By Sally Deering

Are you feeling the January blahs that seem to come right after the holiday highs? No need to hide under the covers on these cold winter nights watching other people have fun on TV. Put on your galoshes and wooly muffs and go somewhere new, sip a trendy ‘tini, taste a new delish dish!

On Mon, Jan. 23^rd and running through Fri, Feb. 3^rd, a select group of Hudsonâ€s restaurants, bistros and bars will participate in Hudson Restaurant Week, where they will serve a discounted prix fixe menu and for one (low) price you get a delicious meal with all the fixings. There are some great restaurants participating this year and a juicy promotion:  When you “Tweet from Your Seat” using #hudsonrw, youâ€re entered to have your meal free. Nice, huh! Just make sure to always tip your wait person!

Hudson Restaurant Week was started and sponsored by Tamara Remidios of Xplore Communications, a promotional company that produces magazines and websites. In Hoboken, restaurants participating in Hudson Restaurant Week will include 3Forty Grill; Amandaâ€s, Bistro La Source, Brass Rail, Clinton Social, Dino & Harryâ€s, Elysian Café, Gaslight, The Madison, OddFellows Rest, The Quays, Trinity, West Five Supper Club, Wicked Wolf Tavern and Zylo Tuscan Steak House.

In Weehawken, the Chart House with its beautiful views of the New York Skyline and Hudson River and its seafood menu might entice you – thereâ€s valet parking, too!  And why not try these restaurants in Jersey City: Boca Grande, Box, Casa Dante, Cityside Bistro, La Conquita, Edwardâ€s Steakhouse,  Hamilton Inn, Henryâ€s on the Hudson, Komegashi and Komegashi Too, Liberty House, Light Horse Tavern, Maritime Parc, MichaelAnthonyâ€s, Oâ€Connellâ€s, Porto Leggero, Port-O Lounge, Satis Bistro, Sawadee, Sky Thai, The Merchant and The Embankment.

David Oâ€Brien, owner of The Merchant and The Embankment restaurants has been participating in Hudson Restaurant Week since it began six years ago.

“It definitely increases business and brings in people from out of town,” Oâ€Brien says.

Hudson Restaurant Week allows local restaurants the chance to advertise and showcase the restaurant, Oâ€Brien says, and although restaurants pay to participate, itâ€s well worth the fee.

Instead of offering customers choices from an abridged menu for Hudson Restaurant Week, Oâ€Brien will offers customers at both The Merchant and The Embankment a very sweet deal:  they can choose an appetizer, entrée and dessert – three courses for $25.

“Most of the restaurants do a limited menu, but when we did a limited menu, we would run out of food,” Oâ€Brien says. “We started to get really busy when we offered our entire menu.”

The main reason Oâ€Brien participates in Hudson Restaurant Week is to bring new people to his restaurants and give them the opportunity to taste his food.

“We have to pay to be part of it and we make some money, not a lot, but we know weâ€re targeting customers,” Oâ€Brien says. “This event guarantees the customers will walk through the door, but itâ€s our job to make them return. The idea is to convert them into regulars.”

 Mon, Jan. 23 – Fri, Feb. 3, 2012

Hudson Restaurant Week

For info: www.hudsonrestaurantweek.com

Send an email:  info@hudsonrestaurantweek.com

The post Restaurant Week Hudson Style-Mon, Jan. 23rd – Fri, Feb. 3rd: Take a Chance on a New Restaurant first appeared on River View Observer.

• Make a Menu. Planning your meals for the week is the best way to save time and money. Stock up on quick dinner recipes, then stock up on the ingredients you need to make them. The two recipes here bring Bob Evans Food Products’ farm-fresh taste to the family table in no time.

 
 Plan Your Leftovers. Instead of wondering what to do with the leftovers from Monday’s meal – or worse, just throwing it out – plan your menu to turn one night’s leftovers into another night’s dinner. Leftover rotisserie chicken can turn into spicy quesadillas. Extra meatballs can morph into meatball grinders.

 

• Cut Down Prep Time. Take advantage of prepared foods in your grocery store. Pre-cut veggies, pre-washed bagged salads, pre-made pizza crusts, even Bob Evans Refrigerated Mashed Potatoes – they can all come in handy and save you time. Also, think about making double batches of food – one lasagna to serve now, one to freeze for later. Roasting two chickens tonight doesn’t take that much longer than one and saves you from having to do it twice.

 
For more fast, family-friendly recipes, visit www.bobevans.com.

 

Sloppy Joes

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes

Makes 4 servings

 
1          pound Bob Evans Original Recipe Roll Sausage

1          medium onion, chopped (optional)

1/2       cup chopped green bell pepper (optional)

1          1.3 ounce envelope Sloppy Joe seasoning mix

1          6-ounce can tomato paste

1 1/4    cups water

8          sandwich buns, split and toasted

 
In large saucepan, over medium heat crumble and cook sausage, onion and pepper until sausage is browned. Stir in seasoning mix, tomato paste and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes. Serve on buns.

 
Speedy Spaghetti

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

Makes 4 servings

 
1          pound Bob Evans Original Recipe Roll Sausage

1          28-ounce jar of your favorite pasta sauce

1          8-ounce (minimum) package of your favorite pasta

 
In a skillet, crumble and brown sausage over medium heat until cooked. Stir in your favorite pasta sauce and heat until warm. Cook pasta according to package directions. Serve sauce over pasta.

The post QUICK DINNER TIPS first appeared on River View Observer.