definitely going to get that next time.

In closing here’s a non-related Restaurant Week picture. Pancake special at Cinnamon’s for the month of November, Pumpkin Crunch:

As you walk around New York’s Greenwich Village you can practically throw a chopstick and hit a sushi restaurant, so what makes Japonica so special?  Fork thinks it starts with the super friendly and accommodating staff and the authentic Japanese decor, but the main reason has to be the fresh and incredible sushi. The restaurant is as clean as clean can be, colorful lanterns hang everywhere.

Japonica was opened in 1978 and quickly became one of the Village’s restaurant institutions. Often very crowded, reservations are a must. The waiting area is teeny tiny and the wait can be a torment. Without a reservation, the key is to go before 6:00 pm or not long before closing.  Along with tables, you can dine at the sushi bar as well.  There is also a tatami room for parties.

Is it worth it? Absolutely. The huge and quick turnover ensures that every morsel presented to you is fresh and Japonica’s exacting standards ensure that it is of the best quality available. The menu is huge. A huge variety of both raw and cooked items. The menu is a little on the pricey side, but the bento boxes are a great value and the maki are both varied and inexpensive. On the other side of pricey is the quality, which is second to none, and the HUGE portions you are served really make this restaurant a value.

Fork, Tea Strainer and Chopstix met at Japonica for dinner. Japonica is one of Chopstix’s favorite haunts. This being Fork’s first trip to Japonica, Fork followed Chopstix’s lead for ordering.  Being a piece of cutlery that is used to 3 courses, Fork was surprised to be told that an appetizer would be SO unnecessary.

The dinners all come with a salad to start. In most of the Japanese restaurants Fork has been to the salad served with dinner is a very sad salad. Wilted iceberg lettuce and dried up bits of carrot, usually slathered in a poor rendition of a ginger dressing. Not so here. This was a very large, extremely fresh mesclun salad mix, with bright, crisp carrots. The dressing was great. Not too thick, not too much, great balance of flavors – slightly sweet, slightly savory. Wonderful beginning to our meal.

Fork and Chopstix ordered the Deluxe Sushi.  While it rings in at a whopping $35.00, the cuts of sushi are huge.  The fish is very fresh, very high quality, the type of fantastic sushi you get cravings for and spend years searching for.  There were 8 pieces of sushi, a salmon roll, a piece of tamago (egg cake) and Tobiko (flying fish caviar). By the time  Chopstix and Fork finished, we were stuffed to the gills (we love food puns, don’t you?).  Many times after finishing a sushi platter your taste buds are left not completely happy or satisfied. When you finish eating sushi at Japonica, each of your taste buds has been hit and each are totally satisfied.

Tea Strainer ordered the Dinner Bento Box. This dining experience starts off with a bowl of miso soup. Once you finish your soup, placed in front of you is a large tray laden with lots of goodies. The bento box always arrives with a small garden salad, 2 vegetable dumplings, and asparagus; then a choice between 4 items – Tea Strainer chose unagi mini donburi (BBQ eel rice bowl); and then another choice between 4 items for the ‘main’ – Tea Strainer chose sushi.  All this for only $24.50

Ah, dessert.  A culinary adventure cannot truly be had without dessert. Because we all were so stuffed, dessert needed to be something small. Mochi Green Tea ice cream was the perfect choice. Sweet, yet small. As an explanation, mochi is actually a Japanese confection made from pulverized sticky rice, this paste then surrounds green tea ice cream. Green tea ice cream is slightly sweet and has a very nice distinct flavor.

We were allowed to eat at a very slow pace, not rushed or hassled. Water glasses constantly – and quickly – filled. All the staff smile and are accommodating. After we finished eating we were sent a glass of ice cold, sweet plum wine. Perfect ending to a perfect meal.

The wine list here is great – we went through TWO bottles between three pieces of cutlery! Beer is also available. Definitely make a reservation – or go at off hours. If all else fails, they deliver! PJs, sushi and a Godzilla movie, sounds like a plan to me!

Japonica ~ 100 University Place ~ NYC, NY ~ 212.243.7752

The second annual Restaurant Week Hawaii is a seven day celebration of the cuisine scene in Hawaii. From fine dining to fast-food, participating restaurants will feature special menu items, promotions and discounts. Diners can sample Hawaii’s newest restaurants, dine at old favorites and taste a variety of exceptional dishes now being prepared by Hawaii’s chefs using locally grown produce. Restaurant Week is a reminder that Hawaii is a culinary destination with top chefs, farm to table dining, wonderful wine and a lot more to discover and explore.

