by Andrew Chalk
Diners love the low price of the all-inclusive menus of restaurant week ($35 or $45) but hate the crowded dining rooms leading to slammed kitchens and fatigued serving staff. What if you could have all the pluses of restaurant week (RW) without the negatives?
One restaurant is offering pretty much that, as it opened too late to be included in the RW program. In fact, their special restaurant week menu (available through August 24th) is less than the price of the official menu! Cucina Neighborhood Italian restaurant in Preston center (in the old Ocho/ Mi Piaci space) is offering three courses for just $25 – and that includes a glass of house wine! I attended a media event last week and can confirm it is a real bargain. The helpings were large enough that I took food home for lunch the next day. The appetizers were good. The main courses excellent. The desserts less memorable. The menu is available every evening right now. Overall, it was an excellent value and the experience comes Crave Recommended.
One difference from regular restaurant week is that Cucina’s point-of-sale system is not set up to automatically deduct the donation included in a RW meal. So, take charge and make your contribution while you wait for your food to arrive at this link. The amount of a regular restaurant week contribution is $7 ($9 for the $45 meal).
Cucina’s motivation for this promotion is to build business and become a neighborhood favorite.
Here are some of the dishes we sampled:
Roman Egg Drop Soup
Chicken Marsala
Spaghetti Pomodoro
Portobello Puttanesca
Fettuccini Carbonara ( my favorite)
Cheese Cake
Tiramisu
