JANUARY IS CALIFORNIA RESTAURANT MONTH, which means those dine-about-towners who like to try out new places, while saving some cash, can be forgiven for folding all Restaurant Weeks into the first month of the year, just to stay organized. And, it's true, hundreds of restaurants in a number of Golden State cities and neighborhoods do dovetail with California Restaurant Month, choosing to hold their own culinary week-long to-dos at around the same time. But there are some meal-marvelous mavericks out there, too, the towns and regions that host their own prix fixe festivals during a totally different time of the year. San Diego Restaurant Week is not a January staple, but rather throws the dining doors open on the autumn and all of its tummy-pleasing pursuits. This isn't to say that the dishes that the 180-plus participating restaurants will serve are autumnal in theme, though some could be. Rather, fall is often a time when richer dishes are added to menus, and special dining events made for longer nighttimes pop up, making the Restaurant Week well-timed. The 2017 dates are...
SEPT. 24 THROUGH OCT. 1, and a whole line-up of cities and areas will join in, from Fallbrook to Oceanside to East County. A three-course prix fixe dinner could be $20, $30, $40, or $50, while a two-courser at lunch will land somewhere in the $10, $15, or $20 bracket. No advance ticket is needed, but if you see an eatery on the list you've been meaning to try, booking a table during the Restaurant Week window is advised. As for what cafes and kitchens are on board for this bite-oriented bash? Cafe Gratitude San Diego, Lou & Mickey's, The Shores Restaurant in La Jolla, and Crazee Burger in Hillcrest are just a few of the many (many many). Consider late September, and the first day of October, to be your chance to add a few fresh go-tos to your spending-the-weekend-in-San-Diego eat-out list, should you discover a new favorite during Restaurant Week.