For a complete list of participating restaurants, visit Restaurant Week Hawaii’s official website.  All of the island’s best restaurants, like Chai’s Island Bistro, Roy’s, Sansei, and town, are on the list.  There are a host of special deals — most of which include set-price lunches (starting at $10) or dinners (starting at $20) or offer special Restaurant Week menus.  Restaurant week lasts through November 22, so get to one of these eateries today!

A portion of the proceeds from Restaurant Week Hawaii will support the Culinary Institute of the Pacific at Diamond Head.

Last week Fendy and I ventured out to Sayville and the Stony Brook Village Center to cover two restaurants participating in Long Island Restaurant Week. Long Island Restaurant week took place from November 1st untill November 8th.  During that week some of Long Island’s most exclusive  restaurants served entrees and other menu items at a discounted price that typically did not exceed $25 for a three course prix fixe meal. The event is a great opportunity for those who might otherwise not be able to afford to dine at these restaurants to experience them– and it fits a Stony Brook University students budget.

If you are interested in visiting any of the restaurants that participated in Long Island Restaurant week, just visit: http://www.longislandrestaurantweek.com/

I always get really excited about Restaurant Week because it’s an opportunity to check out restaurants that normally might not fit into my budget.  After checking out all the menus, I finally narrowed down the number of places I wanted to try to three.  First on the list was Brass Elephant in Mt. Vernon, which actually closed its doors not too long after Restaurant Week.  Another one bites the dust in this economy, I guess.  I’d heard good things about Brass Elephant, but my experience there was not that great.  For a Friday night, the restaurant was not crowded at all.  The service was also subpar.  Our server was slow, and she broke the cork when opening the wine bottle my friend ordered.  Not impressive.  To start, everyone got–I suppose it could have been considered an amuse bouche–of foie gras on a piece of crusty bread.  This was my first taste of foie gras, and I have to say I’m not a fan.  For my first course, I had the smoked rockfish with cold smoked salmon, which was garnished with whipped horseradish cream, pickled radish, and hearts of palm.  The salmon was okay, but the rockfish didn’t taste very fresh.  For my second course, I had a filo-wrapped cod with hazelnuts, sage polenta, and a parsley and sage pesto.  I remember enjoying that.  The fish was cooked well.  For dessert, I went with the creme brulee, because I feel like that’s something that a restaurant shouldn’t mess up.  It wasn’t really anything to write home about.

Courses shown counterclockwise from top left.

Another note about the poor service:  my friend, Stephanie had to leave dinner early and when she realized this, we tried to flag down our server to request that her dessert get packed up ahead of time so that she wouldn’t have to wait for it.  Our server was nowhere to be found for at least 10 minutes.  And then when she explained her situation, the server said she would pack up the dessert, but it came out at the same time as the rest of ours, so Steph had to wait around even though she was pressed for time.  Needless to say, Brass Elephant didn’t really meet my expectations.

The next restaurant I tried was Meli in Fell’s Point.  I really enjoyed dinner here.  Despite having reservations for 8:30 or 9pm for 8 people, we still ended up waiting quite awhile for our table, and this wasn’t the fault of the staff per se, as the party that was occupying our would-be table took longer than expected to get up and leave.  Our host said he would try to comp us something, but either he wasn’t able to, or he didn’t even bother to try.  That was okay, though, because the food was outstanding. I started with a lobster mac and cheese, followed by a duck dish that was really well prepared, and finished with some sort of mediterranean dessert whose name I can’t remember, let alone spell.  There was an option to pair the restaurant week menu with a wine flight.  I chose to do that, and each of the wines went very well with the courses.

Finally, the last visit for this go around was Jack’s Bistro in Canton.  Jack’s has a tiny dining room, with maybe 6 or 8 tables tops.  And of course we had a large group for this excursion.  We were lucky enough that they were able to seat us all together.  The appetizer that piqued my curiosity the most on their restaurant week menu was the chocolate macaroni and cheese.  Sounds potentially disgusting, but it worked out really well.  The second course was basically a big slab of beef with shoestring fries on the side.  The meat was cooked well, but it wasn’t super special; and I think it would have gone better with some sort of green vegetable on the side.  Then at least I could say I was making some attempt at being healthy.  And lastly the dessert.  omgoodness nom nom.  Deep-fried s’mores.  Yes, you read correctly.  They were so good, I had to include two pictures.  Unfortunately the ice cream in the middle melted rather quickly, but the whole thing was sinful.

All in all, a successful restaurant week.  Can’t wait till the next one!

If you didn’t already know, it is Long Island restaurant week. Select restaurants all over Long Island created three-course prix fixe menus for a reasonable price of $24.95 per person.

I couldn’t resist and needed to take advantage of this awesome deal. Scrolling down the list of participating restaurants, Four Food Studio and Cocktail Salon in Melville was the winner. I have eaten their once before and I fell in love with the place. Normally, the prices are expensive. Restaurant Week allows people to dine at pricey, sophisticated restaurants for a great price.

