Restaurant Week Returns June 5

OCEAN CITY -- Local chefs are preparing to tempt your taste buds.

The pots are bubbling and grills sizzling for Restaurant Week, which begins on Sunday, June 5 and runs through Sunday, June 19.

New this year, in an effort to encourage weekday business, the promotion will run Sundays through Thursdays for two weeks. However, there may be some restaurants that opt to offer their Restaurant Week menu on Fridays and Saturdays, so be sure to check the official website, www.oceancityrestaurantweek.com.

Restaurant Week was created to serve as a culinary escape for both diners and chefs.

Participating restaurants offer two-course menus for $20 and/or three-course menus for $30 not including tax, gratuity or alcohol.

Typically, the two-course meals will consist of an appetizer, salad or soup and entrée or an entrée and dessert, while the three-course meals will consist of an appetizer, salad or soup, an entrée and a dessert. Some restaurants offer wine pairing options. There are no tickets, passes or coupons required, however, reservations are recommended.

Diners like the idea of a price fixed menu when dining out as “it certainly helps to budget for date night,” according to local resident Amy Tingle.

Chefs love the opportunity to prepare fresh dishes with ingredients indigenous to the local area. With the ocean, bay and abundant agricultural choices in the region’s back yard, fresh and local are certainly a winning combination.

For many restaurants, this is a chance to woo new customers and to please the regulars by offering inventive new dishes.

Restaurant Week, now in its fifth year, is organized by the Ocean City Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association.

Participating restaurants and their menus can be viewed on the website, www.oceancityrestaurantweek.com.