If you're sick of the dining halls and have reached the point when none of the options at the Mayer Campus Center are appealing anymore, the next week and a half before spring break offers a chance to get a taste of something different through Boston Restaurant Week.
The winter session of the biannual event began on Sunday and continues through Friday, March 18, giving Tufts students plenty of time to explore delicious restaurants all around Boston. The 226 participating restaurants offer up to three prix fixe options for dinner, lunch or light lunch, usually allowing diners to choose from a handful of dishes for each course.
Not all restaurants offer all three meals, but the prices are the same across the city, excluding beverages, tax and gratuity. Dinner will get you three courses — an appetizer, entree and dessert — for $33.11, lunch gives you the same three lunch−sized courses for $20.11 and a light lunch consists of two courses — an entree and either an appetizer or a dessert — for $15.11. These prices may seem a little too exorbitant for a broke college student, especially if you were to go every day, but the investment is well worth it for at least a couple of trips.
Even for those who normally swear by sandwiches at Dave's Fresh Pasta or burritos at Anna's Taqueria (or Chipotle, if you're one of those people), Restaurant Week can provide an exciting opportunity to try foods that college students don't usually get to eat. Options for high−end food exist for all types of cuisines, from Italian and French to seafood, steak and Contemporary American. Whether it's just an upscale version of a familiar and beloved dish or a new and exciting gastronomic experience, there are items that will appeal to everyone.
The first difficult choice before even deciding which dishes to order is where to go. With such an extensive list of restaurants distributed across the Boston metropolitan area — all with great−sounding menus — the possibilities seem endless.
If you are hesitant to leave the Tufts/Davis Square bubble, the options are more limited, but it is still possible to participate in Restaurant Week by going to lunch or dinner at either the Foundry On Elm or Gargoyles on the Square, both of which are located a couple minutes' walk from the Joey stop in Davis.
The Foundry is a relatively recent addition to Davis and has quickly become a top choice for 21+ Jumbos in its drink selections. It also boasts a tasty menu of upscale favorites. (The Daily ran a full review of the Foundry on March 1.)
Gargoyles on the Square branches out a little more with its fare, in addition to offering great cocktails and dishes with wonderful usage of black truffles. It is home to chef Jason Santos, a finalist on season seven of "Hell's Kitchen."
If restaurants with chefs who competed on TV cooking shows are intriguing and you're willing to venture away from Tufts, also check out Blue Ginger in Wellesley, owned by "The Next Iron Chef" semifinalist Ming Tsai, or Rialto at the Charles Hotel in Harvard Square, the restaurant of "Top Chef Masters" season two finalist Jody Adams. Neither should disappoint.
Less publicized, but equally delicious, options include Henrietta's Table, the downstairs neighbor of Rialto in the Charles Hotel; Grotto, a renowned Italian restaurant in Beacon Hill; and all of the Elephant Walk restaurants, a chain previously featured in an Oct. 4, 2010, Daily article, in which the chef−owners shared one of their soup recipes.
All of these options and more can be found at RestaurantWeekBoston.com, which provides users with lunch and dinner menus for each participating restaurant, as well as any additional "good to know" information, such as whether a restaurant has a vegetarian option or offers its deals on Saturday or Sunday.
There are also handy links for most restaurants on OpenTable.com where you can make reservations for the places that are most appealing. But hurry! Restaurant Week times fill up fast.
Whether going with a friend or a date, and regardless of ultimate destination, keep in mind the primary benefits of Restaurant Week. Try to have each person order different dishes so that you can try as many different foods as possible. You won't regret it, and you'll find yourself counting down the days until the next Restaurant Week in the fall.
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Correction: This article has been changed from its original version, which incorrectly stated that website RestaurantWeekBoston.com provided information regarding weekend-only deals. In fact, they are not weekend-only deals, but simply Restaurant Week deals that are offered during the weekend as well.
