Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Maybe it's not as much of a showcase as we might think it is? Perhaps the restaurateurs aren't particular interested in drawing in the folks who only come out for a discount?
That was not my point at all. I would think that instead of putting on a ho-hum offering, they'd showcase their culinary prowess. Especially some of the more foodie places. I listed a few places (Mateo and Sitti) who I felt accomplished this, But quite a few places seemingly actually went more in the direction you mentioned. That is to say, it seems like they just focused on "how much food can we give them for $20 or $30?" instead of "how can we blow their tastebuds away and have them coming back to eat the rest of our menu?" (eg: drawing them in for perceived value, rather than quality.)
I've often wished Restaurant week would offer prepaid vouchers which could be used on any food choice at participating venues. The customer would receive enough of a discount to encourage them to try some place new yet still be able to experience a true reflection of the venue's culinary chops.
You have expressed my thought on the subject much better than I could!
I guess another perspective is that we may be seeing the resulting decisions venues have made based on their experiences in years past. Perhaps many who dine out this week are simply looking for a deal rather than looking for a chance to sample the best efforts of a new place...
Do report on Mateo! I've had them on my must try list for a while.
I love restaurant week. We went to Rey's on Monday and it was a great deal compared to their normal prices and our meal was fantastic. My boss also took me to Bleu Olive for lunch. Both places were very surprised at how busy they were as a result of RW
Do report on Mateo! I've had them on my must try list for a while.
Very good. The executive summary was "we need to come back and explore the rest of the menu".
We only shared three dishes. We knew we were coming back, so we decided to hit another place just to make our night last longer and get some variety. The destination was going to be The Federal (always good), walk there from Mateo, see if they had a good salad to share, and maybe grab a pint. It was too cold though, so Pop's Trattoria looked like a great place to warm up. We really weren't that hungry, so the fact that we polished of an entire Anti-Pasta(unlike any I've ever seen, but REALLY good. even served with a whole clove of roasted garlic) and about half of a Mozz/Tomato/Basil pizza is rather disgusting.
Both places were great. I can see 3-4 trips to Mateo, just to work through the 'must-have' items on their menu. YUM.
Wise decision to skip the walk to The Federal in this cold weather! It would tempt me as I think their burger is about the best in the area.
I have a week long dog-sitting gig in Durham coming up so that may be my chance to give Mateo a try. They had some things to work out when they first opened..so I waited...and then they fell off my radar! Read recently of another tapas place located close to Mateo's but don't recall the name.
Wise decision to skip the walk to The Federal in this cold weather! It would tempt me as I think their burger is about the best in the area.
I have a week long dog-sitting gig in Durham coming up so that may be my chance to give Mateo a try. They had some things to work out when they first opened..so I waited...and then they fell off my radar! Read recently of another tapas place located close to Mateo's but don't recall the name.
I beleive you are referring to Taberna Tapas. I haven't been there, but I have been to Mateo and it is is delish!
We forgot it was TRW, ended up at Watts Grocery last night, and ordered off the special menu. It was great! We always like Watts Grocery and feel fine with their prices there, but also enjoyed getting a salad/appetizer, entree and dessert for a very reasonable $30 each.
Blu Seafood was great. The portions were generous and the quality was outstanding. The 'Catch of the Day' option on the TRW menu was the same as the one on the regular menu priced for $25. While some restaurants may not choose to highlight their offerings, most of my restaurant week experiences have been that the in fact do highlight their offerings. The folks at Blu certainly did last night!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
