Maybe restaurant week is a bargin at some places, but I've never seen much of a benefit.

I went to Petit Louis for RW. Now, I'm a regular at PL, so I'm familar with the prices. For $30 I got a bowl of soup, duck confit and chocolate mousse.

Let's look at what PL charges for these items a la carte. The soup is $6 a bowl. The duck is $19. The mousse is $7. So, what, my savings is $2. That $2 does not compensate for putting up with the crowds of RW.

Now, maybe there are some places, like the Prime Rib, where the savings would be more visable, but I think the average benefit is only a few dollars.

I'm not sure why people love RW so much. Maybe some people have a mental block about ordering a starter and a dessert. So the only time the would treat themselves to something like this is when it is all bundled together. I always order a starter and dessert, so it is not special for me.

If RW would allow someone to order any starter, entree and dessert off the regular menu, well that would be a deal. It would be a deal if specials were extended to wine. But what RW amounts to now is little more than a break on sales tax. Heck, with that kind of a deal, I could go to Delaware and make every week a restaurant week.

We went to M&S on Pier 5 and Amici's for restaurant week. Both times we found fine choices on the menu but found it cheaper to order a salad, the entree of our choice a drink and go to Vaccaro's to share a Canoli for dinner.

I was pretty disappointed that there was not value. We estimated we would have saved $2 at M&S and it would have cost us $4 more at Amicis to have the restaurant week menu.

We've been to Abacrombie and Cinghiale. I didn't compare the menu prices for a la carte versus restaurant week, but I didn't get the impression it was more than a few dollars savings at Abacrombie. And doesn't Cinghiale usually have a lower priced Sunday night menu? Even though they weren't great bargains, RW gave us the excuse to try new places and meet with friends. Previous RWs, I've been to restaurants that didn't provide their regular menus, but only the RW menu and maybe a few alternatives for a few extra dollars. I don't know if this was done to simplify things for the kitchen dealing with larger crowds, or so that diners wouldn't realize they weren't getting a bargain.

I looked at the Howard County RW menus, and realized that for at least two restaurants I like, RW could cost more than the usual menu.

By the way, Cinghiale was very nice. Abacrombie was good. Neither was full, even though we were at Cinghiale on a Saturday night. Previous RWs were often marred by the crowds at each restaurant. Even though we used RW to try someplace new, I felt like we saw it at its worst.

We went to Oceanaire last. The dinner was wonderful and the waiter was very personable, so we had a great time. They were BUSY!!

Afterwards we started to talk to our waiter about this whole RW thing. I didn't really compare the prices of my meal, but he said the average cost of a meal there is $80. The point he tried to make to us was that most places it isn't a deal, but there and at somewhere like the Capital Grille it is.

We had four entrees (3 crab cakes, 1 salmon), mashed potatoes big enough to split among the four of us, and a bottle of wine. The bill came to $165, we left a little over $200, which comes out to $50/person with tip/tax. So I would say it's worth it. At least there it is.

I was away most of the week and missed the restaurant week specials. Anyone know which restaurants are extending? I seem to recall quite a few extending it int he fall.

While I looked at a lot of menus, I could never decide on a restaurant and the main reason isn't the "deal". It's what the deal components are. If the restaurant was offering salad, entree and a bottle of wine I'd be much more tempted. I'm not a huge eater and GF doesn't like dessert so the dessert thing is really wasted on us. That's just us, and for the people are non-drinkers and dessert eaters, some of those menus are great. I was especially impressed with Pazzaluna but I knew it was going to be more food than I'd ever eat in one sitting and adding on a bottle (or 2) of wine was going to kill the bargain anyway.

Christine, Brasserie Tatin is extending their RW menu through August. Not a huge savings, perhaps, but I enjoyed my meal there.

We went to Ruth Chris's and the petite filet on the menu was $30. Obviously got the desert and app as well for $30 total. Felt like we basically got the desert and app for free so we saved about $20 total. Paid $100 instead of $120.

Also went to Robert Oliver and felt the same way.

RW just seemed like a time to just go out and havae a good time and not worry about what it was going to cost.

Sotto Sopra is extending the dinner portion of Restaurant Week through Sunday, August 10th along with their regular dinner menu and Dinner with Daniela on Tuesday. For more details and menu you can check out their blog http://sottosoprainc.blogspot.com/search/label/Restaurant%20Week

Last night, we went to Elkridge Furnace Inn, and I made the comparison to the regular menu with this post in mind. The RW menu items weren't on the regular menu, but it looked like the discount was about 25% - 40% off the comparable items on the regular menu. Also, we got a coupon for 20% of our next meal there. Food and service were both very good, and they seemed quite busy.

