Eat up, Cleveland! Restaurant Week 2009 is Here!
Do You Really Need An Excuse to Eat Really Good Food?

How about a $30 meal at one of Cleveland's finest downtown restaurants coupled with $2 parking? Or an opportunity to witness food presented beautifully and creatively by award-winning chefs? Or romance in the ambience of a cozy booth in a secluded corner? Or food that tastes so good, you wish the evening would never end? Still looking for an excuse? How about 43 different restaurants to choose from?

Starting this Monday, February 23, through Sunday, March 1, Downtown Cleveland Restaurant Week 2009 will be in full swing. What this means is that some of the region's best restaurants are offering carefully-chosen menus, which will include appetizers/salads, entrees, and desserts, every evening after five. During Downtown Cleveland Restaurant Week this week, we have the chance to sample the culinary talents of our local chefs at great prices.

The best part about this deal is the variety of the dining experiences offered. Dinner becomes a heightened event amidst good service in intimate spaces. Choose from white-table elegance at 1890 at the Arcade, Blue Point Grill, or One Walnut Restaurant. If you’re stopping in after a long walk and want a casual but great meal, The Nauti Mermaid or Flannery’s Pub could fit the mood. World travelers may want to escape to Saigon or Mallorca, Mexico (at Zocalo Mexican Grill & Tequileria), or Italy (at Ponte Vecchio Ristorante).

Two breweries are participating—Cleveland Chophouse & Brewery and Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery—and local beer will be poured. Check out music memorabilia at the Hard Rock Café and live acts at Fat Fish Blue or House of Blues after dining. Explore the world of wine by enjoying a flight of wines at D’Vine Wine Bar. Or take up one of Cleveland’s traditional sports—bowling--at The Corner Alley. There’s a fun night awaiting.

A complete list of highlighted restaurants can be found here. Dinner reservations are strongly suggested because when the chefs are expressing themselves by showing off uniquely creative menus, Clevelanders show up. At The Metropolitan Cafe, choose to start with one of three salads followed by Four Cheese Penne, Pan-Roasted Salmon or Proscuitto-Wrapped Chicken and ending with Chocolate Torufo, New York Cheesecake or a Carmelized Banana Split. If you don’t like that menu, click on another offering on the Restaurant Week website. La Strada’s menu is more limited, but the Pesto Pasta with Swordfish or Mushroom Farro with Chicken Kebob could top other menus—I could be tempted by the Tiramisu offered at La Strada.

To further entice you, the restaurants have teamed up to offer a sweepstakes for fabulous prizes. The “Dine-In” Sweepstakes entry form will be presented with the bill at the end of your dining experience. The Grand Prize is an overnight stay for two at the Ritz-Carlton, a complimentary continental breakfast followed by a guided culinary tour of the West Side Market, and lunch created by Chef Timothy Maxin with ingredients purchased at the market. In addition, the Grand Prize winner will receive twelve gift certificates to some of the participating Restaurant Week businesses. The second prize winner will stay at the Marriott Hotel and receive six gift certificates to participating restaurants. Multiple third prize winners will receive gift certificates to participating Restaurant Week establishments as well.

To make it easier for you to come downtown or stay downtown, parking is offered at $2 at participating parking facilities by printing a parking voucher here. Find your way to the nearest parking lot by checking out their locations on the website. To sweeten the night even more, stay downtown at Embassy Suites and present your restaurant receipt for a special rate.

A delicious 3-course meal of chef’s masterpieces eaten in a space with great ambience, at a great price... who needs an excuse?

From Cool Cleveland contributor Claudia Taller ctallerwritesATwowway.com

Claudia J. Taller can be found online at her blog http://claudiatallermusings.blogspot.com.
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