Restaurant Week serves up deals

<p>Restaurant Week kicked off in Sonoma County on Monday.</p><p>It is seven days of dining deals and special meals — an attempt by restaurants to lure locals into their neighborhood eateries during a slow time of the tourism year.</p><p>“It's a little kickback to locals,” said Dan Thompson, who walked from his house to eat at Jackson's Bar & Oven in Santa Rosa's Railroad Square with his wife on Monday night.</p><p>More than 100 restaurants across the county are offering fixed-rate menus, which include at least an appetizer, main course and dessert for one of three fixed prices.</p><p>Moderate-priced restaurants, such as the Bear Republic Brewpub in Healdsburg and Cafe Citti in Kenwood, offer meals for $19. Beer, wine and tip are not included.</p><p>A number of restaurants fall into the middle-price category of $29. High-end fare costs $39 at such spots as Syrah in Santa Rosa and Dry Creek Kitchen in Healdsburg.</p><p>“If they ordered this a la carte, it would be $50,” said Jamil Peden, chef de cuisine at Syrah. “So they're definitely getting a value.”</p><p>The concept of restaurant week has been around for years in such cities as San Francisco, and last year the Sonoma County Economic Development Board launched it here.</p><p>“It's really nice to get this support from the county,” said Josh Silver, owner with his wife, Regina, of Syrah and Jackson's. “Last year, it was a good 30 percent pop in business.”</p><p>The Sonoma County Restaurant Week debuted during a bleak period last year for the restaurant industry, when many eateries were down 25 percent in revenue.</p><p>This year, the economy has picked up and people have begun booking more reservations. Several restaurant owners said they were still down double digits from the peak in 2007, but business had at least returned to sustainable levels.</p><p>“We are better off than last year, that's for sure,” Silver said.</p><p>In Healdsburg, Wade Nobles, dining room manager at the Dry Creek Kitchen, said reservations are certainly higher than normal during Restaurant Week.</p><p>“It's definitely booked up fast,” he said. “We have limited availability.”</p><p>Nobles, who only had a few minutes to spare before rushing off to a computer screen, said he recognized several local faces.</p><p>Brian and Maria Millan were tourists from New Jersey who happened upon the special deal at the Healdsburg restaurant.</p><p>“It's a great value,” Brian Millan said.</p><p>His wife added, “When you're not sure what you want, it's great to go with a fixed menu. That way you get what the pros recommend.”</p><p>Cathy Anderson of Healdsburg sat at the bar in the Bear Republic Brewpub a few hundred feet and two doors away from the Millans and also enjoyed the fixed-price menu.</p><p>“It's perfect,” Anderson said.</p><p>She sipped one of the brewery's specialty brews, the Cafe Racer 15, while eating crab and cheese raviolis in a light creamy garlic butter sauce.</p><p>Restaurant owners are hoping this week is even better than last year, which was widely considered a hit, Silver said.</p><p>“I'm excited to see what happens this week,” he said.</p><p>For details, go to sonomacountyrestaurantweek.org</p><p>You can reach Staff Writer Nathan Halverson at 703-1577 or nathan.halverson@pressdemocrat.com.</p>