Four’s decor is unique and the main reason why I enjoy this place so much. The dinning space is accented with bright colors of green, orange and yellow. Modern touches, elegant mood lighting and exceptional food presentation makes Four a one of a kind dinning experience.

Four changes their menu for each season providing diners with fresh, local and most importantly seasonal ingredients. Also, the different sections of the restaurant are inspired by the different seasons: winter, spring, autumn and summer.

Okay, enough about the restaurant decor and layout, time for the food! The restaurant week menu was inspired by flavors and ingredients of autumn. For appetizer I picked the autumn salad. Fresh crisp endive, pomegranate seeds, apple slices, crumbled goat cheese, and pecans for added texture and crunch  made this a light and savory first course. The mixture of creamy goat cheese, tart apple and sweet pomegranate seeds blended well to create this autumn inspired salad.

For my main course, I choose the ginger crusted chicken breast. Tender and juicy all white meat chicken encrusted with ginger was on top of cous cous. The cous cous was creamy and similar in texture to risotto. Throughout the couscous were small chunks of squash. The crunchiness of the chickens crust mixed well with the cous cous.

Finally, it was time for dessert. Nutella bread pudding with a dollop of ice-cream and ring of chocolate syrup. The pudding was dense yet moist. The rich hazelnut nut spread added just enough sweetness to the bread pudding.

After diners finish their meals, Four gives them a fluffy pink cloud of cotton candy served in a martini glass. A new twist on the traditional after dinner mint. Four definitely sets themselves apart with this added sweet treat. The cotton candy is light and sweet and has a watermelon flavor, utterly delicious.

I was worried that the portion sizes would be smaller on the restaurant week menu compared to items on the regular menu. I was wrong. Each portion size was big enough and I was left stuffed and satisfied. Just a small side note, they added an extra main dish choice that is not listed on the menu, thick cut pork chops.

Four is approximately a 30 minute drive from campus, however it is worth it if you want to experience something unique.

I strongly advice other students to take advantage of restaurant week. It ends tomorrow, Nov.8, so pick a restaurant and start eating. Don’t miss out!

Four Food Studio & Cocktail Salon: 515 Broadhollow Road, Melville, 631-577-4444, https://www.fourfoodstudio.com/index.aspx

Photos: http://www.that70sbandlive.com/events_files/events.htm, http://fo.odie.us/businesses/restaurants/long-island/four_food_studio_cocktail_salon/273/

Last restaurant week, my husband and I ate a little too much. I know that doesn’t mean much, coming from a food blogger, but it’s true. We went to Capital Grille for lunch exactly 6 hours before going to Rasika. For the most part, our food was delicious, but after Cap Grille’s steak and crab & lobster burger for lunch, we had to take most of our Rasika meal home. On the plus side, I can vouch for it being excellent the next day, naan included!

Appetizers

Delicious texture but a little salty.

Palak Chaat – This dish marries crispy fried spinach, sweet yogurt, tamarind, and date chutney. It would have been a home run – the crunchy spinach paired nicely with the yogurt – but it was too salty. I’m rather salt adverse, but my husband complained as well. We drank a lot of water this course.

Dinner

Martha Chicken is on the top left, veggies on the bottom.

Maratha Chicken – The chicken was incredibly juicy with the greatest brown sauce spiced with black pepper, cinnamon, and cloves. Definitely a winner.

Top photo: bottom row left Dal Makhani, right Vegetable Tamatar Rassa Bottom photo: Malai Palek

Veggie Restaurant Week Dish – It included a bunch of smaller things from their main menu – Dal Makhani (lentils mixed with tomato, garlic, and fenugreek), something similar to their Malai Palek (spinach purred with garlic, cumin, and ginger) but with Paneer, and Vegetable Tamatar Rassa (seasonable vegetables, tomatoes, and goda masala).

Naan and Mint Paratha – Delicious. Moist but nicely warmed.

Dessert

The ice cream was absolutely delicious!

Gulab Jamun with cardamom ice cream – This was a lovely dessert that was appropriately sized and spiced. It was very sweet, but not cloyingly so.

I'm not going to lie or sugar coat things... Not good.

Carrot Halwa with cinnamon sabayon – Not only does this look gross, it was gross. I had about 2 bites and respectfully declined and pushed it away.

Verdict

Entrees and breads are delicious! 1/2 star for the excellent Gulab Jamun with cardamom ice cream. No points for the halwa. Perhaps we got the Palak Chaat on a night with a chef with a heavy hand in the salt dish. Overall, I’d go back, but I’d try other Indian places in the city first.

