Worcester Restaurant Week Kicks Off Feb. 25th

Monday, February 18, 2013

Jeffrey Starr, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

The Worcester area will be hosting its 4th annual Restaurant Week beginning Monday, February 25th. Over a two-week period, diners will be able to enjoy a three-course meal at many of the best restaurants in Worcester and surrounding towns for a fixed price of only $23.13. The bargain prices give people the opportunity to sample some of the tastiest food in the area without breaking the bank. Restaurant Week ends March 8th.

With approximately 50 restaurants participating this year, 2013 is the largest winter edition of Restaurant Week to date and shows the growing community support for the event according to organizers.

"The local business community has really come together to support this event,” they say. Among the presenting sponsors are Unibank for Savings, Pepsi Cola Bottling and Atlas Distributing. Supporting sponsors include Mercadante Funeral Home.

The restaurants are also receiving support from a host of media outlets including local online news outlet GoLocalWorcester, Pulse Magazine, Vitality Magazine, TasteWorcester.com, and radio stations WCRN, WXLO, Oldies 98.9 and The Pike.

All participating restaurants are locally owned and operated. Many will be offering special chef’s menus in honor of the festivities.

The list of participants so far includes: 111 Chophouse, AJ Tomaiolo's, Amici Trattoria, Bistro Limoncello, Bocado, Brew City, Canal Bar & Grill, The Castle Restaurant, Ceres Bistro, Coral Seafood, El Basha, Ethan's Restaurant, EVO Dining, Flying Rhino, Guiseppe's Grille, Haiku, Il Forno, Joey's Bar & Grill, Kai, La Scala, Le Mirage, Leo's Ristorante, the Loft 266, The Manor, Mezcal Cantina, The Mill, Nuovo, O'Connors, Park Grill, People's Kitchen, Peppercorn's, Picadilly's Bar & Grill, Piccolo's, Playa Del Carmen, Pomir Grill, Ritual, Rosalina's Kitchen, The Sole Proprietor, Tatnuck Grille, Thai Island, Tweeds Pub, VIA Italian Rable, Via Alto 27, and Willy's Steakhouse.

You can go to WorcesterRestaurantWeek.com for the most up to date listing.

"Restaurant week is a great marketing idea for the Worcester restaurant community because it gives all our customers a chance to try different places or even places they frequent for a discounted price point.... I think it's all about getting a great value and experiencing restaurants you might not try because they normally do not fit into your price budget," says Thomas Oliveri of Peppercorn's.

Peppercorn's will be offering a three-course filet mignon dinner for $23.13 as one of their many notable Restaurant Week specials.

Marissa Boss of Ceres Bistro echoes these sentiments.

"The reason why we chose to take part in Restaurant Week is so that we can get guests who may not visit Ceres Bistro on a normal day to come and try us out, in hopes that they may return again!" she says.
Ceres will be offering a choice of special entrees for dinner, including Pan Seared Day Boat Cod, Grilled Hunger Steak, and Wild Mushroom and Fettuccini, with your choice of appetizer and dessert. They will also be offering a two-course lunch menu for $13.13 per person.

"We are happy to participate again in this winter’s Restaurant Week. During the long cold days of winter, Restaurant Week is something to get both our staff and regular customers excited about. We also hope to have some new customers experience Tweed’s due to our participation," says Jim Donoghue of Tweed's Pub. "In addition, since restaurant week is limited to independent restaurants, it gives us an opportunity to band together to show what is available to customers in the Worcester market under one umbrella."

Tweed's will be offering a very unique Lobster-stuffed Lobster dish, plus fresh steaks and sirloin tips. All of which Tweed's hopes become signature dishes.

In addition to echoing the points above, Olga Kwasniewski, owner of Thai Island in Holden, says this event is important for the entire Worcester community.

"It's a great cultural addition to the social scene of Worcester, that shows that Worcester is marching along with modern cultural trends of big cities like New York, Boston and etc where A Restaurant Week is a regular social event," she remarks.

Thai Island is also running a special menu.

Diners will be sure to want to check out EVO, which is home to chef Albert Maykel, winner of Worcester's Best Chef competition for 2013.

“Chef Maykel has not revealed his menu for restaurant week just yet, but Restaurant week(s) are a busy time for us, made even more busy by the fact that Albert was just named Worcester’s Best Chef," says Celeste Zack, General Manager and Co-owner of EVO.

Worcester Restaurant Week is produced by Pagio, Inc, a publishing, design and event planning company based in Worcester. They publish Pulse Magazine, Vitality Magazine, & TasteWorcester.com.

For more information, visit the Worcester Restaurant Week website or find it on Facebook where many of the special menus are listed.