By Paul Giorgio

The wildly successful Worcester Restaurant Week , held  for the past 2 years in August, now offers a winter version with over 40 locally owned restaurants participating.  The concept is simple:  Winter is a tough season for local restaurants as business slows significantly after Valentine’s Day and doesn’t pick back up until the warmer weather arrives. Winter Restaurant Week is designed to bridge that winter-‘til-spring gap; it gives local diners increased value for their money and gives restaurants a spike in business.

For $22.11, diners will get a 3-course meal at many of the best local eateries.  A special addition to the list of restaurants participating this year in the Winter Edition is The Castle in Leicester, which has always been closed during the week of Worcester Restaurant  ~ Summer Edition and thus unable to participate.  Because The Castle is considered by many to be one of the finest old school restaurants in the state, it will truly be an exceptional value.

According to Paul Barber of Worcester’s Flying Rhino Cafe,  “This  helps out restaurants in that period after Valentine’s Day and when people are feeling antsy and want to get out.  It will be a great antidote for winter cabin fever.”

Everyone should visit the official website of Restaurant Week, www.worcesterrestaurantweek.com, for a full listing of all 40 participating restaurants.

The presenting  sponsors of the event include UniBank, Mercadante Funeral Home, K J Baarons Fine Wine & Spirits, and  Enterprise Cleaning.

Blue Moon, Guinness, and Samuel Adams  are the official liquor sponsors.

This will be the third Restaurant Week in Worcester and, as Michael LaNava of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce declared, “It will be Winterliscious!”