Another special $59 dinner from Chef Mavro: The Julie & Julia dinner was such a hit that the restaurant will do similar special menus periodically. Next up: Beaujolais Nouveau menu, Nov 19-Dec 5, 2009, 6-9:30 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Call 944-4714. Chef George Mavrothalassitis and Chef de Cuisine Kevin Chong came up with a three-course menu to go with the 2009 Beaujolais Nouveau, which is being hailed as one of the best harvests in 50 years. But unlike Julie & Julia dinner, this one isn’t trad French food (wah!). What you’ll get: Sautéed maitake mushrooms, green papaya, Sumida watercress, galangal and kaffir lime; crispy SUCKLING PIG with Molokai sweet potato puree, pickled mustard cabbage, white pineapple pork jus; Big Island Meyer lemon curd, Japanese chees cake, citrus salad, ginger ice cream, pomegranate syrup. It’s an incredible deal. Dinner starts on Nov 19—official Beaujolais Nouveau release date around the world. They’re gearing up in Japan, Hollywood is having a French fest, and special Beaujolais Nouveau dinners will be happening everywhere. Join the global party.
PS: Congratulations to Chef Mavro, which kept its AAA 5-diamond rating for the second year in a row.

Town restaurant is one of a bunch of restaurants across the country holding a special dinner and book launch party for Slow: Life in a Tuscan Town by Douglas Gayeton at Town Nov 18. (Town’s in good company—that night the author will be at farm-to-table holy grail Chez Panisse in Berkeley.) Dinner (including wine!) is $100 and you get a copy of the book too. Sounds like a good deal to me.  Presented by Slow Food O‘ahu ($25 goes to the organization).

Restaurant Week is coming up Nov 16-22. It’s a chance to try out spots you may have put on hold due to the recessionary hole in your wallet. Some suggestions: Azure, Nobu, 3660 on the Rise, 12th Avenue Grill. But most of the restaurants on the list are so affordable anyway, there’s no real incentive to patronize them during Restaurant Week. In New York the benefit is all for the diner—getting to have lunch at Gotham Bar & Grill for $24.07.  Here the event is a fundraiser—to benefit the Culinary Institute of the Pacific at Diamond Head, which is a very good cause. So go eat. See the complete list.

Hiroshi Eurasion Tapas holds its next Contemporary Kaiseki dinner Nov 10. Here’s what I said last time around. These dinners are always stellar. I’m putting my money on the sautéed marinated akule, panko-crusted halibut, the…oh, they’re all going to be memorable. Here’s the full menu. Hurry and reserve, cause the event sells out. $75 food only, $100 with wine pairings. 533-4476.

Trump International Hotel Waikiki Beachwalk is slated to open Nov 16, and hopefully that goes for the highly anticipated BLT Steak that will be in the view-blocking monolith. I was lucky enough to eat at Laurent Tourondel’s critically acclaimed but hard-to-keep-open Cello in New York. Amazing that he made his name with seafood and now oversees a thriving international steakhouse empire. A BLT Fish or BLT Market would seem to make more sense on a Pacific island. (And I secretly would prefer a BLT Burger!) But hey, I just live here.

Daring to jump in the pool at Mystic Mountain, St. Ann Jamaica

Jamaica Restaurant Week – AND AFTER… – Village Blues Bar.

Save Room - Dark Chocolate and Peanut Butter Fondue (Photo by Amanda Heironimus)

In honor of Wilmington’s Restaurant Week (ends Wednesday – see previous post for details), we mulled over the participating eateries, ruled out those we’d already tried, those we found on the low end of the Health Inspection grading curve (scores released recently at http://www.star-newsmedia.com/rr/rr.php?rr_county=NEW+HANOVER ) and any member of a national chain (The Melting Pot, really?? I thought this was about local flavor).

Chef's Choice : Second course salads (Photo by Amanda Heironimus)

From those remaining, we chose The Little Dipper, Wilmington’s homegrown answer to the aforementioned national fondue giant. A fantastic choice, as the evening was on the chilly side. Romantic, cozy and modern (if such a combination is possible, and it seems it is), TLD’s interior provided an instant warm-up. And shortly after being seated, we were treated to a more literal warm-up.

The Restaurant Week deal at TLD included four courses for $25 per diner, so we dove right in with the cheese fondu appetizer. We chose (and wisely, as it turned out) the Cheddar Ale flavor, and our server created the mixed-cheese and Guinness concoction at our table as we discussed the rest of the meal.

Round Two: Jeff’s chef salad was heartier than expected, small in size but loaded with quality ingredients. I chose the Ginger Carrot soup, a wonderfully balanced and savory dish.

The Main Event: Meats, veggies and sauce to spare (Photo by Amanda Heironimus)

(Note: I probably would’ve liked the Wasabi Cream sauce better, but during one particular bite, the spice went straight to my nose and in my rush to get some water or something – anything! – I tipped over my full glass of champagne. The Wasabi sauce was therefore exiled).

