Looking for a little farm-to-fork fun? You’re in luck. Been meaning to sample some celebrity chef offerings? Now is the perfect time to make it happen. And if cheeseburgers are your thing, stop what you’re doing and start planning a trip to Pasadena immediately.
Nine California cities launch into Restaurant Week mode in the days ahead, offering diners a chance to sample special menus and get some great deals along the way. These events all roll up to the statewide California Restaurant Month program that has turned the month of January into a food-filled phenomenon from San Diego to the Sonoma Valley. Here's a quick rundown of next week's events.
Oakland Restaurant Week runs January 11–21 and features special prix fixe menus at the $10, $20, $30, $40, and $50 price points. Oakland boasts one of the hottest culinary scenes in the country, and with more than 65 participating restaurants—including Z Café and Bar, Lungomare, and Nido—you won’t run out of options anytime soon.
Just a few miles to the south, Alameda Restaurant Week showcases 18 restaurants across the island from January 12–21. Ethiopian, Lithuanian, Cambodian, and Afghan-French offerings are all part of the mix in this rising dining destination.
The 8th annual Suisun City Historic Waterfront Restaurant Week kicks off on January 12 and will include an eclectic mix of specially priced menus and drink specials through the 21st. In nearby Vacaville, follow in the footsteps of Queen Elizabeth II and Ronald Reagan by sampling the local fare—also January 12–21).
Sacramento’s Dine Downtown program is highly focused (and highly tempting): More than 30 area restaurants will offer three-course prix fixe menus for the deeply discounted price of $35. It will be almost impossible to get it wrong here in the Farm-to-Fork Capital (January 12–21).
Order up a side of history with your lunch or dinner during Pasadena Cheeseburger Week (January 7–12), a weeklong celebration of Lionel Sternberger's brilliant decision to put cheese on a hamburger and serve it at the Rite Spot in Pasadena in 1924.
Pomegranates are the star of the show throughout Santa Monica Restaurant Week, running January 8–14. Each year this beachside community showcases a special ingredient at all participant establishments, so check out the Pomegranate Infused Margarita at El Cholo Santa Monica or the Hokkaido Scallop at Sushi Roku.
Thanks to the massive participant list at dineL.A., you could sample different restaurants for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for 15 days straight and you would still have more than 250 new places to consider on the 16th day. Spago, The Bazaar by Jose Andres, and Melisse are among the options available to you from January 12–26.
If you’re still peckish after all of that, head over to Redondo Beach Restaurant Week for a small-but-sparkling collection of restaurants offering specially priced menus from January 12–26.
