Grosse Pointe Restuarant Week Starts Friday, July 20

Beginning Friday, July 20, 21 restaurants throughout the community will offer diners special menus and deals to those who mention they are participating in  Grosse Pointe Restaurant Week 2012.

It is the first Restaurant Week in the Pointes, Executive Director Jennifer Boettcher said. While such events have been popular other places, the Grosse Pointes have never done one, she said.

The closest thing was the Chamber's Cuisine Cruise, during which participants were driven to a selected list of local restaurants for a strolling meal. The cruise has been done for the last few years and always happened in one night.

Both events are aiming to promote the local restaurants but also to encourage residents and others to try out a restaurant they otherwise might skip or didn't know about.

The week will replace this year's cruise, Boettcher said, noting officials will gauge its success afterward to see whether it's worth doing again and possibly hosting it annually.

The following restaurants are participating:

• Super Suppers

Diners may take advantage of the Restaurant Week deals as many times as they'd like in the 10-day stretch. Reservations are not required but diners are encouraged to call the restaurant ahead of time.

All of the restaurants are offering a variety of menu items in a package, such as dinner for two. The menu for each restaurant as well as the rates for each deal are available on the Chamber's website.