Live Art: TLD's Resident Jellyfish (Photo by Jeff Boykin)

Pure ridiculousness never tasted so good.

Madrid se llena de sabor en la última semana de octubre para celebrar el Restaurant Week. De este modo el Patronato de Turismo del Ayuntamiento emula el éxito de ciudades como Nueva York, Ámsterdam, Lisboa o Río de Janeiro, entre otras, que llevan varias convocatorias.

Del 21 al 30 de octubre, los comensales que decidan ir a alguno de los 24 establecimientos de alto nivel que participan podrán degustar un menú que consta de entrante, plato principal y postre, por 25 euros. En la mayoría de ellos, los clientes podrán escoger hasta entre cuatro platos diferentes.

El único inconveniente del menú es que no incluye las bebidas ni el café que, aunque en principio no pueda parecer mucho, al tratarse de restaurantes que normalmente cuestan entre 50 y 60 euros mínimo sin bebidas, puede acabar costando bastante más. Por ello es importante fijarse en los precios, ya que algunos restaurantes tienen botellas de vino de hasta 190 euros y cafés por 5 euros.

Uno de los atractivos de esta semana gastronómica es la posibilidad de elegir entre los variados restaurantes que participan, desde recetas tradicionales a cocina de mercado pasando por la cocina más creativa o de autor.

Una de las propuestas que más ha animado a los restaurantes a formar parte del Restaurant Week de Madrid es el hecho de que “un euro de cada menú va destinado a la Fundación Española del Corazón y a la ONCE”, explica Jesús López, el chef del Mesón del Cid.

Para ello, el cliente tendrá a su disposición un folleto explicativo y un cupón que, al ser entregado en caja, supondrá la donación de un euro a a dichas organizaciones no gubernamentales.

Más allá de los objetivos de responsabilidad social, Restaurant Week se presenta como una “democratización de la restauración, de modo que se llegue a un nuevo público, además de reforzar la clientela habitual” explica Gonzalo Omiste, cocinero del restaurante Balzac.

Muchos de los restaurantes que participan han visto aumentar considerablemente las reservas para los próximos días. Ernesto Feito, dueño del restaurante asturiano Ferreiro, comenta que “casi no quedan mesas libres para esos días a pesar de los momentos económicos que se viven actualmente. El teléfono suena contantemente para reservar ya que el Restaurant Week es el momento perfecto para conocer nuestra cocina”.

Éste no es el único establecimiento que ha visto aumentado su número de reservas, ni el único local donde el teléfono no para de sonar y al descolgarlo se repite la misma frase: “ese día estamos completos”.

Y es que la celebración de este tipo de iniciativas en otras grandes ciudades del mundo han registrado incrementos de hasta un 85 por ciento en las reservas de los restaurantes participantes, así como la fidelización de nuevos clientes, puesto que en torno al 70 por ciento de los nuevos comensales vuelven tras probar el menú del Restaurant Week.

Gooey gourmet grilled cheese at Melt Bar & Grilled. (Photo: Scott Meivogel)

One thing you’ll notice right away about Cleveland is that many of our restaurants –in fact many of our best restaurants—are independently owned and operated. And, from the ethnic eateries that line West 25th Street near the West Side Market to concept restaurants that ring historic Shaker Square, our chef/owners are often our rock stars (producing many hits, I might add).

But going it alone is not without its challenges, so 90 of these indie establishments committed to excellence in food and service banded together six years ago to share resources and promote themselves as Cleveland Independents. Locally-owned restaurants as diverse as Willoughby Brewing Company, Pier W, Molinari’s, fire food and drink, Melt Bar and Grilled and One Walnut post their events, happy hours and specials on the group’s website, www.clevelandindependents.com.

Collectively, Cleveland Independents puts on a restaurant week (November 1-14, 2009) during which participating restaurants offer prix fixe meals in order to encourage diners to experience diverse culinary styles and menu offerings. And this year they are premiering “The Deck,” $10 discounts at 52 Cleveland Independents’ restaurants. Priced at just $29.95, The Deck is actually $520 worth of dining offers at some of the best restaurants in Cleveland Plus. –Submitted by SF

This week, Madrid is the gastronomy capital of the world! There are so many food related events going on, including Restaurant week, Millesime Madrid and the Mediterranean Diet and Health Fair, it’s so much fun!

Millesime Madrid is a gastronomy club that has organized a food expo with live cooking shows, workshops, and food-themed spaces. At the cooking shows, top chefs display their cooking magic while the audience watches and then enjoys the chef’s creations. The themed spaces are divided into streets and corners: there is a Spanish ham street, a cocktail street, a beer street; as well as the cheese corner, the Spanish omelette corner, the gin and tonic corner, and the delicatessen corner.

