With Downtown Raleigh Restaurant Week starting on Monday, August 20th it's time to check out the venues and see who is offering the best deals! For those of you who may be unfamiliar with Downtown Raleigh Restaurant Week, it's the perfect occasion to pull out that twenty or thirty dollars you may have been squirreling away (plus tip of course...) in order to sample some of the finer dining options available downtown. Participating restaurants each offer a $20 or $30 three course pre-fixe dinner while providing the diner with options from a few select choices, and often (depending on the location) the ability to tack on a $10 wine or beer pairing. This year some restaurants are even offering a $15 appetizer sampling if you want to save some more dough and eat tapas style. So no this is not a particularly affordable evening for those of us on a fixed income, however it can provide the opportunity to patronize an establishment that might otherwise be well out of budget. So if for once a year you can throw your foodie finances (slightly) to the wind and indulge in not only a nice restaurant, but also in an appetizer and dessert, then this is the week to do it!
So without further adieu, here are the participating restaurants offering a $20 pre-fixe dinner, the menu choices they are offering and my humble opinion as to whether they are offering a deal worth indulging in. So yes in other words...I've done the leg work for you...you're welcome.
Ahem...
$20 Dining Options
Restaurant: 518 West
Type of Food: Italian
Menu Selections:
1st course- Gazpacho, House or Ceasar salad
2nd course- Shrimp Risotto, Chicken Marsala, Beet Pesto Spaghetti
3rd course- Tiramisu, Creme Brulee, Brownie Sundae
Wine/Beer Pairing Availability: Nope
Value: I love 518 West... Appetizers like soup or salad typically run about $4.50, entrees around $15 and desserts around $5.50. So the restaurant week deal is kinda like getting a free salad or dessert.
Restaurant:Beasley's Chicken and Honey
Type of Food: Uh...chicken
Menu Selections:
1st course- Salad
2nd course- Fried chicken and two sides
3rd course- Un-identified featured dessert
Wine/Beer Pairing Availability: Nada
Value: The chicken and two sides would ordinarily run you $14.50 and a dessert would cost $5.75. Making this savings the equivalent of a free salad and 25 cents off your dessert. I've heard they ordinarily overcharge here for what you get, but this is one of three time James Beard Award nominee Ashley Christensen's restaurants, so it certainly can't be half bad.
Restaurant: The Big Easy
Type of Food: Cajun and Creole (although a certain Cajun friend of mine might well disagree on this point...)
Menu Selections: No se....hopefully they will get that posted.
Wine/Beer Pairing Availability: No...but there is a $15 appetizer sampler menu here.
Value: I went here last year for Downtown Raleigh Restaurant Week and felt like the deal wasn't that much better than just ordering what you want off the menu.
Restaurant: Cafe Luna
Type of Food: Italian
Menu Selections:
1st course- Choice of 3 salads
2nd course- Choice of pumpkin ravioli, linguini with pesto, chicken scaloppini, or beef tenderloin.
3rd course- Gelato or cheesecake
Wine/Beer Pairing Availability: No...but discounted wine is available with the purchase of two pre-fixe dinners.
Value: Depends on what you order. A salad runs about $4 and an entree runs about $14, so the deal is like getting a discounted dessert.
Restaurant: Gravy
Type of Food: Italian
Menu Selections:
1st course- Salad, risotto cakes or bruschetta.
2nd course- Lasagna, eggplant pie, chicken Parmesan, gnocchi, pasta primavera, or whole wheat penne with grilled chicken.
3rd course- Flourless chocolate cake, panna cotta, or cannoli.
Wine/Beer Pairing Availability: Nope
Value: Gravy is d'lish. I knew it had to be the real deal since my favorite Italian has always called tomato sauce gravy. With the deal this is like saving about 50 cents and a free dessert.
Restaurant: La Volta
Type of Food: Italian
Menu Selections:
1st course- Eggplant Rollatini, Bruschetta, or Mozzarella Caprese Salad
2nd course- Veg. Lasagne, Penne with sasauge and peppers, Fettucini Alfredo with chicken,Spaghetti Bolognese, or bow tie pasta with salmon in pink sauce.
3rd course- A homemade mystery dessert
Wine/Beer Pairing Availability: No...but appetizer sampler menu yes.
Value: I've never been here, but I love eggplant rollatini, so I may have to go... An appetizer here would ordinarily run around $7, one of the pasta dishes would cost around $14 dollars. So you're already saving around a buck even before you get the free dessert.
Restaurant: Five Star
Type of Food: Asian
Menu Selections:
1st course- Spicy shrimp, chicken lettuce wraps, or Korean ribs
2nd course- "Five Star General's" Chicken, Crispy Sesame Beef,
Teriyaki Beef Tenderloin
with mashed potatoes and sauteed vegetables, Ginger Scallion Shrimp,Szechuan Tofu & Vegetables
3rd course- Chocolate cake, or fresh fruit and cream.
Wine/Beer Pairing Availability: No, but there is an appetizer sampler menu.
Value: One of these appetizers here will cost around $8, an entree here runs about $12 and up depending on what you order. It's like getting a free dessert, with the added bonus of being able to order a couple options not available on the regular menu.
