Great Escape: New Haven Restaurant Week

Each week, we’ll tell you about one great idea to give you a much-deserved break, and make your life a little easier, maybe a whole lot easier.

Going out to eat may not feel like much of an escape, especially if you always have the kids in tow. New Haven Restaurant Week is a great excuse to enjoy an adults-only meal and experience some of the best food that New Haven has to offer. Plan a dinner date with your spouse, meet your friends somewhere new for lunch, or expand your culinary horizons by trying an ethnic restaurant that you haven’t visited yet.

Although you have to choose from a predetermined menu during Restaurant Week, most of the eateries offer a wide selection of their best dishes. Lunch costs $16.38 per person, and dinner costs $29. Listed below are just a few of the 35 participating restaurants. Be sure to visit the Restaurant Week website for more details.

For a romantic meal with a view, try John Davenport’s on the 19^th floor of the Omni New Haven Hotel, the only rooftop restaurant in New Haven. Another option is Adriana’s Restaurant and Wine Bar. Although you’d never know it from the outside, the inside atmosphere is elegant and welcoming.

Carmen Anthony Steakhouse has a varied menu and plenty of seating for groups. For a fun, more casual, experience, check out Geronimo Tequila Bar and Grill.

For something eclectic or different, consider Zaroka Indian Cuisine or Bentara Restaurant, which features Malaysian and Fusion dishes.

A few tips:

1. Reserve a table early if you can, because the popular eateries will be booked in no time.
2. Consider going for lunch instead of dinner. You will usually have a better chance of securing a reservation, and you’ll spend much less to experience basically the same menu.
3. Go earlier in the week, since Thursday through Saturday nights will fill up first.

You can view the menus and download an entire guide to restaurant week here.