For those looking for a more educational experience, there are workshops led by experts in their category. There is the Spanish ham workshop, where the world champion in cutting ham will teach twenty people the art of cutting – which is not easy, doing it the wrong way can spoil the ham. There is also the senses workshop, where the audience is guided through wine tastings and surprise pairings using all five senses. Then there is the bubbles workshop, which includes champagne tastings and an introduction to the fantastic world of Champagne, its history, elaboration process, characteristics of the wine, etc. And a cooking workshop, where one can cook alongside the expert chefs.

Millesime Madrid will feature three cooking teams with 4 chefs. Among them there are names like Dani Garcia (Calima), Joan Roca (El Celler de Can Roca), Pepe Rodríguez (El Bohío), Paco Roncero (El Casino de Madrid) and Mario Sandoval (Coque).

Some of the Top Chefs in Spain: Chicote, Dario Barrio, Paco Roncero and Pepe Rodríguez among others

I’m so excited, as you can see, Madrid will be a culinary fest this week!

-Rocio

Restaurant Week is celebrated successfully in cities all around the world like New York, Miami, Rio de Janeiro, Lisbon, London, Amsterdam, among others. During Restaurant Week, people can enjoy affordable menus in the best restaurants in town.

Madrid is no exception. The economic crisis has dramatically dropped the consumption in bars and restaurants, so to attract people, 24 top restaurants in Madrid have agreed to make a special price menu, and donate a portion of the proceeds to two charity organizations. From today until the 30^th of October, 1 € of each menu will support the ONCE Foundation, as well as the Spanish Heart Foundation.

For 25 € without drinks, you can have dinner at some of the hottest restaurants like Dassa Bassa, Chaflán, Lagrimas Negras, Europa Decó, Arce and Oven 180, among others.

If you happen to be in Madrid, I highly recommend that you visit one of these restaurants. But book early, because I can tell you, it’s not easy to get a table with such prices!

Madrid Restaurant Week 2009 Menu

-Rocio

A não perder de 8 a 18 de Outubro!

“Restaurante Week”: menus de luxo a 20 euros. Durante dez dias, 47 restaurantes caros ficam mais baratos. A iniciativa pretende pôr todos os portugueses a provar comida requintada. Dois euros revertem para duas instituições (Ajuda de Berço e Janela Aberta).

Para mais informações consulte a página oficial:
http://www.lisboa-restaurantweek.com/

It’s here!

Okay, well, it’s not here yet. But give Wilmington a week or so and you’ll be handsomely rewarded with seven days of gustatory bliss known as Restaurant Week. Between October 21st and 28th, 28 of the town’s locally owned and run eateries will offer affordable prix fixe (that’s fixed price for all the cool kids who took Spanish – revenge is sweet…) menus. Three to four-course meals all under $30 a head? If ever there was a time to dust off your dress shoes and impress your man or lady friend with a night on the town, this appears to be it.

To get in on the Restuarant Week action, visit www.wilmingtonrestaurantweek.com, check out the menus, choose one (or five), and print out the customized pass.

Just be sure to make reservations where advised - getting turned away from your big night out because the dining room’s full? Not impressive.

My husband Peter and I finally made it downtown for dinner last Thursday. We keep meaning to spend more time in DTLA (DownTown LA), but it took “DineLA Restaurant Week” to get us to check out the sleek and sexy Drago Centro.

The special DineLA menu at the Italian hotspot offers three courses for $44, which is a great bargain (and very filling), but as usual we ordered some extras from the regular menu as well. The three of us (including our friend Laurieann) shared every dish, and now I can’t wait to go back and try the things I missed!

If you’re not familiar with Drago Centro, here’s what Jonathan Gold wrote about the restaurant in LA Weekly:
“Planted at the base of a formerly sterile office plaza, Centro may be the grandest new restaurant in this neighborhood since the early 1980s, a sprawling former bank space blown out into a double-height modernist dining room, punctuated in the middle by a glassed-in wine vault…”

I have to admit, sitting in the main dining room, near the enormous glass wine room was sort of powerfully intoxicating… but then again, it could have been the red wine and grappa!

All around it was a fun evening, especially spending time with sommelier Michael Shearin and our terrific server, Stefano. Make sure you ask for them if you plan on eating there soon (which you should)!