Restaurant: Irregardless Cafe
Type of Food: Americana
Menu Selections:
1st course- Middle Eastern platter, salad, or a cup of soup.
2nd course- Thai green curry or roasted eggplant risotto (my boss has raved about this dish.)
For $30 upgrade to a meat entree: pan roasted salmon, roast chicken, or beef brisket.
3rd course- Key lime pie, vegan chocolate cake, or flour-less brownie.
Wine/Beer Pairing Availability: YES!
Value: Irregardless offers both a $20 and a $30 pre-fixe menu. So that you can be good, or oh so bad.
The value is essentially like getting a free dessert.
Restaurant: Tuscan Blu
Type of Food: Italian
Menu Selections:
1st course- Lobster Ravioli (1 peice, so this is more of an amuse bouche than a course.)
2nd course- House salad
3rd course- Choice of lasagna, angel hair primavera, or baked red snapper.
Dessert- Cheesecake
Wine/Beer Pairing Availability: Yes.
Value: Tuscan Blu also offers the choice of a $20 or $30 pre-fixe menu. Ordering the $20 menu is like getting a free amuse bouche and a free dessert. Totally different options available for the $30 menu. This deal equates to getting a free salad. Or if you choose the porterhouse steak option the price bumps up to $35. This is out of my price range so...yeah, let me know how it is.
Restaurant: Sitti
Type of Food: Mediterranean and Lebanese
Menu Selections: All a mystery at this point...
1st course-
2nd course-
3rd course-
Wine/Beer Pairing Availability: No...
Value: Not knowing what they are serving, I can't say. I do remember last year's menu looking really yummy.
Restaurant: The Rockford
Type of Food: Generally this place is known for sandwiches
Menu Selections:
1st course- Salad, crab cake, or prosciutto wrapped shrimp
2nd course- ABC signature sandwich, pan- seared salmon salad, bacon burger, NC Tilefish ( I have no idea what that is...) and filet mignon! Yes, you read correctly.
3rd course- Cheesecake or personal Oreo or Boston creme pie cake.
Wine/Beer Pairing Availability: Yes!
Value: Obviously, this depends considerably on what you order... this could alternately come out about even to what you might regularly spend or be a real deal. It's a great chance to try some non-sandwich menu additions.
Restaurant: The Pit
Type of Food: Barbecue ya'll (I can't say that in real life, but a Yankee girl can type it right?)
Menu Selections:
1st course- Grilled focaccia, pimento deviled eggs, or smoked chicken salad.
2nd course- Mushroom and sausage stuffed pork chop or Barbecue chicken.
3rd course- Peach and raspberry cobbler or banana pudding.
Wine/Beer Pairing Availability: Nada
Value: Great eastern style barbecue here...why isn't it on the menu? Like getting a free $7 dessert.
Restaurant: Market
Type of Food: Local and seasonal
Menu Selections: Still under wraps!
1st course-
2nd course-
3rd course-
Wine/Beer Pairing Availability: Yes!
Value: Market is a great place, I love the local farm fresh meats and veggies. Not sure what kind of value this menu will present, but I bet it will be pretty good.
Restaurant: Jibarra
Type of Food: Modern Mexican
Menu Selections:
1st course- Ham wrapped asparagus or jicama taco.
2nd course- Pasta in pumpkin seed sauce with choice of shrimp or vegetables.
3rd course- Arroz con leche or peach empanada
Wine/Beer Pairing Availability: No
Value: Not sure why a pasta dish is the only entree available at a Mexican restaurant...I haven't seen these items on the regular menu, so I'm not sure of the value. Entrees here are generally pretty pricey though.
A few $30 menu highlights...
Restaurant: Zely and Ritz
Type of Food: Eclectic local American
Menu Selections: No word yet
1st course-
2nd course-
3rd course-
Wine/Beer Pairing Availability: No
Value: I've wanted to try this place for quite awhile since I'm a big fan of local sustainable food. However, the prices have been prohibitive. A regular tasting menu at Zely and Ritz is $32.50. I don't know what it includes, but this price is fairly comparable to that.
Restaurant: Buku
Type of Food: Global street food inspired cuisine
Menu Selections:
1st course- Berry salad, spicy potato cake, or African peanut stew.
2nd course- Adobo pork tenderloin, Duck breast and duck confit with gnocchi, Vietnamese rice noodles with seared tofu.
3rd course- Sweet blueberry and cream cheese egg roll or a Saffron and Pistachio Kulfi frozen Indian custard.
Wine/Beer Pairing Availability:
Value: Oh my lord these menu choices sound amazing...I may be rooting through the couch cushions to try to hit up this one. This place is ordinarily pricey, but also delicious. I had a fun date night here, so I have positive associations with this place anyway. Whether this is a good value depends on whether the 2nd course is made up or small or large plates...I'm assuming large or it's no deal. If the 2nd course is a large plate, than this is essentially the equivalent of a free dessert.
I may add more of the $30 menus later on...but this is the Underfinanced Foodie after all....so $30 plates aren't exactly within my price range and therefore just make me a little envious.
Be sure to let me know where you wind up going and how it was!
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