Date Night on a Dime!

Normally date night includes maybe a $20 meal between the two (water only to drink) and a free or nearly free "activity" afterwards, like going to a park to watch the sunset, attending a free festival, shopping the mall sans kids, etc. But twice a year, we go all out! Okay, maybe not all out, but it's a splurge for us. Two times a year our local restaurant association puts on restaurant week where we can each get a 3 course meal for the price of the year, so this year $20.09. And to save even more money, since this event lasts a whole week, we work out a babysitting switch for Friday and Saturday night. One night we watch all the kids while our friends go out to dinner, the other night, the other night we switch.

So now the only decision, which restaurant do we try this time? We have it narrowed down to these three:

1. Carvers (a local steakhouse):
Choice of one: Tomato Zucchini Soup with Parmesan or Mixed greens with goat cheese, pine nuts & pinot noir vinaigrette or Romaine with bleu cheese, sweet onion, bacon and balsamic vinaigrette or Classic Caesar salad.
Choice of one: Prime Rib with Port Au Jus and Baked Potato or N.Y. Strip Steak with Steakhouse Fries or Filet Mignon with Port Shallot Sauce and Au gratin Potatoes or Tilapia Oscar with Asparagus, Lump Crab and Roasted Root Vegetables or Atlantic Salmon with Basil, Citrus, and Mustard Seed Crust and Rice Pilaf or Chicken Breast with Sun Dried Tomato, Pine nut and Garlic Sauce served with mashed Potatoes
Choice of one: Creme Brulee " Carver's Speciality Creme Brulee of the Day or Butterscotch Fudge Brownie's

2. Cena (a local Brazillian Steakhouse):
Enjoy Cena's feat table- laden with 40-50 items including specialty salads, salmon, grilled vegetables, cheeses, sushi and homemade soup. Then enjoy a plate of five Churrasco -cooked meats inlcuding our signature cut, picanha (beef top sirloin) and parmesan chicken. Starch of the day and speciality sauces included OR Award winning Brazilian Beef Stroganoff served over a bed of white rice accented with sauteed onions and garlic. Rolls included

3. The Melting Pot:
Appetizer: Cheddar Cheese Fondue
Entree: Chicken and Sirloin Fondue with a variety of vegetables
Dessert: Your choice of Chocolate(Dark, White, Milk) Fondue Dessert

Hmmm.......decisions, decisions! I'll have to let you know when we finally decide. Oh yeah, and most importantly, how much will we be saving??? Well, using Carvers for example. Three courses would have been about $40 per person. So its about a 50% off deal. Not too bad!