Let’s eat out, Chicago!

Posted by Katie on Friday, February 20, 2009   |   No Comments

It’s February in Chicago.

The holidays are long gone, the snow is dirty, and the wind is bitterly cold. And for Jared (my hubby) and I, vacation is over. We have just returned from Palm Springs, California—where it was warm, sunny, and covered in palm trees. (Post on that to come.)

In short, we are miserable.

But, hallelujah, there is a bright spot: From now until next Friday, it’s Chicago Restaurant Week.

Normally, I need no extra convincing to go out to eat. Experiencing the city through food is one of my favorite things to do in Chicago. But during hibernation season, even bundling up to walk two blocks to our favorite neighborhood pizza joint is usually too much to bear.

The creators of this week-long event were wise. Designed to draw attention to the city’s abundance of dining options—and, I think, lure diners at the worst time of the year, Chicago Restaurant Week features $22 (lunch) and $32 (dinner) three-course prix-fixe menus at a wide variety of eateries across the city.

The event debuted last year with 42 participating restaurants (and more than 3,700 reservations made by over 10,000 diners) and was such a rousing success that it’s back this year with over 130 participating restaurants.

With such a fantastic selection, it took Jared and I a good day to fully evaluate the list and pore over the featured Restaurant Week menus. This is serious business.

If we could have eaten lunch and dinner at a new place every day of Restaurant Week, we would have. But since we are not millionaires, that was not in the cards. In the end, with the list narrowed down to 45, we decided on the menu at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse. Can’t wait to dig in.

Bon appétit, Chicago!

Don’t live in the Windy City? No problem. Many cities across the country also offer Restaurant Weeks. I’ll post again soon to give you a sampling.

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