Let’s Dish: Orange County Restaurant Week Begins

Foodies, epicureans and daring diners unite — Orange County Restaurant Week is back and bigger than ever before. With more restaurants then ever before and bigger menus, it’s the perfect chance to try some new spots and find favorites to come back to again and again.

Kicking off with a launch party at Prego Ristorante (which also happens to be celebrating its 25th anniversary), Restaurant Week will run from through Oct. 2. Following past Restaurant Week tradition, participating restaurants will be featuring special prix fixe menus for lunch and dinner. Restaurants are serving up old favorites and mixing up new deals for the three-course $10, $15 or $20 lunches and $20, $30 and $40 dinners.

Newport favorite Canaletto is featuring a choice of their famed pizzas and pasta for lunch and dinner is even more decadent with pear ravioli and shrimp and crab risotto.  For a truly decadent dinner, Watermarc is serving up lamb chops, flat iron steak and finishing off the meal with molten chocolate cake, all for $40.

And many of the restaurants are adding on specialty cocktails and wine pairings, too, unless you pick a spot like the Lido Deck, where the wine’s included with the three-course menu. And lunch isn’t just a bit player during the event — Old Towne Orange’s Haven Gastropub is offering their most popular dishes as part of Restaurant Week — try the French onion soup, the shepherd’s pie and finish it all off with the bread pudding.

With more menus than ever and an entire week to try something new, you’ll be hard pressed not to find a restaurant you’ll want to come back to. And while the menus are here for just a week, you’re sure to get a new favorite stop that might be a little unexpected.

For more information, participating restaurants and full menus, visit the Orange County Restaurant Week website.

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