Dear Oz Chophouse,
My wife and I did lunch at your place on Maple Lawn, in Fulton Maryland during Howard Restaurant Week. Some observations:
When running a Restaurant Week special that gives you the opportunity to show your stuff, your stuff should probably represent your best effort. How better to lure a customer back for more?
I ordered from the three course RW menu and if that’s your best effort, you need therapy. I ordered the NY strip thinking, “The place is called ‘Chophouse’, their steaks must be fabulous” … Is my face red.
The Crab soup made me think I’d been transported to Iowa (“Crab? You bet! What’s crab?”) We’ll get to the dessert course in a jif.
Our waiter … excuse me … server (we were the ones doing all the waiting), pulled off a good impression of a staffer aware of his upscale surroundings but otherwise vaguely lost, as if he’d got only half the script. Sad.
Here’s a suggestion: When your RW menu says “crème brulee trio” … bring three. In my case our server said the trio was not available (after I ordered it) – but the “duo” was. So I got the duo (what choice does one have?). However when my wife ordered the trio from the regular menu, she got … the trio. Note: that sort of thing perplexes us. We think: cheap, math challenged, transparently bogus.
I understand a restaurant can have an off day and I almost always give a place a second chance. Your regular-menu chicken sandwich special was comparatively special but, relative to anything on your RW menu, so was your water.
You gave the distinct impression you’re riding on style, not substance. And the style isn’t up to it. What on earth possessed you to plop a giant, grotesquely fake tree in the middle of your dining room? I take it as a metaphor for your restaurant. Is that what you intended?
In all, for $45, you served up a good education: Stay away.
Regrettably,
-jl

The Prime Rib is extending Restaurant Week through the entire month of August, excluding Saturdays.

Wow...somebody got up on the wrong side of the bed...

Well, as far as value goes, I think we got the most for our money lsat night at Corks. Although I feel we also got great bargains at Gertrudes. I also feel that I came out ahead at Brasserie Tatin.

I eat at Brasserie Tatin about once a month and we've been to Gertrudes a few times before. Our one new restaurant was Corks and, based on our experience last night, we will be going back soon.

We went to Yellow Dog and thoroughly enjoyed our food, but had the same conversation about whether it was a deal. We definitely plan on going back, and it will be interesting to see how our total compares when it is not RW.

Restaurant week is an idiot test. If you frequent the elite food group regularly. You know RW is no bargain. You would do better to save your coins and just do 2 or 3 elite places a year during off peak times.

Two Restaurant Week Reviews-

On Wednesday night, my wife and I went to Yellow Dog. It is a very friendly and cheerful restaurant but finding a place to park took almost 15 minutes. Our waiter, Kevin, could not have been more genial. We started with the fried calamari and the tomato toasts. The calamari was average and the toasts were good. Our salads came next. The house salad was quite unspectacular. My entree was the roasted chicken. It was moist, tasty, and generous. My wife had the shrimp and grits which she thought was very good. All-in-all, the entrees were good but the appetizers and salads brought down the grade. B- for the food and A for atmosphere and staff.

On Thursday night we went to Luca's Cafe. Let me start off by saying I never want to see any business fail and I hope Luca's takes this criticism constructively, but the meal was a dining disaster from start to finish. Unlike the previous night, we found a parking spot in front of the restaurant. Does that tell you anything? It must have been our server's first night waiting tables. The poor guy tried hard but was like a deer in the headlights. I started with the Sliced Barbeque Rubbed Tri Tip which should have been called the Sliced Barbeque Rubber Tri Tip. My wife ordered the Shrimp on the Fire. Somehow the chef was able to fuse the shell to the shrimp rendering them unpeelable and therefore inedible. The caesar salad came next. It was passable. My entree was the Goulash. It was light on meat, ample on gnocchi, and underwhelming with flavor. My wife ordered the Garlic Steak medium rare. It came medium well. Her dessert, the chocolate bread pudding, was warm on the outside and cold inside. As we finished the meal the owner came by and asked how everything was. "Do you really want to know?" my wife asked. The owner took the criticism well and offered us two free dinners the next time we come in. Luca's has a very inviting menu and we genuinely hope it succeeds. But they have a lot of work to do.

Please refer to my post under an earlier topic regarding the fact that Sammy's Trattoria is continuing their RW specials through the end of the calendar year. The menu is extensive.

I went to the Black Olive for dinner for RW. I've never been there before and have no idea what their normal prices are like. Do you think I got a good deal for my $30.08?

Dinner was:
-Mixed green salad with goat cheese
-Stewed spicy lamb (a surprising copious amount of lamb!) with couscous
-Homemade vanilla ice cream with fresh strawberries

Oh, and it was all delicious!

Zagat lists its cost as $50 a person, which is dinner with one drink and tip. I would find it hard to get in and out for that little. EL

I wish more places offered a vegetarian entree selection for RW. Usually Lebanese Teverna is the only one.

This is probably a reflection of these restaurants' overall lack of vegetarian options.