BALTIMORE RESTAURANT WEEK WINTER 2014

Restaurant Week is one of my favorite events in Baltimore right up there with City Paper’s Cosmic Cocktail Party and the Maryland Film Festival. I have every intention to go to at least 3 restaurants this go around.

How it works:
There are 107 participating restaurants this round in neighborhoods all around Baltimore. Brunch (which has explicitly never been offered before, to my knowledge) and Lunch are only $15 for a two course meal. Dinner is either $20 or $30 depending on the restaurant for a three course meal.

General Tips:

• Get your money’s worth!
  Pick somewhere that is usually very expensive such as Ruth’s Chris, The Prime Rib, Tio Pepe and almost anywhere in Harbor East. Everything is the same price, anyway.
• Call ahead for reservations, especially on weekends
  Most places use Open Table so it’s really easy to make a reservation for free and you can cancel and modify the reservation easily whenever you’d like.
• Pick somewhere you’ve never been before
  The point really is to try out new places in Baltimore, so go ahead & do it.
• Some places don’t participate in lunch or on weekends
  Pay attention to that before showing up.

Dating Tips:

• Dinner can be pricey at $30 each. Prices don’t include tip, tax or drinks so plan accordingly especially at the higher end restaurants.
• If you’re the casual first date type opt for lunch. You can even take a long lunch during the week and meet up then. Not only is is cheaper but three courses can be a bit long for a first date.
• If you suggest it, take the initiative to get the reservation. It makes it at least look like you give a damn.
• Dinner dates alone are lame, plan something fun before or after. One person pays for the activity, the other for dinner.

And finally, don’t forget restaurant week is a good time to treat parents, coworkers and friends to a great meal. Take advantage of that!