What we ate:

Amuse Bouche: Bocconcini with Pesto Mousse (compliments of the chef)

La Pancetta Brasata: Pork Belly, Farro, Spinach, Blueberries (Regular Menu $14)

La Burrata, Tomatoes, Olive Oil, Crostino (Regular Menu $13)

Top: Antipasto Plate: Roasted peppers, Radicchio, Speck, Eggplant Puree, Burrata and Gnocco Fritto
Bottom: Garganelli, Veal Bolognese. (Both on DineLA Menu)

Smoked Salmon, Cauliflower Panna Cotta, Fennel (on DineLA Menu)

Braised Veal Cheeks, Endive, Parsnips, Almonds (on DineLA Menu)

Pork Belly Risotto, Rapini, Radicchio (on DineLA Menu) and yes it’s true… we ordered TWO pork belly dishes (so GOOD!)

Crispy Chicken, Assorted Beans & Veg (on DineLA Menu)

Desserts: Top Left: Mascarpone Semifreddo with Strawberries and Basil.
Bottom Left: Chocolate Coffee Cake, Vanilla Cream.
Right: Prosecco Mousse, Fennel Crumble, Citrus (All on DineLA Menu)

The custom-built glass wine vault.

Drago Centro’s private dining room with exhibition kitchen (in the former bank vault).

Drago Centro
525 S. Flower St #120
Los Angeles, CA 90071
(213) 228-8998
Website

Dining Date: 10/08/09

Jonathan Gold, LA Weekly

Follow Drago Centro on Twitter

Follow Michael Shearin, Sommelier on Twitter

Drago Central, Private Dining

DineLA Restaurant Week

Photo above right: Grappa flavored with Chamomile made by Marolo

Line up the babysitters because here are some great deals!

$9.99 Lunch

• Black Bear
• The Brewhouse
• Burger Bar
• Coromandel
• Donovan’s
• The Ginger Man
• O’Neills
• Pane E Panini
• Papaya Thai

$14.99 Lunch

• Chocopologie
• Harbor Lights
• Kazu
• Osetra
• Rouge
• Strada 18
• Wasabi Chi

$19.99 Dinner

• Black Bear
• The Brewhouse
• Burger Bar
• Donovan’s
• The Ginger Man
• O’Neills
• Papaya Thai

$29.99 Dinner

• Barcelona
• Chocopologie
• Coromandel
• Harbor Lights
• Kazu
• Match
• Osetra
• Pasta Nostra
• Rouge
• Strada 18
• Wasabi Chi

Source: The Fairfield County Weekly Oct. 8-14, 2009 issue, p. 3. Links to restaurant web sites were found through Google.

Hey everyone! I’m sure many of you have heard of restaurant weeks in other cities such as Orange County, San Diego, or San Francisco. Personally, I’m always excited when these restaurant weeks roll around, but for me to have to drive all the way to San Francisco to enjoy a $35 3-course meal is not practical. Anyways, it’s Silicon Valley’s turn to host their restaurant week. Several fine dinings will have 3-course meals for a fraction of the normal price. Yea, $35 is a hefty amount … but then again, these three course meals would normally cost +$50 so I guess that makes it a good deal .

Check it out: http://www.siliconvalleyrestaurantweek.com/

Dine in Dublin this October

 Becoming a staple in Dublin’s culinary calendar, Dine in Dublin returns after a very successful inauguration last April. Next week (12 – 18 Oct) diners are invited to avail of some proper knees up grub for either €25 or €30 at participating restaurants around the city. That’s three courses plus tea or coffee at venues such as Fallon & Byrne, Venu and The Cellar for 30 quid or less. Over the next few days I will take a look at some of the participating restaurants and compare their early bird menus with those specially devised for Restaurant Week, to help you decide where the best value is at.

Balzac Brasserie’s table d’hote menu, available Mon – Fri costs €25 and is very similar to what they are offering for the same price during Restaurant Week. Duck leg, grilled mackerel and corn-fed chicken appear on both menus, with the addition of tagine of lamb shank with harissa and yoghurt for the week long event. The starters have been jazzed up somewhat to include roasted wood-pigeon with beetroot jam, celeriac and pancetta, field mushroom and puy lentil soup and chicken liver parfait with Bramley apple jelly. The crab creme brulée is the only starting  dish to appear on both the table d’hote and the Dine in Dublin menus. There is a decent selection of puddings to choose from during Restaurant Week – Plum and cinnamon crumble, honey poached quince with stem ginger shortbread and lemon curd and sweet carrot & walnut cake with cream cheese icing and poached apricots as well as chocolate truffle cake with orange caramel.

Verdict: €25 seems fair for Restaurant Week.

