Does other cities have Restaurant Week? I'd never heard of it before Boston, but I've only really lived in a couple of other cities. Regardless, it's a fabulous idea that should be wider-spread.
What is Restaurant Week? First of all, it's actually two weeks, and happens twice a year (Winter / Spring and Summer / Fall.) Three-course dinners are set at $30.09. Lunches are $20.09. There are generally two or three choices per course. Drinks aren't included, but some pretty amazing places participate in this. Basically, I try to use Restaurant Week to try out fancy, expensive places that I generally wouldn't be able to afford (or, well, to let myself afford.) Also, it's great to be "forced" into getting a three-course meal - how often do you eat out and get appetizer, meal and dessert? It doesn't never happen, but it's certainly not frequent for me!
3/19/09 - M1, M3 and I went to Banq. We'd been there before, but only for drinks. (Tip: Just say "no" to the Hot Mess. Hilarious name, bad drink.) The architecture in there is absolutely stunning... And actually the reason that we declared that we needed to return! (I asked our waiter who designed the place, but I only half got the name and don't have the patience right now to really search for them. So, deal with this image!)
So pretty!!!
Appetizer - Beet Salad. Okay, kids, I'm not really a beet lover. That being said, this was my first try, and they were huge. I pictured beets as slivers. These puppies looked like tomatoes. Seriously, I got the salad and asked my friends, "Where are the beets?" (Note: Most of my choices are limited due to the fact that I don't eat meat. Restaurants are usually good about making me something without meat, even if it's not on the prix fixe menu. But, little choice.)
Main Course - Zucchini and Tofu Steak. Yum! This was over some noodles, and absolutely delicious. Best of all? It was big enough that I had leftovers for lunch the next day. (And they didn't openly scorn me for asking for a doggie bag. I always feel weird doing so in fancy places...)
Dessert - Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake. Okay, it wasn't bad or anything, but I can do better.
Overall: Great experience!
3/25/09 - Again, M1, M3 and I went to Sorellina. I had heard amazing things about this place from multiple people, so I was psyched to try it out. The decor was lovely... The food and service, not so much. Our waitress came over and asked if we wanted anything to drink seconds after we had been seated. Maybe this is good service (?,) but we hadn't had time to look at the wine list, so it was a little preemptive. When we did order wine, it must have taken fifteen minutes to get to us. Service throughout the night was less-than-stellar. M1 got soup as her appetizer... It came with no spoon. M1 ordered a coffee with dessert... It never came. It was just like this through the entire meal. And, then, the food...
Appetizer - Salad, with pear. This was my favourite part of the meal, and a great salad. Greens, pear, craisins, it was delicious!
Main Course - Vegetarians get the shaft here. I got what I believe was pasta, cauliflower, green beans and some green leafy thing. If there was a sauce at all, it was maybe a butter sauce. Basically, I can (and have) made better pasta sauces at home in five minutes.
Dessert - Not idea what they called it, but it was chocolate pudding. I do enjoy chocolate pudding, but... M1 and M3 got an "apple tart," which they equated to an apple muffin from Dunkin Donuts. Dessert = no.
Overall: I wanted to love this place... Maybe it was because it was Restaurant Week, and they knew people wouldn't be paying the full prices, but how do you expect people to return to your restaurant if their first experience kind of sucked? Seriously, the best thing there were the plates, which were beautiful. That being said, I wouldn't say no to returning for a fun drink and the parmesan truffle fries...
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