hudson valley restaurant week

 it's the most wonderful time of the year ... for foodies! it's restaurant week!

tomorrow marks the start of hudson valley restaurant week. restaurant week, which occurs each year in many major cities, is a collaboration among participating restaurant to provide prix fixe menus for either lunch or dinner - or most of the time both. don't be fooled by the name ... restaurant week is actually two weeks from march 14-27 offering 3-course lunch menus for $20.00 and 3-course dinner menus for $28.00 (excludes tax and gratuity) 

here's a list of restaurant week tips taken from The Valley Table: 

• reservations are highly recommended 
• if you need to cancel your reservation, do so with as much notice as possible so restaurants can rebook 
• if you have any dietary restrictions, call the restaurant before you go to ensure that one of the selections will work for you
• arrive with a good appetite and an open mind. each chef participating will take a different approach to the menu. the most popular or signature dishes might be featured, or the chef may create an entirely new and unique menu 
• tax and gratuity are not included in the prix fixe price. show appreciation for good service by tipping generously. *

... and make sure to arrive on time! also note that some restaurants have restrictions; some may only offer their prix fixe menu sunday-thursday or only during certain times.

for the full list of participating restaurants click here. 

if you have't already, i recommend creating an opentable account. it's easy & FREE. opentable is an online reservation making service that rewards the reservations you make with point values ... typically 100per reservations but occasionally, depending on the location/time 1,000. points can then be redeemed for an opentable dining cheque that can be used at any opentable restaurant. 2,000points = $20.00; 5,000points = $50.00, etc & many of the participating restaurant week restaurants are members of opentable. 

*as someone who works in a restaurant, i can completely empathize with those dreading restaurant week … keep in mind a typical 3-course meal can cost well over fifty dollars a person (+drinks) so please, please tip your servers generously. as a rule-of-thumb, i usually tip based on what the meal would have cost.