For solo travelers who are also foodies, there is no better excuse to visit a city than Restaurant Week.  Imagine being able to sample the city’s finest foods at a discount price all week long.  It’s not just the obvious cities (New York, Chicago, Las Vegas) that have Restaurant Weeks, either.  Lots of cities are jumping on this bandwagon, because it’s good for the restaurant industry, it’s good for tourism, and it’s good for people who love to dine out.  Win-win!

I was lucky enough to be in Las Vegas during Restaurant Week 2008, and the plethora of restaurants serving these special discounted menus of appetizer/entree/dessert was astounding.  You could have saved a fortune on dining at all those fancy-schmancy restaurants on the Strip that everyone raves about.  I only dined at one, Fiamma, and it was terrific.  I don’t think I actually took advantage of their special menu, but just the fact that it was there got me in the door.  That’s the bonus for restaurants of Restaurant Week:  Bodies in seats.  Right now, that’s what restaurants need desperately.  Any restaurant owner that doesn’t take advantage of Restaurant Week is crazy.

My only question is:  How come Burlington, VT doesn’t have a Restaurant Week?  We certainly have a critical mass of great restaurants in this area, especially if you include the suburbs, like South Burlington, Winooski, Colchester, and Shelburne.  Come on, Burlington restaurateurs.  Get with the program.  It’s time for us to have a Restaurant Week.