Lisa Zhu | Bang for your buck

As many of you already know, Fall Restaurant Week arrived in full force on Sunday. Over 100 restaurants in Philadelphia, including some of the city's hottest and most expensive establishments, have put out $35 fixed-price, multi-course dinner menus. Although I definitely wouldn't call myself a "foodie"- it's hard to eat foie gras and veal when you're a vegetarian - I do enjoy partaking in dining options a step up from 1920 Commons.

But as I scrolled through the list of participating restaurants on OpenTable.com last week, some of the options left me slightly puzzled. For instance, I raised an eyebrow at La Viola, the BYOB where Penn students go to pair their lobster ravioli with a chilled game of white-wine pong. Worse yet was the inclusion of Marathon Grill. Marathon Grill, seriously? Was Greek Lady booked solid for the week?

That's not to say Restaurant Week isn't a worthwhile experience - it can be, if you choose the right restaurant. "Every restaurant takes a different approach to Restaurant Week," said Philadelphia Inquirer restaurant critic Craig LaBan. "Some restaurants take the cheapest things on their menu, rush people in and out and just use the event to make a quick buck."

In other words, even upscale restaurants can sometimes deliver a subpar selection of food or smaller serving sizes, by virtue of the sheer volume of diners.

"I went to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse on Monday, and even though the food was pretty good, I wish it would have come in bigger portions," said College junior Rich Cesar. Unfortunately, among the high-end restaurants participating in the event, it can be difficult to predict which ones will have consistently high-quality food and which ones will shortchange their customers.

On the positive end of the spectrum is Amada, the Old City Spanish tapas restaurant, whose Restaurant Week menu boasts 26 different dishes. "We don't change the portions, we don't change the ingredients," said Amada general manager Aaron Kleinle. "[When] guests get to see what we offer during Restaurant Week, and they decide to come back, that's really the reason why we participate."

In contrast, Marathon Grill, an establishment already painfully familiar to many Penn students, also offers a Restaurant Week menu with items such as Mushroom Bucatini and Thai Coconut Shrimp. Why they would participate in the event is anyone's guess, since all of Marathon Grill's entrees already cost less than $20. "I would use the Restaurant Week opportunity to go to restaurants you normally wouldn't go to," LaBan recommended. "Most people go to places like Marathon Grill all the time."

But even if you've chosen a superb establishment whose Restaurant Week service and food selection is every bit as high quality as during their regular days of operation, it's still likely you'll wind up emptying your wallet over a meal. Many Penn students who go out to dinner downtown often neglect to incorporate all the costs associated with the outing into their budget plan. "The '$30 for a three-course meal' deal can be a little deceiving," said Nursing Junior Kari Marton-Rollins. "You have to think about the cost of transportation, tip and drinks as well."

Kleinle agreed, "With the way Restaurant Week menus are priced . people are a little more apt to come in and order more of the specialty drinks." And since specialty drinks or wine at an upscale restaurant can often cost well over $10 per glass, having two or three drinks with dinner during Restaurant Week may wind up doubling the size of the check.

That said, dining out downtown can be a classy, enjoyable affair, whether you go during Restaurant Week or any other time of year. However, the amount of money actually saved during Restaurant Week really depends the economic vigilance of the diner.

In other words, pay attention to how much you spend on taxis, drinks and tip - after all, it's not likely that Le Bec Fin accepts Bursar or Dining Dollars.

Lisa Zhu is a Wharton and College senior from Cherry Hill, N.J., and United Minorities Council chairwoman. Her e-mail is zhu@dailypennsylvanian.com. Zhu-ology appears every Thursday.

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