Hub eateries ready to shine
Dine Out Boston runs March 10-23
More than 150 restaurants will be showcasing their food at discounted prices from March 10-23 as part of the annual foodie extravaganza, Dine Out Boston.
The two-week-long event started more than 25 years ago and is presented by Meet Boston in partnership with the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism. Formerly dubbed the city’s Restaurant Week, the event provides patrons to sample a wide variety of food throughout the city with prix fixe menus.
“During Dine Out Boston, our signature culinary program, we encourage visitors and residents to both go with their favorites or try something new as they enjoy specially priced menus of spectacular food across Greater Boston,” Meet Boston President and CEO Martha J. Sheridan said in a statement.
Participating eateries will select price points of $22, $27, $32 or $36 for their lunch menus and $36, $41, $46 or $55 for dinner menus during the two-week culinary showcase. Meet Boston Executive Vice President Hilina Ajakaiye said previous iterations of the event had over 180 restaurants and more businesses are signing up before the kickoff next Sunday.
Ajakaiye said the event is a great way to celebrate restaurants that may not see some of the same foot traffic as others and to promote their businesses to patrons that do not live in Boston. She touted the surplus of dining choices for people to choose from, encouraging patrons to sample a little bit of everything.
“This is truly an incredible kind of busy time for us in the city of Boston,” Ajakaiye told the Herald. “I think that we’ll have a significant amount of both residents and visitors that are going to be able to go to different restaurants because the price is right and some curated menus that normally wouldn’t be available.”
Ajakaiye said Dine Out Boston has seen a large uptick in restaurant openings throughout the city post-COVID, a trend she hopes will continue going forward. After braving the coronavirus pandemic and its related challenges that plagued the industry, Forcella restaurant owner Nino Trotta said he was excited to show residents and visitors alike why they should come dine in the North End.
“It’s a great opportunity for us, especially in a slow month,” Trotta told the Herald. “When people come to the North End they expect great food and service. We hope everyone comes to Boston and enjoys the event.”
Trotta touted the freshly-made pasta Forcella has offered since opening in 2018. He also recommended customers try the carbonara and chicken parmesan, two of the restaurant’s best-selling dishes.
Forcella, and all the other participating eateries, will donate $100 gift certificates to the Dine Out Boston auction, where they’ll be up for bid, Ajakaiye said. All of the proceeds will be go to the Boston Preservation Alliance, an independent, nonprofit that brings people together to influence the city’s future and honor its history.
“The restaurants and Meet Boston are very intentional about this charitable component,” she said. “We’re really able to uplift, not just the restaurants, but also deserving nonprofits on an annual basis.”
A full list of participating restaurants, auction information, overnight packages and more details on the two-week long event can be found online at meetboston.com.