Entertaining Friday: Restaurant Week

Last night we headed downtown for wine tasting at the super nice wine shop Bin 604 with our friends Tommy, Matt, Amy, Matt's parents, and a bunch of Amy's friends. This is an extension of the Roy's wine tasting we did in November. It was fun, even if seven of the eight wines we tasted were from California, which just isn't our favorite wine region. (And the eighth, from Australia, had a crazy tomato flavor that everyone but Cooper and I liked.)

After dinner, Cooper and Tommy and I bailed on dinner downtown so we could get ourselves closer to home in case of some sort of kid-related disaster. Unsurprisingly, we stopped in at Crush for a snack on the way home. I was all ready to tuck into the shrimp and grits appetizer, maybe with a side of truffle fries, but my plans quickly changed when I discovered that Crush was starting Restaurant Week a day early. Their three-course prix fixe is $35.10 (the official price, though some places are going $30.10) and their selection is strong (the regular menu is still available, too).

I started with the pumpkin ravioli, which I've wanted to try for a while. It was very good, if you like sweet appetizers - if you like The Helmand's kaddo, you'll like this. For my entry, I had duck over cauliflower puree and it was fantastic. Great flavor, tender meat, not too fatty. Dessert was a little less exciting - I think I won the round with an almond and blueberry sponge cake topped with blueberry sauce and vanilla ice cream. It was good, if a bit like a glorified blueberry muffin.

All of this is a long way of saying: if you live in Baltimore, don't forget that it's Restaurant Week! The list of participating restaurants is here, along with links to menus and logistics.

My Restaurant Week tips:

• Go someplace that's expensive enough to make the $35.10 worth it.
• Pick spots that also offer their regular menu. In my experience, the overall quality of the food is better at these places - maybe because the kitchen's not completely thrown off (and bored).
• Don't get frustrated if it's really crowded. That IS the idea behind the week. Be a little patient with the service.
• Go at off times and for lunch if you want to cut down on the potential for crowding.

Wherever you go, hope you enjoy. Bon Appetit!