Love dining out but want a deal? Gig Harbor Restaurant Week has $10, $20, $30 options
Restaurant Week has landed at Gig Harbor’s waterfront, where eight restaurants will offer special menus like $20 two-course dinners.
Now in its third year, the 2020 event will run from Sunday, March 1 through Thursday, March 5.
Two participating restaurants, Anthony’s and Millville Pizza, approached the Downtown Waterfront Alliance with the idea. Special projects coordinator Josh Sherwin said it’s another compelling way to attract visitors to Gig Harbor’s picturesque downtown — especially in winter.
“We generally do this at a time when restaurants aren’t as busy,” he told The News Tribune. “This is a good concept that’s sweeping the country. Our alliance could help support them.”
Brix 25 has supported the concept from the outset, and the addition of El Pueblito, Kelly’s and Devoted Kiss Cafe adds variety.
With prix-fixe menus, such weeks offer diners a chance to explore a restaurant without breaking the bank. We broke down the menus in three price groups.
$10 to $15 DEALS
Millville Pizza will run a $10 “lunch” special of a full calzone with a soft drink, available 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Kelly’s Café & Espresso will serve three $15 specials not found on its regular menu. Breakfast-wise, that means croissant French toast served with eggs, a choice of meat and endless coffee. On the savory side, there’s a chipotle bacon burger and beer-battered fries or beef bulgogi with rice and a salad.
At Devoted Kiss Café, have your pick of five mains and two desserts for only $15. Breakfast dishes include a sweet peanut butter and banana waffle or a savory chicken and bacon quesadilla with eggs and Beecher’s pimento spread. More lunch-centric favorites range from a pulled pork sandwich and chicken bánh mì to shrimp and bacon tacos. For dessert, a berry cheesecake parfait or strawberry and dark chocolate truffles.
$20 DEALS
At Morso, a wine bar with a contemporary American menu inspired by Italian fare, enjoy a salad of your choice — Caesar, house or one with herbed goat cheese and roasted tomato — and an entree for $20. Choose between the chef’s special meatballs, stuffed with feta cheese and tossed in a spicy marinara, or roasted garlic cheese tortellini. You can also dig into a bowl of clams in a pancetta-laced white wine sauce.
Morso’s mains typically cost about $20, give or take — and they have new owners — so Restaurant Week offers a solid deal. Add a glass of wine for $5.
Brimstone PNW Smokehouse falls into that $20 sweet spot, too. Select two meats, including chile-rubbed pork shoulder or coffee-rubbed brisket, honey-glazed ribs or a garlic and herb-smoked yardbird. The real deal: three sides, ranging from a Carolina slaw to a pile of pickles and spicy greens.
The bar will whip up Moscow Mules, Old Fashioneds and a few other cocktails for only $5. Prefer beer? Local drafts will run $5, too.
At lunch only, Anthony’s will offer a $22 two-course deal that includes a salad or cup of chowder to start, followed by your choice of crispy fish tacos, prawn lettuce wraps or a salmon and rice bowl.
$30 DEALS
Prefer dinner at Anthony’s? A three-course feast can be yours for $33. Start with a Caesar salad, calamari, smoked salmon spread or a cup of clam chowder. Then find your entree in a sirloin, chargrilled steelhead or blackened cod with a ginger miso glaze. For dessert, indulge in the restaurant’s homemade cheesecake, chocolate chip cherry ice cream or chocolate mousse infused with Bailey’s Irish cream liqueur.
Head to Brix 25 for another great dinner deal, available 4:30-9 p.m. on Sunday, Monday and Thursday. (Brix 25 and sister restaurant Brimstone are closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays.)
Appetizers range from the soup du jour and arugula salad to sherry-glazed meatballs and braised octopus served with a dill pickle aioli. For the main event, choose either spicy Thai curry mussels, boeuf bourguignon with parsnip puree or a paella piled high with prawns, Manila clams and PEI mussels. (Many of these dishes cost nearly $30 alone on Brix’s standrad menu.) Select wine pours run $6.
At lunchtime, grab a friend (or don’t — we won’t tell) to snag a combo platter of an enchilada, a tostada, a taco salad, and rice and beans at El Pueblito. The $30 price tag includes two house margaritas, frozen or on the rocks in several flavors (regularly $8.50). The Mexican restaurant also will offer a dinner deal: $30 for two margaritas and three enchiladas with rice and beans.
Gig Harbor Waterfront Restaurant Week
▪ Details: Sunday, March 1 to Thursday, March 5, facebook.com/waterfrontrestaurantweek
▪ Hours: vary, depending on restaurant
This story was originally published February 28, 2020 at 5:00 AM.