Frankie’s is Temple Bar’s latest culinary installment. I ate there recently and had little to complain about bar the fact that it’s a bit deer for what is essentially a pasta joint that also serves burgers and rib eye steaks. But then being located in the tourist hub of town is almost a licence to charge exhorbitant prices for some spaghetti and a glass of chardonnay. I hate to bring up the ‘Recession’ but I wonder if Frankie Dettori or Marco Pierre White (co-owner) are aware that we are currently deep in the depths of one? For Restaurant Week, Frankie’s is charging €30 for their specially devised menu. On any normal day you would pay €23.95 for three courses, but the choice with this early bird is about as limited as they get.  To start, there’s a choice between a classic (snoring) caesar  salad, soup of the day, rocket and parmesan salad or prosciutto di parma and melon. Mains don’t get much more adventurous than two spaghetti dishes (one Bolognese and the other a simple tomato and basil variety), a classic burger, gnocchi Genovese or paillard of chicken and herbs. When I ate there we shunned the early bird because if we had felt like a Bolognese we would have bought a jar of Ragu and stayed at home. Instead I had Marco’s bruschetta (€6.95) as a prelude to a delicious bowl of spaghetti with clams alle vongole (€18.95). I have to say, I am disappointed with Frankie’s menu for Restaurant Week. They are offering three courses for €30, and the selection of dishes is rather poor. The mundane melon starter and soup feature on this menu, with the addition of chicken wings, mussels marinara and a goats cheese salad. Spaghetti Bolognese and the paillard of chicken crop up again as main dishes, along with a rib-eye steak, spinach and ricotta canneloni and grilled salmon with hollandaise sauce. It just doesn’t sound exciting, and what’s more, to me it feels like Frankie’s is trying to pull the wool over my beady, critical eyes. My clam pasta and bruschetta came to €25.95 and with a slice of cheesecake or some tiramasu the bill would be no more than €33. If you were to go for the soup (€6.95), spaghetti Bolognese (€14.95) and a dessert (€6.95)outside of restaurant week it would cost €29.  You do the math.

Verdict: TB or not TB? I recommend the spaghetti with clams, but be prepared to pay TB prices.

You don’t have to eat before 7pm to get value for money at Le Bon Crubeen. As little as €12 will see that your stomach is lined with a hot dinner. Their Dine in Dublin menu seems like good enough value from where I’m sitting. I have dined at the Talbot Street eatery and would return for seconds. For Restaurant Week they are offering a three course meal for €25. Of the more interesting starters there is fried brie with plum compote which is as tasty as it is calorific, (I can attest to that!) and the portion is generous. There is also salmon fish cakes and a duck and pear salad as well as soup of the day and a Caesar salad (a salad that gets far too much airtime in my opinion). The selection of main courses is ample – A goat’s cheese tart for the veggies, bangers and mash for the little piggies, and an 8oz sirloin for the manly man. Fish of the day and chicken supreme provide balance to the list and for afters, creme brulée, apple crumple, chocolate fondant and bread and butter pudding are bound to please most.

Verdict: This little piggy says give it a go!

More on the other venues participating in Restaurant Week later.

Jazz greats inspired by the city of light and French food that inspired them

As part of Harlem Week, on Sunday, August 16^th (official Harlem Day), Chez Lucienne will launch a week-long promotion: Harlem-Paris.  On Sunday, August 16^th Chez Lucienne (Harlem’s own French Brasserie) will kick off a week of menu specials with live music featuring jazz vocalist, John Rainbow, from 7:00 to 10:00 PM.

The Harlem Week menu (running from Sunday, August 16^th through Sunday, August 23^rd) features the kinds of mid-twentieth Century French dishes that one might have found at the same time as the Jazz greats continued to light up the City of Light with their talent.

The 3 course prix fixe menu for $24.95,  features appetizers such as Onion Soup and Quiche Lorraine.  Main courses include: Poulet Basquaise with French Fries, Calf’s Liver with Puree and Pork Shank with Pomme Darphin. The Harlem Week menu will also showcase 3 cocktails popular in mid twentieth century Paris for $8: French 75, Bloody Mary and the Sidecar.

American Jazz was one of the fuels that drove the vibrant cultural scene in Paris. Specifically in Montmartre: a thriving community where people of all backgrounds and lifestyles came together to listen, philosophize, eat, drink and live.  Many of the musicians headlining in Paris played the Harlem clubs such as the Cotton Club, the Lenox Lounge and Swing Street.

Chez Lucienne, Harlem’s own French Brasserie, has been a hugely popular success ever since it opened its doors a mere six months ago.  The Brasserie/café is historically a place where people of different walks of life come together to exchange ideas, be entertained, meet, and enjoy life over good food, wine and company.  Chez Lucienne embodies and celebrates this spirit of food, drink, and camaraderie.  Executive Chef Thomas Obaton, along with Chef/Partner Matthew Tivey, have created a menu of classic French fare served in a very convivial and decidedly French ambiance.

Chez Lucienne, 308 Lenox Avenue, New York, NY 10027, 212-289-5555, www.chezlucienne.com