Restaurant Week began in New York City in 1992. Origi-nally a four-day event, it was created as a goodwill gesture to the 15,000 journalists and reporters covering that year’s Democratic National Convention. The idea was to create publicity for New York and the restaurant industry. Now, 23 years later, restaurant weeks have become a tradition all over the world in city after city because they appeal to both customers and restaurant owners.
Internationally, customers love Restaurant Week because they are offered a chance during that week to experience many of their own city’s best restaurants at a reduced price. The restaurants gain by attracting new diners, who might normally hesitate to try such restaurants because of the cost.
This year the Tourism and Hospitality Association in partnership with the Guyana Tourism Authority and the Ministry of Tourism has brought Restaurant Week to Guyana. It is a culinary celebration of our best restaurants. As tourism continues to grow and develop in Guyana and as more and more of us begin to enjoy dining out, it is important that we continue to experience and review the best that Guyana has to offer. During this 10-day extravaganza, starting today and ending on Sunday, November 15, eighteen participating restaurants will offer a quality, exclusive ‘Restaurant Week Menu’ at an affordable ‘Restaurant Week Price.’ This is an opportunity for the restaurants to showcase their skilled chefs and their finest cuisine, their excellent service and welcoming atmosphere.
The lunch menu is a minimum of two courses for $2,000. Participating restaurants for lunch are: Bottle Restaurant at Cara Lodge Hotel; Coffee Bean Eatery; Herdmanston Lodge; OMG!; Oasis Café; Palm Court Restaurant; Windjammer Hotel; Xie Xie Restaurant and Publik Wing & Burger House.
There are two price categories for dinner, $4,000 and $5,000 and both are a minimum of three courses. Participating restaurants with a $4,000 dinner menu are: Bottle Restaurant; Caribbean Soul Restaurant at Grand Costal Hotel and Windjammer Hotel. Those with a $5,000 dinner menu are: Angel Seafood Restaurant at Kanuku Suites Hotel; Ignite Bar & Grill at Pegasus Hotel; New Thriving Restaurant; Oasis Café; Ramada Princess Hotel’s Teppanyaki; Silhouette Restau-rant and Terra Mare at the Guyana Marriott.
All prices include VAT and service charges where applicable. Standard beverages are not included in the price. However, there is an opportunity to try new wines and rum cocktails. Select restaurants will be offering Folonari Wines at promotional prices during Restaurant Week, courtesy of Ansa McAL Limited. Meanwhile, courtesy of Demerara Distillers Ltd, select restaurants will offer a complimentary after-dinner drink and a rum cocktail will be offered with select lunch menus.
Your reviews and your comments are very important. The restaurants will listen to what you have to say, what you liked, what impressed you and what you would like to see improved. You can see all of the participating restaurants and their menus and also review each restaurant online by going to the Guyana Restaurant Week website www.guyanarestaurantweek.com This year also, there is a drawing in which diners can win big. Either download from the website or collect from any of the participating restaurants a GRW Passport sheet. Then, each time you dine, have the restaurant stamp your passport. Once you have your 5th stamp, put it in the collection box located at each participating restaurant and you will be entered in the draw to win:
1st prize: 1 Return ticket to New York from Dynamic Airlines
2nd prize: 1 Return ticket to Curacao from Insel Airlines
3rd prize: 1 Overnight for two persons at Arrowpoint Resort from Roraima Airlines
The drawing will take place on November 20.
Explore – eat – repeat, an adventure awaits. Together let’s make Guyana Restaurant Week a huge success!
