Chew on this

Alas, I meant to report about this at least a week ago, but it never became a priority. And now the time has come to take advantage of the opportunities and I never even gave any of you the heads up!

Ladies and gentlemen, I'm talking about Downtown Dining Week. A glorious 10 days between the 7th and 16th of this month where we can sample some of the finest dining our city has to offer at a better price.

When else will you get a 3 course dinner at Catch for 30 dollars? Precisely my point.

Now, for all the details, please go here. Though to whet your appetites I'll give you most of the rundown right here. However, you must make a reservation with the restaurant of your choice to take advantage of Dining Week specials. Go to that link above for addresses, if you don't know them, and the phone numbers to make your reservations.

Alright, let's break this down. 50 restaurants in and around the downtown core, all offering a set menu of appetizers, entrees, and desserts. Some are available for lunch, some for dinner, some for both.

A 2 course lunch will cost you 15 bucks or you can have 3 courses for 20.
A 2 course dinner will be 25 dollars and 3 courses (come on, how can you pass up dessert?) will be 30.
Of course, you have to add tax and tip and your drink costs to that, but you get the idea.

Now without further ado, a quick recap of the participating restaurants and what meals they'll be offering:

4th Avenue Cafe (D)
Armando Ciliberti's (D)
Barclay's Upscale Casual (L, D)
Ben Venutos (L, D)
Berryhill Tamales and Tacos (L, D)
Bodega's: A Tapas Restaurant (L, D)
Bombay House (L, D)
Bonterra Trattoria (L, D)
Brewster's Brewing Company (L)
Brewster's Eau Claire (L)
Buchanan's (L, D)
Buzzard's (L, D)
Cajun Charlie's (L, D)
Calgary Tower Panorama Dining Room (L, D)
Cannery Row (L, D)
Catch (D)
Ceili's (D)
Centini (L, D)
Chicago Chop House (L)
Coffee Emporium at the Delta Bow Valley (L, D)
Daikichi Japanese Cuisine (L, D)
Dakota Bar & Grill (L, D)
Don Quijote Tapas Bar & Restaurant (L, D)
Drinkwaters Grill (D)
Hy's Steak House (L, D)
Il Girasole (L, D)
James Joyce (L, D)
Marciano's ShishKabob House & Pasta (L, D)
Mescalero Restaurant (L)
Oh! Canada Restaurant (D)
Old Spaghetti Factory (L, D)
Passion Vietnamese Cuisine (D)
Pied Pickle (L)
Pied Pickle Bar & Grill (L)
Pied Pickle Palace at Bow Valley Square IV (L)
Prairie Ink Restaurant & Bakery (D)
River Cafe (L)
Rococo Restaurant & Lounge (L)
Royal Duke at Bow Valley Square (L)
Ruan Thai Restaurant (L, D)
The Oak Room at the Fairmont Palliser Hotel (L)
The Rimrock at the Fairmont Palliser Hotel (L)
Sino (D)
SOHO Bar & Grill (L, D)
Teatro (L)
The Lobby Court (D)
The Terrace Restaurant (L)
Thomsons (L)
Trader's Grill (L, D)
Valenti's On 12th (L, D) - Zen 8 (D)

Alright kiddies, that's all I've got for you. Now go immerse yourself in some fine fine fine cuisine!

Editor's note: I don't think that some of these should be on the list with the likes of some of the classier establishments, but you all know what's worth your dollar and what isn't.