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.