Restaurant Week Spices Up the Worcester Area

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Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Joe Parello, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

Restaurant Week has come to Worcester, and many of the areas finer dining spots are offering food at an incredible value.

Originally started as a summer event, restaurant week has spread to winter throughout the country to make up for a lack of traffic during those cold months. Here in Worcester, the event runs from March 19th to the 31st, and will offer three-course meals at many area restaurants for the low price of only $23.12.

“It’s really great for the restaurant community in the area,” Restaurant Week organizer Paul Giorgio said. “It gets people in the door, and exposes them to new places they’ve never been before. It stimulates the restaurant industry here when we normally have bit of a winter lull.”

Beyond simply getting people in the door, the event also raises awareness of local restaurants online. Giorgio said that the event's website received over 26,000 independent clicks last year, and that each person stayed for an average of five minutes while viewing eight different restaurants. He believes that even if people do not visit a restaurant during the event, it will put ideas into their head about where to dine later on.

Worcester Restaurant Group

The Worcester Restaurant Group, co-founded by the husband and wife team Robb and Madeleine Ahlquist, owns three restaurants in the city, and uses Restaurant Week as a time to reach out to new diners. With upper-level dining spots like One Eleven Chop House, VIA Italian Table and The Sole Proprietor under their management, the group understands that the average person is not always able to dine at one of their establishments.

“Certainly, our restaurants are considered to be at the higher end of the dining scale in the city,” Robb Ahlquist said. “We may be considered more of an occasional eating out spot. So, with these lower price points, that allows more people to experience what we have to offer. Certainly if we do a good job, and take good care of them, they will come back.

La Scala Fine Italian Cuisine

If you are looking for some of the best Italian food in Central Massachusetts, head over to La Scala at 183 Shrewsbury St. The quaint Italian restaurant and bar will be offering several soup, salad, entrée and dessert options for Restaurant Week. The restaurant’s signature dish, Chicken La Scala, is a sautéed chicken breast layered with eggplant parmigiana and plenty of fresh tomatoes and mozzarella cheese.

Courtesy of http://www.WorcesterScene.com

Brew City

If hanging out and having a few cold ones is more your style, check out Brew City at 104 Shrewsbury St. The Grill and Brew House is offering appetizers of fried calamari, cod fritters or beet fritters for guests on restaurant week, followed by a main course that can be anything from a slow roasted pork shoulder to a seafood linguini. Be sure to try the Beeramisu, the grill’s play on Tiramisu made with Stout, for dessert. To read more about Brew City click here.

Flying Rhino Café

Also located on Shrewbury Street, the Flying Rhino offers a wide variety of food and drink in a wide-open, casual atmosphere. Guests can choose from Greek yogurt dip, crab Rangoon or hot wings for appetizers. Then, steak tips, stir-fry, santorini chicken and a fish and chips plate are on the menu for dinner. The Flying Rhino Fried Dough headlines the dessert selections, and you can also get a bottle of wine for the same price of $23.12.
 

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