Experience B'More's Restaurant Week

Baltimore has a lot of great restaurants. Unfortunately, many of these don’t fit in the average college student’s budget.

But every winter there is a magical time they call Restaurant Week.

This is when you can get a 3 course dinner for a reasonable (albeit not cheap) fixed price.

At first, your reaction is, “big deal,” but think about it for a moment.

Restaurant week means that those extremely expensive restaurants you could never afford are suddenly an actual possibility for a Saturday night dinner.

Take, for example, The Capital Grille. My mom and I went to this extremely nice, extremely tasty Steakhouse over winter break. Our meal for two cost upwards of $130.

Thankfully, Mom was paying.

But for Restaurant Week, you can go to the Capital Grille in the Inner Harbor and get a full 3 course meal for $30.13.

I highly recommend it. For those who don’t like steak, there are plenty of other delicious options.

I also suggest checking out Marie Louise Bistro in Mt. Vernon. While this place isn’t as expensive as The Capital Grille, a fixed price meal here certainly won’t be a waste.

This cute, fancy restaurant specializes in Creole-inspired French cuisine. Their brunch is especially good.

You could also get a $30 dinner at Petit Louis Bistro near Roland Park. This is a very nice little restaurant with great French cuisine. Usually very pricey, Restaurant Week makes Petit Louis a more affordable option.

Another recommendation I’d like to make is for the B&O Brasserie in the Monacco Hotel Baltimore. Located in the city’s former Railroad Headquarters, this restaurant specializes in hearty American cuisine. Dishes are often made with local Baltimore ingredients.

And if you have time, I suggest taking a walk around the hotel lobby. It’s a beautiful old building, and the marble staircase is particularly impressive.

Also, if you don’t feel like going far for dinner, there’s the obvious choice of Gertrude’s for a Restaurant Week night out. Conveniently located in the nearby Baltimore Museum of Art, Gertrude’s offers a great variety of dishes. They are especially known for their Maryland crab cakes.

These are just a few options to consider.

For a complete list of participating restaurants, check out baltimorerestaurantweek.com. This site gives you each restaurant’s neighborhood, special prices and the days they offer their fixed 3 course meal.

There’s bound to be something you’ll like.

Starting a new semester is never easy. But Restaurant Week is a bright spot on the horizon of this dreary winter time.

So take advantage of it, and go eat some delicious Baltimore food!