Westport-Weston Restaurant Week Feb. 28-March 6

Twice a year, I schlep into New York for “Restaurant Week” to experience some of the city’s finest eateries for a fraction of regular prices, like my unforgettable, three-course feast at Pera Mediterranean Brasserie, voted a “Top 5 Newcomer by Zagat” at January’s NYC Restaurant Week. 

When I learned that Restaurant Week is finally making its way up to Westport, home to over 35 eateries, I began lining up my dining partners—and you should, too.  

The First Annual Westport-Weston Restaurant Week will take place from February 28-March 6, and we at CTbites plan to make the most of it. As of this printing, some 20 Westport restaurants, with a range of cuisines and price points, have signed on. The list represents a cross-section of local venues, both casual and high-end, from the down-and-dirty Black Duck and the down-home Bobby Q’s to the organic dynamo, The Dressing Room, to the perennially popular Tarantino’s and DaPietro’s, to newcomers including Manolo and Rizzuto’s.  

“Restaurant Week is a great opportunity to try out a restaurant that may be out of your budget or one that has been on your radar,” says Linda Kavanagh, owner of MaxEx, LLC, a Stamford-based PR company. Kavanagh, along with Lisa Thygerson, Executive Director of the Westport-Weston Chamber of Commerce, designed the event to provide local restaurants with a fun way to promote business and introduce their food, decor and concept to new diners. 

Manolo Restaurant“This event is ideal for a restaurant like ours,” says Janine Scotti of DaPietro’s Restaurant on Riverside Avenue, presided over by husband and chef/owner Pietro Scotti. “It attracts people who might perceive the restaurant to be too expensive or too fancy. When they walk in, they’ll see that we offer a daily two-course Express Lunch for $12 and, though we pride ourselves on the best ingredients and gourmet foods, we are not at all stuffy; we get a ton of moms who come in early for lunch before picking up their preschoolers. For Restaurant Week, we’re doing a three-course lunch for $15 and a four-course dinner for $35. How can you beat it?” 

Besides the fact these disparate restaurants are located in Westport, the thread that binds them is that they are all offering prix-fixe lunch and/or dinner specials throughout Restaurant Week. The restaurateurs and chefs have taken great pains to create innovative menus that showcase their eateries and signature cooking styles.

Here’s how it works: Most casual restaurants will offer special $15 lunches and/or $25 dinners and higher-end restaurants will offer $20 lunches and/or $35 dinners. Some restaurants will offer special family-style menus for four diners or more, also at a discounted price. A selection of $5 wines by the glass will also be available, courtesy of Northeast Wine Brokers and Classic Wines. 

Here’s the lineup as of press time: 

Tavern On Main RestaurantAqua

Balducci’s

Black Duck Café

Bombay Bar and Grill

Bertucci's

Blue Lemon

Bobby-Qs Barbeque & Grill

DaPietro’s

The Dressing Room

Dunville’s

La Villa Trattoria

Manolo RestaurantManolo

Mansion Clam House

Matsu Sushi

River House Tavern

Rizzuto's Wood-Fired Restaurant & Bar

Splash Restaurant & Bar

Tarantino’s

Tavern on Main 

To stoke interest in the event, the organizers recently hosted a rocking, invitation-only kick-off party at the Westport Country Playhouse, catered by Rizzuto's, Matsu Sushi and Tavern on Main, for the participants and the media, Chamber board members, Playhouse subscribers and event sponsors. Since then, the buzz has Photo: Courtesy of The Stamford Advocatebeen building for the event, and local restaurateurs report that they have already started fielding calls and taking reservations.  

Our advice? Check out your dining options at westportchamber.com ASAP and, though reservations are not required, call to reserve your spots, as organizers expect a brisk turnout. Another head’s up: Most of these menus don’t include beverages, tip or tax.  

If you are out of town during the February Restaurant Week, don’t fret. There’s a second Restaurant Week in the works, set for late summer, although the date is still TBD. If you do make it in February, we’d love to hear your review or thoughts on any of the restaurants you sample during Restaurant week. We’re always interested in your experiences and, if you’d like our perspective, many of our contributors will blogging about their favorite meals and highlights throughout the week. All in all, Restaurant Week promises a good time that doesn’t break the bank. See you there! 

Comments

[cg]

There are no special menus posted on the site, only a list of restaurants and prices for the prix fixe meals.

[Stephanie Webster]

Correction noted. I think that was the original plan. A few of the venues do have their Restaurant Week menus listed on their individual sites however if you click on their links from the Chamber of Commerce site.

[Christy Colasurdo]

I had two fabulous lunches this week, courtesy of "Restaurant Week." The first, at DaPietro's in Westport, was a three-course feast: lobster bisque, chicken paillard topped with an arugula and tomato salad, followed with a deliciously light panna cotta with lemon sauce and fresh strawberries. Friends had field green salads, sauteed salmon and profiteroles filled with homemade vanilla sauce and topped with melted chocolate. There were several excellent starter, entree and dessert choices. All this for $15, plus $5 wines.

Next, I met a friend for lunch at Cafe Manolo, the former Zest, where for the whopping price of $20 per person, we started with a tasty golden beet salad, topped with mache, pistachios and gorgonzola, an excellent boulliabaise, spicy mussels and grilled salmon over sauteed fennel. The food was incredibly tasty and well-prepared. The desserts were more than a mere afterthought: rich and satisfying chocolate pots de creme and small scoop of ice-cream with caramel and chocolate sauce. Oh man! Did I mention that the price included adorable 1/3 bottle mini carafes of wine? Hello? Talk about a good deal.

If you missed out on Restaurant Week, make a note to self: Gotta go next time. Greenwich is hosting its Restaurant Week from March 13-28, featuring more than 100 restaurants. If you don't take advantage of it, you have only yourself to blame!

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