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If you’ve been debating whether to dine out in the coming weeks, it may be excellent timing to do so.
Two restaurant weeks are coming soon to the Peninsula: The inaugural Flavors of the Peninsula is Thursday to May 3 with more than 130 participating restaurants, and in Redwood City, Marsh Manor Shopping Center’s second annual restaurant week runs from April 30 to May 9.
Both events give restaurants the opportunity to create special menus and offer discounts, encouraging locals and out-of-towners to explore the diverse array of restaurants in the area.
Flavors of the Peninsula features restaurants as far north as Koi Palace in Daly City and 7 Mile House in Brisbane all the way down to Mountain View’s Roger Bar and Restaurant. Most set lunches range from $25-$50, with prix-fixe dinners going for around $35-$85, according to Maggie Lang, chief sales and marketing officer at The San Francisco Peninsula, the region’s official convention and visitors’ bureau. She said she’s most excited to highlight under-the-radar restaurants along the Peninsula.
“There are so many little family-owned, and especially immigrant-owned, restaurants that have signed up that I think are just going to get exposure,” Lang said. “I’m really excited about people really discovering the diversity on the Peninsula.”
La Viga Seafood & Cocina Mexicana in Redwood City is offering a $36 two-course menu, with optional add-on cocktail for $13. The first course is your choice of a crispy pork belly taco with pico de gallo and chile de arbol sauce, or a vegetarian option of crispy breaded jalapeno peppers stuffed with mozzarella cheese and epazote, garnished with black bean pico de gallo and chipotle aioli (both options are priced at $14 if ordered a la carte). Course two is a seafood stew of prawns, calamari, mussels and clams, with a vegetarian option of roasted broccoli, snap pears, fingerling potatoes and cauliflower over coconut rice with avocado aioli (both options are $25 if ordered a la carte). Specialty cocktail Al Chile is a spicy margarita made with serrano-infused tequila, chile poblano liqueur, chile ancho liqueur and cucumber.
“I’m excited to see new guests and to see existing guests coming back and enjoy what we do the best,” said Manuel Martinez, chef and CEO of La Viga Culinary. “We invite everyone to come and eat, not just with us, but to all the participating restaurants.”
At Roger, located within The Ameswell Hotel, expect a three-course prix fixe for $68. The meal begins with a salad of salt-roasted beets, whipped feta, pistachio dust and honey citrus dijon, before an entree of your choice of cedar-planked salmon with broccolini, marble potatoes and maple cider glaze or New York striploin with Yukon potato cloud, chimichurri rojo and Brussels sprouts. The meal ends with a dessert of sticky toffee pudding with pear compote and vanilla gelato. Vegetarian and vegan options are also available.
“I think it’s a great opportunity to really showcase what makes Roger Bar and Restaurant special in a very accessible way,” said Simone Harms, General Manager at Roger. “We curated a three-course experience that reflects our most popular dishes and that are part of the philosophy of the restaurant, which is kind of a seasonal, ingredient-driven and globally inspired, but very much grounded in California cuisine experience for the flavors.”
For a list of participating restaurants and their respective restaurant week offerings, sign up for the Bandwango Pass on mobile. Diners can use the pass to check in to at least two participating restaurants to be entered in a raffle. The winner will receive two tickets to the World Cup, a one-night stay for two at The Ameswell Hotel in Mountain View and a $200 AMEX gift card.
Flavors of the Peninsula begins with an opening event at Camber in South San Francisco Thursday from 6-8 p.m. The ticketed event includes chef tastings, craft brews and live music and aims to highlight the Peninsula’s culinary diversity ($81.88).
Marsh Manor Restaurant Week kicks off April 30 with an opening night celebration from 6-8 p.m. at Patisserie Lavender ‘n Cream. Tickets are $20 and cash-only and include bites from all six participating restaurants as well as live Spanish guitar music. Feast & Floral, Freewheel Brewing Company, Patisserie Lavender ‘n Cream, Los Gallos Taqueria, State of Mind Public House & Pizzeria and Delucchi’s Market Deli will all offer special menu items and events throughout Restaurant Week, with the schedule to be released on opening night.
Flavors of the Peninsula, Instagram: @thesfpeninsula. April 23 to May 3.
Marsh Manor Restaurant Week, 3700 Florence St., Redwood City; Instagram: @marshmanor.shops. April 30 to May 9.
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