Downtown Albany Restaurant Week to Celebrate 10th Anniversary!

Editors Note: This story comes to us from the Downtown Albany Business Improvement District. Their story gives us a look at the 10th Anniversary Downtown Albany Restaurant Week!

The Downtown Albany Business Improvement District (BID) is pleased to announce the 10th Anniversary of the Downtown Albany Restaurant Week. The 10-day celebration will take place from Wednesday, April 2, 2014 through Friday, April 11, 2014, in honor of the event’s milestone. Program highlights include 10 Year Anniversary drink specials on Thursday, April 10th, a Downtown Albany Ambassador evening and a concert in the park. Ticket give-a-ways to upcoming events at Downtown’s major entertainment venues such as Capital Repertory Theatre, The Palace Theatre and The Time Union Center are also planned. New this year, restaurants such as Taste and The Capital American Eatery and Lounge, will be changing their menus every five days to offer optimal choices for patrons. Popular promotions such as Student Night (Monday, April 7, 2014) and Capital Ticket Nights (Wednesday and Thursday, April 9-10, 2014) will also return for the annual event. Additionally, many participating restaurants will be extending their special menus beyond the event and into Saturday, April 12, 2014. The BID will be announcing the full program for Restaurant Week in mid-March at downtownalbany.org.

 As the first Restaurant Week in the Capital Region starting in 2004, the event has brought over 182,000 diners to downtown Albany over the past 9 years, translating into $6.3 million in economic impact for the locally owned BID businesses. Seven restaurants from the inaugural year continue to enjoy welcoming patrons back to their dining rooms each Restaurant Week. This year, 16 Downtown Albany Restaurants are scheduled to participate in the special offering of three-course meals for $20.14 (valued at a minimum of $35.00).

  “As an anticipated and successful event for the past 9 years, Restaurant Week is a great time to come and experience all the activity happening in our Capital City,” said Mayor Kathy M. Sheehan, “Albany boasts some of the best restaurants in the entire region. Congratulations to all the businesses that make our Downtown a vibrant destination for residents and visitors alike.”

Participating restaurants for the 10th Anniversary Restaurant Week include: *Victory Café, V&R
 (* denotes a founding restaurant from 2004). Diners are encouraged to make advance reservations with individual restaurants. Menus, hours of operation and specials for all 16 participating restaurants are available at downtownalbany.org.

  “Over $180 million in development projects are currently under construction or will begin later this spring/summer resulting in 680+ permanent, net new jobs and an estimated 427 additional residents in Downtown,” explains Georgette Steffens, Executive Director, Downtown Albany BID, “Investment at this level has not been seen in Downtown since the Albany Plan in 1998. These projects are providing cutting edge technology jobs, visitor experiences and living spaces right in the heart of our Capital City. We invite you to come enjoy fabulous food and see all the exciting changes taking place.”

Special promotions will be offered to Restaurant Week participants including:
Italian Ristorante, Taste, Olde English Pub & Pantry, Merry Monk, *La Serre, *Jack’s Oyster House, Hudson *Harbor Steak & Seafood, The Hollow Bar + Kitchen, *Franklin’s Tower, City Beer Hall, Charter (Hilton), The Capital American Eatery & Lounge, *Café Capriccio, Buddha Tea House, *Albany Pump Station

• Student Night – On Monday, April 7, 2014 students are encourage to come out and dine the 3-course menu for only $15.14 at select restaurants. Four restaurants are participating, including: The Hollow Bar + Kitchen, Jack’s Oyster House, La Serre, and V&R Italian Ristorante.

• Capital Ticket – Wednesday, April 9 and Thursday, April 10, 2014 parties of four (4) or more participating in Restaurant Week will have a chance to win a $200 gift certificate to any business located within the Downtown Albany Business Improvement District. One winner will be randomly awarded on Wednesday and one on Thursday.

• Eat Great. Win Great. All week long in addition to the 3-course dining promotion, Restaurant Week patrons can enter to win hundreds of dollars in Downtown dining gift certificates by filling out a brief survey about their dining experience at their chosen restaurant. Winners will be chosen at random from all completed surveys. Survey prizes include: One Downtown Albany Winner (a grand prize winner to receive four gift certificates totaling $200). Two I Love Downtown winners (second prize winner to receive two gift certificate totaling $100) and four Illuminate Downtown winners (third prize winners to receive one gift certificate totaling $50).

“Wrapping up the always popular Restaurant Week, we are pretty excited to welcome Christopher Kimball, host and founder of America's Test Kitchen on PBS to downtown Albany,” explains Holly Brown, Executive Director of The Palace Theatre, “Tagged as one of the most popular cooking shows on television today, Kimball will feature a live, behind-the-scenes experience of the America's Test Kitchen.”

The show is scheduled for Sunday, April 13, 2014 at 3:00 PM. For more information and tickets visit palacealbany.com.

Restaurant Week attendees are invited to take advantage of numerous parking options in downtown Albany including the Albany Parking Authority’s (APA) parking initiative, 2 Blocks, 2 Bucks, 2 Easy. After 6:00 PM parking in APA garages, (Riverfront, Green-Hudson and Quackenbush) a short walk from participating restaurants, is available for $2.00. This offer is not available when special event rates are in effect. Visit parkalbany.com for additional information. On street meter parking is also available for no charge after 6:00 PM.

 The Downtown Albany Business Improvement District (BID) is reorganizing its public programming focus to include one Restaurant Week in 2014 along with an upcoming announcement for an additional food related event in the fall.