By Paul Giorgio

Worcester Restaurant Week. The 3rd annual Worcester Restaurant Week kicks off on Monday, August 1 and runs through August 14th. During that time, selected restaurants in Central MA will be offering a 3-course dinner for $23.11. This wildly successful event gives consumers a break on price while helping fill restaurant seats during the slowest time of the year.

The event is sponsored by UniBank, Stella Artois beer, American Express, Energy Gateway, and Mercadante Funeral Home with support from Percy’s, Integrity Merchant Solutions, and Enterprise Cleaning. Media sponsors include Pulse Magazine, TasteWorcester.com, and radio stations WXLO, The Pike, Oldies 98.5 and WCRN. In kind support has been provided by the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce. For a complete list of participating restaurants, visit www.worcesterrestaurantweek.com.

Best burgers. The Boston Globe recently featured Worcester’s Brew City for having some of the best hamburgers in New England. They paid particular attention to the Piedmonte Burger, calling it a “model of sophistication” with its fresh mozzarella, sliced tomato and a basil pesto dressing. Check it out.

Sea Dog Steak & Ale to open. Sea Dog Steak & Ale, a restaurant owned by Sea Dog Brewery from Maine, will soon be opening a restaurant in Northboro. This is their third restaurant in MA ~ the others two are located in Hull and Woburn. Sea Dog will be moving into the space that was once home to Lazio’s on Route 20.

Firewood Café closes. Word on the street is that the Firewood Café, located at 222 Chandler Street in Worcester, recently closed its doors. The owner of the place did extensive work on the restaurant and it was only open for about 6 months.

Happy 50th Birthday. In a business, where the average life of a restaurant is a little over a year, the Salem Cross Inn in Brookfield recently celebrated its 50th year of business. The Inn was founded by brothers Dick & Henry Salem and has now been passed down to their children. The Salem Cross Inn serves traditional New England fare in a rustic setting. By the way, you should check out the Drover’s Roast in the fall.

Mai Tai Sushi Bar. The Mai Tai Sushi bar will be opening soon on Worcester’s Green Street in the heart of the Canal District. It will be owned by the same folks who operate Auburn’s Yong Shing.

Nashua Brew Festival. The 4th Annual Nashua River Brewers Festival will be held on Sat., August 27, 2011 from 1:00pm – 7:00pm in Fitchburg’s Riverfront Park. Check online for details.

Zorba’s Taverna opens. Zorba’s Taverna restaurant recently opened on 97 Stafford St. in Worcester in a space that once housed Christo’s Restaurant. The space has undergone an extensive renovation. The restaurant features, as the name implies, Greek and American food in a family- friendly setting. This is the second Zorba’s ~ the first is located in Charlton.