August is tough on restaurants. The heat, the vacations, and the looming start of school conspire to make August the worst month for most restaurants. One solution is to close up and go on vacation yourself (the French proprietaires do this en masse in August, to the consternation of everyone else). The American solution is to rally around the Chamber of Commerce (or something similar) and have a sale. Thus we have the third annual St. Louis Downtown Restaurant Week.
Running from August 13 through August 18 2007, 25 downtown restaurants are doing 3 course meals (tax and tip not included) for $25. There are no tickets to buy, no coupons to clip. Just show up at your favorite restaurant. Better yet, call and make a reservation. (Let's see, 12,500 people showed up last year at 25 different restaurants over 6 nights and left Cahokia at 1:15 traveling west at 53 miles per hour. Yeah, according to my math, reservations are a really good idea).
Even better yet, make reservations at 6 of your favorite restaurants on 6 different nights. Or 5 on 5 nights. Or even 4 on 4 nights. The list of 25 is solid from top to bottom and it includes some of the stellar spots in the city -- An American Place, Lucas Park Grille, Mosaic, Red Moon, and Wasabi. A $25 three course dinner is a very good deal these days and this is your chance to get downtown and see what all the buzz is about.
Below is the complete list of restaurants. Click here to check out the menu that each is offering. Rosemount wines is helping to sponsor Downtown Restaurant Week, and most of the participating restaurants are offering pours at $5 a glass. You can also make a donation to Operation Food Search, by including a $5 Extra Helping on your final bill.
| An American Place | Anthony's | Carmine's Steakhouse |
| Charlie Gitto’s Downtown | Clark Street Grill | Copia Urban Winery |
| Dierdorf and Hart’s | The Dubliner | Harry's |
| J. Buck’s | Joseph’s Italian Café | Kitchen K |
| Lombardo’s Trattoria | Lucas Park Grille | Mike Shannon's |
| Mosaic | 400 Olive | The Pepper Lounge |
| Red | Red Moon | Simply Fondue |
| St. Louis Fish Market | Station Grille | Wasabi |
| Washington Ave. Bistro |