Food for thought about Restaurant Week

Last January, the Washington City Paper published an article entitled “Is Restaurant Week a Rip-Off? We Did the Math.” In 2011, the New York Post had an article called “Restaurant Week totally bites!” The same year, Boston Magazine posed the honest and eye-opening question, “Me and My Big Mouth: Does Restaurant Week Need To Die?”

Despite the bad press about Restaurant Week, it is possible to benefit from the event - I learned this during my first experience with Baltimore Restaurant Week last year. I chose to go to two restaurants, The Dogwood Restaurant (which was recently closed) and Sotto Sopra. In the end, I was severely disappointed in one restaurant, and called the other restaurant the best place I’ve eaten at in Baltimore thus far. So what was the deal? I had heard amazing things about both places, I was excited about the cuisines, and nothing I had was terrible; but then why was my experience at one place so drastically different than at the other?

It came down to one thing: value.

Restaurant Week is about sampling different restaurants that contribute to Baltimore’s growing culinary scene, but at $30 for dinner it gets expensive, so it’s necessary to plan ahead. At a prie fixe of $30 not including drinks, tax, and tip, you should have an idea of not only the amount you’re paying but of what it’s like to normally dine at that restaurant. The event gives people the opportunity to try more expensive restaurants and to sample Baltimore’s plethora of culinary talent, all for a reasonable price. I’ve compiled a list of questions and musings for those of you participating in Restaurant Week in order to get the most out of it and, hopefully, not wish for its demise by the end of the week.

The first thing you should ask yourself is, “Should I go here?” The fact that RA Sushi and PF Chang’s are participating in Restaurant Week is mind boggling. At first glance, you see that RA is offering four courses instead of the normal three; however, this glance should be immediately followed with a smack on the head when you remember that RA has an incredible happy hour on food as is (Monday through Saturday, 3-7pm), and it isn’t worth a Restaurant Week visit. Don’t waste this week on chain restaurants serving chicken lettuce wraps and cream cheese sushi. And don’t go to a restaurant that’s usually cheap, or has meals for less than $30. Why would you go to a restaurant during Restaurant Week and spend $30, when you can go there any other week and spend only $20? Think smart, fellow Hopkins students. $30 can almost buy you four years of enrollment for your clicker.

Next: You’re presented with a limited menu, but you should still find items from the regular menu on the Restaurant Week menu, right? Sadly, that’s not usually the case. Before choosing a restaurant, compare their RW menu (available on Open Table) to their regular menu. Sometimes the Restaurant Week menu seems similar to the restaurant’s regular menu, but ask yourself, “Are they using cheaper cuts of meat or seafood? Are they leaving out certain integral sides or garnishes? And how expensive is this dish on their regular menu?” As an example, The Food Market in Hampden, rated #22 in Baltimore Magazine’s list of Best Restaurants of 2013, only has 3 dishes on its Restaurant Week menu from its regular menu, and the meals are slightly altered. The Wine Market Bistro, rated #28 on the same list, has 7 dishes on their Restaurant Week menu from its regular menu; however, the majority of these dishes are listed as “midplates” and not “entrees.” The Restaurant Week menu from Sotto Sopra, rated #8 on the same list, is practically identical to their regular menu and includes not only pasta dishes but meat and seafood entrees as well. Just some food for thought.

Finally, here are a few questions to ask yourself while you’re at the restaurant to see if it’s worth going to again (because isn’t that what this whole week is about?): Am I being treated how a normal, non-Restaurant Week goer would be treated? How are the portion sizes? And most importantly, is the food good?