It is OFFICIALLY Restaurant Week!

Last night I had the crazy fortunate pleasure of hosting a blogger preview party at Chamberlain’s Steak and Chop House to kick off Restaurant Week on behalf of the Texas Beef Council. 20 bloggers. 3 courses. 289 #TXBeef #KRLDRW tweets. When Chef Chamberlain came out and introduced the Restaurant Week Menu, I knew I was in trouble. There was NO WAY I could choose.   For starters, he was serving Summer Corn Bisque, Duck Confit Spring Rolls, and Baby Iceberg Wedge Salad with Tomato Carpaccio. The Entree choices were two beef dishes:   Strube Ranch Kobe Sirloin and Pecan Wood Smoked Prime Rib. And then there was dessert choices. FOUR of them! Help! Lavendar Creme Brulee, Texas Citrus Pie with Ruby Red Grapefruit Sauce, Warm Chocolate Center Cake with Blackberry Port Sauce and Almond Bread Pudding with Amaretto Caramel Sauce were all calling my name. I finally settled on the Summer Corn Bisque, Strube Ranch Kobe Sirloin and the Warm Chocolate Center Cake with Blackberry Port Sauce. It was like a multiple choice test with no wrong answers. We heard about the impact of Restaurant Week in DFW.   It is simply amazing. Over 125 restaurants participate. Each meal is $35. Each meal triggers a $7 donation. And in the end over $600,000 is raised for the North Texas Food Bank and the Lena Pope Home. Restaurant Week is all about bringing people to eat together for a good cause and that is exactly what happened at the preview party. I don’t think I have laughed so hard in a long time.   To sit and talk (in person!) with bloggers who I interact with online everyday is a big treat.   To share stories in more than 140 characters is awesome.   And to see other people pull out a camera for each and every course makes me feel completely at home. The bloggers were given a VERY difficult task to complete on behalf of the Texas Beef Council… …to return to one of the 18 restaurants who are featuring special beef dishes on their Restaurant Week Menu and report back. It will be grueling. I am headed to Tillman’s Roadhouse next week and will report back my findings. We were honored to meet Marianne Howells who is the force behind Restaurant Week.   She is a lady on a mission and that mission is infectious in her presence.   My short conversation with her was the highlight of the evening for me. It was such a pleasant way to spend an evening. I hope YOU will take advantage of Restaurant Week.   Check out the restaurants, grab a few friends and head off to an amazing meal at a great price. Thanks again to the Texas Beef Council for making this wonderful event possible.   You can follow along on twitter with the hashtag #TXBeef and the Restaurant Week hashtag #KRLDRW. {If you write about restaurant week or this event, please leave the link in the comments and I will add it to the link list below.} Shauna ate the super secret 4th course at the Preview Party Angela took better food pictures than me and you can see them here Mel almost cries when she has to choose what to order {I totally understand!} Jessica chose the EXACT meal I did…she has good taste 🙂 Crystal valets a smelly car? Rory’s daughter helps herself to Texas Citrus Pie with Ruby Red Grapefruit Sauce…the size of her Allie and hubby enjoy Texas beef Real Posh Mom eats poshly Trista gets a much needed night out Thanks!