Before Restaurant Week even begins each year, some Baltimore spots plan on extending their special fixed-price menus. That's not exactly a state secret.
But sometimes a breakthrough gimmick, snowfall or an inspired Tweet compels a restaurant to extend its deal beyond the official Jan. 30 closing date.
In the middle of Wednesday night's snowstorm, Blue Hill Tavern announced via Twitter and Facebook that it would extend its Restaurant Week deal for every inch of snow that fell. The official Conkling Street accumulation, according to general manager Mel Carter, was 5 inches, and the Canton restaurant will be extending its fixed-price menu through Friday, Feb. 4. Carter credits a Blue Hill employee, a server "who takes care of all of our social media," with the Tweet heard round the Beltway.
The snow played a factor in another Canton establishment's decision to keep Restaurant Week going. Langermann's hadn't planned on an extension until the storm struck. "A lot of reservations were canceled, and all were attributed to the weather," said co-owner David McGill. "People like what we're doing. We wanted to give people a chance to take advantage of it, because we were hindered by the weather."
Some restaurants, like Regi's American Bistro, genuinely do take a wait-and-see attitude. For this Restaurant Week, Regi's is offering the option of a glass of wine in place of the dessert course. "By the time you've had tater tots, a crab cake and a half-loaf of bread, you really don't have room for dessert," Regi's owner, Alan Morstein, said. The wine offer was a big hit — about 25 percent of his customers took that option, he said.
The Ambassador Dining Room will be extending its fixed-price menu indefinitely; after Feb. 6, the menu will be an early diner's special, available for $25. And Mt. Vernon's Owl Bar, the historic watering hole in the Belvedere, will be extending its fixed-price menu at least until Feb. 13 but possibly through Feb. 20.
The Baltimore Restaurant Week website (baltimorerestaurantweek.com) lists (with an "e" for "extension") all of the restaurants that are continuing their deals. Here's a breakdown, as of press time.
Through Feb. 4
Blue Hill Tavern (938 S. Conkling St., 443-388-9363, bluehilltavern.com)
Prime Rib (1101 N. Calvert St., 410-539-1804, theprimerib.com)
Sabatino's (901 Fawn St., 410-727-9414, sabatinos.com)
Through Feb. 5
Chameleon Cafe (4341 Harford Road, 410-254-2376, chameleoncafe.com)
Kona Grill (1 E. Pratt St., 410-244-8994, konagrill.com)
Sascha's 527 (527 N. Charles St., 410-539-8880, http://www.saschas.com)
Talara (615 President St., 410-528-9883, talarabaltimore.com)
Tatu (614 Water St., 410-244-7385, tatuasianrestaurant.com)
The Wine Market (921 East Fort Ave, 410-244-6166, the-wine-market.com)
Through Feb. 6
Alchemy (1011 West 36th St., 410-366-1163, alchemyon36.com)
Aldo's (306 S. High St., 410-727-0700, aldositaly.com)
Alizee (4 West University Parkway, 443-449-6200, alizeebaltimore.com)
The Ambassador Dining Room (3811 Canterbury Road, 410-366-1484, ambassadordining.com)
B (1501 Bolton St., 410-383-8600, b-bistro.com)
Blue Agave (1032 Light St., 410-576-3938, blueagaverestaurant.com)
Bo Brooks (2701 Boston St., 410-558-0202, http://www.bobrooks.com)
Caesar's Den (223 South High St., 410-547-0820, caesarsden.com)
Da Mimmo (217 S. High St., 410-727-6876, damimmo.com
Langermann's (2400 Boston Street, 410-534-3287, langermanns.com)
La Tasca (201 East Pratt St., 410-209-2562, latascausa.com)
Hull Street Blues (1222 Hull St., 410-727-7476, hullstreetblues.com) Locust Point
Marie Louise Bistro (904 N Charles St., 410-385-9946, marielouise-bistro.com)
McCormick & Schmick's (711 Eastern Ave., 410-234-1300, mccormickandschmicks.com)
Michael's Steak & Lobster House (6207-9 Eastern Ave., 410-633-6485) in the Pulaski Indusrial Area
Mt. Washington Tavern (5700 Newbury St., 410-367-6903)
Regi's American Bistro (1002 Light St., 410-539-7344, regisamericanbistro.com)
Rocco's Capriccio (846 Fawn St., 410-685-2710, roccosinlittleitaly.com)
Ruth's Chris Steak House (numerous locations, ruthschris.com)
Rusty Scupper (402 Key Highway, 410-727-3678, http://www.selectrestaurants.com/rusty/index.php)
Sotto Sopra (405 North Charles St., 410-625-0534, sottosoprainc.com) Downtown
Waterstone Bar and Grille (311 W. Madison St., 410-225-7475, waterstonebarandgrille.com) Mount Vernon
Through Feb. 13
Owl Bar (1 E. Chase St., 410-347-0888, theowlbar.com)