The Continuing Saga of Restaurant Week: Conshohocken Edition

(Conshohocken, PA - June 13, 2011) The continuing saga of restaurant week carries on with its new edition for 2011, this time set in Conshohocken. From June 13th to 19th, 17 "Conshy" restaurants will emerge from relative anonymity into the spotlight as they follow in the footsteps of the Center City and Main Line restaurant weeks earlier this year. The set menus at each eatery will have price tags of either $20, $35 or both for a full course meal, and at the right place there may even be a beer included.

At this point, here's hoping you know what a restaurant week is - as a recap, however, it is a seven-day event where a group of restaurants in a geographical area band together to offer a set price per person on a full-course meal, in order to seduce new customers and raise awareness for their (hopefully) fabulous and underrated food. While it may come as a surprise to most that there are actually 17 restaurants in Conshohocken, and that this is actually the 2nd Annual Conshohocken Restaurant Week, that's no reason not try a few out.

At some of the restaurants, the three courses are more than you'd normally buy and certainly more than you can eat. The best bang for buck is at a few select restaurants out of the surprising plethora that Conshy has to offer. For instance, at Isabella, pay $20 for the set menu of five tapas during happy hour (5-7 p.m.), grab a $4 glass of house wine and you have yourself a decent meal. Also, at Flannigan's Boathouse, watch a game, sip an American Craft Beer and get a Prime Rib (or other entree) with flatbread, salad or soup, for $20. The game watching is free and the beer's included in your set menu, because Flannigan knows what a real third course should be. The hipster option, and also a good deal, is Guppy's Good Times. In addition to fried pickles and an entree, the $20 menu includes two glasses of wine or two draft beers, plus a shot of Limoncello. I want to meet this Guppy character.

Other $20 Menu Choices:
The Great American Pub
Piatto Grille
Spampinato's
Totaro's Restaurant

Not to be outdone, the high shelf price range may be worth it at the Fayette Street Grille. For $34 (not $35), the meal includes a starter, entree and dessert and there are a ton of options for each. Plus, it seems that you get an Amuse-Bouche as well, which according to Wiki is a small bite before the meal begins (maybe thats where the extra dollar went.)


$35 Menu:

The Gypsy Saloon
8 East
Blackfish (BYOB)
Isabella
Pepperoncini
Piatto Grille
Shula's 347 Grill
Spamps
Stella Blue
The Stone Rose Restaurant
Totaro's Restaurant
Trattoria Totaro

Conshohocken Restaurant Week will be both a culinary and cultural delight, plus a chance to scope out some new eateries without a high price tag. We may not know it when traveling, a.k.a. sitting in traffic, on the Schuykill Expressway, but this week is set to prove that Conshohocken is "more than just the curve." (It's also a ten block radius of restaurants).