For the second year, Baltimore has a winter Restaurant Week to complement the traditional summer offering. January is always a slow time for restaurants, and especially in the current economic doldrums, any promotion that puts diners in seats is considered a worthy effort.
Today through Feb. 1, all 85 participating restaurants are offering three-course, prix-fixe dinners for $30.09. Those that are offering lunch as well are doing so for $20.09. Liquor, tax and tip are not included in the fixed price.
John Saki, owner of Louisiana in Fells Point, could not be more excited about Restaurant Week. With business down about 40 percent from this time last year, he said, he is going all out to offer diners an exceptional meal. The special menu includes dishes such as fried oysters, crab bisque, Chilean sea bass and slow-cooked duck confit, topped off with rich dessert offerings like bread pudding and vanilla crme brulee.
“This is our second time participating,” said Saki, who opened Louisiana 10 years ago. “We wanted to take advantage of this opportunity. In fact, because we are already almost booked for the week, we will be extending our promotion for two weeks after Restaurant Week.
“Our goal is to get new people in and impress them so they’ll come back again. We are committed to be very generous and very impressive,” he said.
Saki will offer selected French and California wines by the bottle at two price points: $25 and $35. “This is going to be the most wonderful marketing tool for me,” he said.
At The Brewer’s Art in Mount Vernon, co-owner Tom Creegan is looking forward to seeing new faces, as he does every time the restaurant participates in Restaurant Week.
“It definitely brings in new people,” said Creegan. “I see more customers coming from the Maryland suburbs.”
The menu includes several dishes prepared with The Brewer’s Art house beers, including a pork chop brined in Resurrection Ale, potato-crusted cod with Proletary Ale mustard sauce, and a chocolate torte containing Proletary Ale.
Creegan said he also ceded to popular demand this year in preparing the prix-fixe menu. “We always resisted putting the steak frites on, which are so popular, but this time we did put them on. That’s what everybody wants,” he said.
For more information and a peek at the menus, visit
www.baltimorerestaurantweek.com
www.baltimorerestaurantweek.com
Follow Christine Stutz’s culinary adventures at www.twitter.com/foodiechris.
