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Your guide to Detroit Restaurant Week

Melody Baetens
The Detroit News
A tabletop at the Grey Ghost restaurant.

Nearly 30 restaurants in the city proper will take part in the return of Detroit Restaurant Week, offering multi-course dinners for a fixed-price Friday through March 3. 

While the city may not need all the pageantry of such a campaign to promote the plethora of dining options we have these days, it's still a good way to get butts in the chairs now that Valentine's Day is in the rear view and we wait out the last few weeks of winter.

What the diners get out of it, is a more concise menu of the kitchen's highlights at an easy-to-swallow price point. Choose a first course, entree and dessert for $39 at most restaurants, and $29 for some more casual places. For the former, add a drink, tip and tax, and you're out the door for $65 per person, which is a deal at many of these hot spots. 

Take for example Roast, celebrity chef Michael Symon's fine dining spot on the ground floor of the Westin Book Cadillac. During DRW diners can get the chickpea salad, wild boar ragu and a chocolate, marshmallow, whiskey caramel, salted caramel ice cream dessert for $39. Ordering these a la carte on a regular night would be north of $60. 

The Roast bar area with an extensive wine selection.

Some of the new kids on the block this year are BESA, where chef Kyle Schutte is offering mains like caramelized eggplant, a six-ounce steak, southern-fried Amish chicken breast or a trout dish. Also new this year, the public Grille Room at the members-only Detroit Club has five options for a first course, including a little gem Caesar salad, shrimp ajillo and fried ravioli. While you’re there check out the club’s new craft cocktail lounge the Library. 

A few places are mixing up the standard starter-entree-dessert offerings. At Chartreuse Kitchen & Cocktails guests can choose three courses out of four courses offered. I normally wouldn't say skip dessert for a salad round, but knowing this restaurant's commitment to freshness and flavor, I would opt for the twice-cooked egg dish (a new Detroit classic) or the Waldorf salad with celeriac, goat cheese, pistachio, apple, cranberry and pomegranate.

For 2019, the list of places offering the $29 price point has grown to seven. Those include Common Pub, La Feria, the Block and the Peterboro in Midtown, Gather in Eastern Market, La Lanterna in Capitol Park and La Noria Bistro in Southwest Detroit. 

Tortilla Española is part of the Detroit Restaurant Week menu at La Feria Spanish tapas restaurant in Midtown Detroit.

La Feria has a ton of options and because they serve tapas-style small plates you get to create your meal from five courses instead of three. The Spanish restaurant, which recently opened the wine bar and market Cata Vino next door, will also offer beverage pairings for restaurant week. Get two wines and a Spanish Cava and whiskey cocktail for an extra $25. 

Detroit Restaurant Week, which debuted in the fall of 2009, estimates that city restaurants have enjoyed more than $8.6 million in sales from the promotion throughout that time. Visit detroitrestaurantweek.com for a full list of restaurants and menus.

Make reservations directly with the restaurant of your choice. 

mbaetens@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @melodybaetens