Cold temperatures got you down? There’s nothing like a warm meal to lift your spirits.
During Schenectady’s third annual Restaurant Week, 15 area eateries will offer a fixed-price menu that can help cure those wintry blues from Tuesday, Jan. 29, to Saturday, Feb. 2.
A three-course meal at any of the restaurants costs $19.62. Each meal has an actual value of at least $25. The $19.62 price tag honors the year 1962, when Schenectady’s Stockade was declared New York’s first Historic District.
Participating restaurants include the brand new Aperitivo, Angelo Mazzone’s latest bistro on State Street.
Mazzone also owns the Glen Sanders Mansion in Scotia, another participant in Restaurant Week.
Glen Sanders has been a part of Restaurant Week since its inception, said Mazzone. `The event brings in new customers who try our menus.`
Aperitivo’s custom Restaurant Week menu includes appetizers like Zuppa del Giorno, entrees like Chicken Scarpiello and Ticotta gnocchi, and warm banana cheesecake served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert.
Mazzone said he tried to choose a menu that was representative of what his restaurant was all about. He called it a `tasting` menu.
Aperitivo opened in November.
`Aperitivo has been great,` said Mazzone. `We’re making progress and we’re making our budget ` people enjoy going down there.`
Mazzone said Restaurant Week is a good idea to help Schenectady restaurateurs with what is traditionally a slow time of year after a busy holiday season.
Restaurants new to the event this year include Aperitivo, Wine Down, The Bangkok Thai Bistro and Petta’s. Returning favorites include Brandon’s, Castelo’s, Clinton’s Ditch, Riccitello’s, Manhattan Exchange, Parisi’s, Turf Tavern, Parker Inn, Stockade Inn, Union Inn and Glen Sanders Mansion.
`We have some new restaurants this year and we always have some that sell out,` said Gail Kehn, vice president of visitor services at the Chamber of Schenectady County. `If people are wanting to eat at a particular restaurant, I recommend that they make reservations.`
Kehn said that much like the monthly Art Night, Restaurant Week encourages people to go into the newly revitalized downtown area of Schenectady.
In conjunction with Restaurant Week, the chamber of Schenectady County and the Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corporation, who co-sponsor the event, have partnered to produce a 2008 Dining Guide, which will be available by calling (800) 962-8007. The guides are also available at www.sayschenectady.org.
Kehn said there’s no restriction on how many restaurants you go to during the week. `I try to go to two or three myself,` she said.
For information and a full list of viewable restaurant menus, visit www.sayschenectady.org.“