By Kara Hallissey, Staff Writer
(Jan. 4, 2018) The third annual Berlin Restaurant week kicks off Monday and runs until Sunday, Jan. 14, with more than a dozen restaurants offering discounted prices on select menu items.
“It is a great opportunity to sample the offerings of the different restaurants,” said local realtor Cam Bunting, creator and promoter of the event. “It will be less crowded then usual and since it is after the holidays and pockets are stretched, the lower prices make it more affordable.”
Diners can take advantage of a number of Berlin favorites who will be serving breakfast, lunch and dinner options at a reduced price.
Participating restaurants include: Baked Dessert Café, Main Street Deli, Rayne’s Reef, On What Grounds, Drummer’s Café inside the Atlantic Hotel, Blacksmith, Crush N Crab, Fins Ale House and Raw Bar, the Globe, Burley Inn Tavern and Gilbert Provisions.
DiFebo’s, Island Creamery, Burn Wood Fired Pizza, and J & M Meat Market will be participating in the event for the first time.
During dinnertime, DiFebo’s on Main Street will have four options to choose, which all include a glass of house wine, a small garden salad and a cannoli for dessert.
For $17, participants have the choice of pasta, red sauce and a meatball, or they can try out the risotto of the day for $21. In addition, veal parmesan is available for $25 and osso bucco for $32.
“It is fun to go out and get out of the house to be with friends or family members when there is nothing to do because its freezing in Berlin,” DiFebo’s manager Cassie Stuart said. “We are so excited and grateful to be involved in Berlin’s Restaurant week for the first time.”
Baked Dessert Café on Bay Street has four $6.99 lunch specials during Restaurant Week, including vegan grilled zucchini and hummus wraps, vegetarian smashed Brussel sprouts roasted with Italian cheese, a gluten-free crab macaroni and cheese served with a small side salad, and ham, potato and corn chowder served with a homemade sweet potato biscuit.
“There are four different selections and we are covering people with dietary concerns,” owner Robin Tomaselli said. “From a business perspective, you have to give it up to Cam Bunting for thinking and organizing it during a generally slow time of year. It really does bring people through the door, which is helpful to us and exposes people to the quality of food and encourages them to come back.”
In addition, Baked Dessert Café has a $4.99 dessert sampler-platter, including their signature and most popular desserts such as a peach dumpling, cupcake bread pudding, croclairs and a cake bomb.
“It is special because there are great bargains for great food,” Bunting said. “These prices are only for Restaurant Week. It is nice to see new faces trying out our restaurants.”
Bunting came up with the idea in 2016 to show the variety of restaurants in Berlin and the last two years have been a huge success, she said.
Organizers are also having a contest where the winner will receive a $20 gift card from all participating restaurants, in addition to $100 in cash – a $400 value.
To enter the contest, diners must first pick up a Berlin Restaurant Week card at a participating restaurant or the Berlin Welcome Center. Then, patrons should make sure to get a stamp at each restaurant visited. After three stamps, drop the card into the ballot box located at the welcome center for a chance to win. The winner will be announced on the Town of Berlin Facebook page and notified by phone on Tuesday, Jan. 16.
“It’s nice to see everyone out and about during what is normally a slow dining week,” said Ivy Wells, economic and community development director for the Town of Berlin. “It gives us a chance to showcase Berlin as a culinary destination and gives locals the opportunity to try new menu items.”
For more information and a list of all menus, visit the Berlin Restaurant Facebook page at www.facebook.com/events/385049735253355, or visit www.BerlinMainStreet.com.