Fine time to dine: Downtown restaurants offer week of $20 deals

Photo by Nikki Boertman // Buy this photo

Felicia Suzanne's is among fine-dining restaurants offering special three-course meals for $20.10.

Dinner at Chez Philippe for $20? Three courses at Felicia Suzanne for the same? Or two dinners at the Rendezvous for one Andrew Jackson?

Downtown Dining Week kicks off Monday and runs through Sunday. Participating restaurants are offering special dinners for $20.10.

Photo by Dave Darnell

Main Street sushi spot Bluefin is also on the list.

Photo by Brandon Dill

Rendezvous is offering an appetizer and sandwich.

Photo by Brandon Dill

Even Chez Philippe in The Peabody is in on the deal for Downtown Dining Week.

It's an idea that Felicia Willett came up with last year after seeing the success of restaurant week in large cities. She took it to other restaurateurs, who jumped on it, and then they went to the Center City Commission.

"It's about all of us down here, not just one of us," she said. "We want to get people Downtown."

Last year's event was so successful that doing it again was never in question.

Felicia Suzanne's, Willett's restaurant, seats 76.

"I was doing 120 on a Tuesday night, which was unheard of," she said. "I had 150, 180 on Friday and Saturday. Everyone was doing that."

The tremendous turnout left some restaurateurs overwhelmed. Diners without reservations had long waits, and some of the restaurants ran out of the specials on busy nights.

"We learned a lot from the first year, though, and we're ready," Willett said.

Currently, there are 19 businesses offering three-course meals, and five offering $20.10 meals for two (last year it cost $20.09, and next year will be $20.11 -- you get the deal).

The Rendezvous offers a choice of a Greek salad or a cheese plate to start, and a pulled pork or chicken sandwich -- for two. At Kooky Canuck, two diners can split an appetizer (there are seven choices), and each can pick one of nine entrees, including a 12-ounce prime rib. Lenny's Sub Shop, Onix and Westy's also are offering two meals for $20.10.

Plenty of casual and slightly upscale choices -- The Majestic Grille, McEwen's on Monroe, Bluefin, Automatic Slim's -- are in the mix, and then there's the fine dining of Chez Philippe, The Inn at Hunt Phelan and Felicia Suzanne's.

Chez Philippe offers a first course choice of butternut squash soup or Caesar salad, and entree choices are shrimp fricassée and steak frites. For desserts, choose from crème brûlée with caramelized apples and an almond macaroon, a baked Alaska with banana ice cream, chocolate ganache, crumbled vanilla wafers and chocolate rum sauce, or assorted mignardises (tiny, bite-size sweets such as cookies or chocolates).

At Felicia Suzanne's, choices include items from her regular menu, such as the chicken and sausage gumbo or the BLFGT (bacon, lettuce and fried green tomato) salad to start; shrimp and grits or chicken crêpes for an entree; and a choice of two signature desserts: the peppermint patty or bread pudding.

"We might not be serving beef tenderloin or lobster, and the portions might be smaller, but we're offering good deals. We are all about promoting Downtown," Willett said.

Leslie Gower, vice president of marketing and communications at the Center City Commission, said that what is good for the restaurants is good for all Downtown.

"People come down here to eat, but beyond that, they're going to go to the shops, they're going to listen to music," she said. "People who haven't been Downtown in a while really use this as an opportunity."

Next year, the hope is to have a dining week in the spring and another in the fall.

"We might even have guest speakers or cooking classes," Gower said. "But we're letting the restaurants decide. This is their program, and they know what works. We've all been surprised that it took off so quickly."

Willett said that she was delighted to see so many young diners last year.

"I don't think I've ever carded as many people as we did last year. There were so many college students who came in, and they were surprised. They said 'Oh, we thought this was a place for our parents to come.'"

"And they've been coming back," she said.

All restaurants are open during their regular hours only, so check the schedule before you go (some are closed on Sunday and/or Monday). Reservations are strongly recommended.

-- Jennifer Biggs: 529-5223

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Downtown dining week reviews

We'll have reviews of meals from some of the participating restaurants next week at whiningdining.com. Sign on Monday through Friday, and read a new review each day.

Downtown Dining Week

Go to downtowndiningweek.com to find out what each restaurant is serving.

Photo by Nikki Boertman

Felicia Suzanne's is among fine-dining restaurants offering special three-course meals for $20.10.

Restaurants offering three-course meals for $20.10:

Automatic Slim's (83 S. Second; 525-7948)

Bangkok Alley (121 Union; 522-2007)

B.B. King's Blues Club and Grill (143 Beale; 524-5464)

Bluefin (135 S. Main; 266-4733)

The Butcher Shop (101 S. Front; 521-0856)

Capriccio Grill (149 Union; 529-4199)

Chez Philippe (149 Union; 529-4188)

Felicia Suzanne's (80 Monroe; 523-0877)

Harry's Detour (106 E. G.E. Patterson; 523-9070)

Inn at Hunt Phelan (533 Beale; 525-8225)

Itta Bena (145 Second.; 578-3031)

Local Gastro Pub (95 S. Main; 473-9573)

The Majestic Grille (145 S. Main Street; 522-8555)

McEwen's on Monroe (120 Monroe; 527-7085)

Mesquite Chop House (88 Union; 527-5337)

Sole (221 S. Third; 334-5950)

South of Beale (361 S. Main; 526-0388)

Spindini (383 S. Main; 578-2767)

Tug's (50 Harbor Town Square; 260-3344)

Restaurants offering two meals for $20.10

Kooky Canuck (97 S. Second; 578-9800)

Lenny's (153 S. Main; 529-4377)

Onix (412 S. Main; 552-4609)

Rendezvous (52 S. Second; 523-2746)

Westy's (346 N. Main; 543-3278)

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