Where To Dine For San Diego Restaurant Week

This is KPBS Midday Edition. If you spend a little too much money on making merry this holiday season, you will be happy to hear that San Diego Restaurant Week extends through this weekend. 180 restaurants are taking part offering reduced rates on lunch and dinner menus. Joining us to talk about it is Michele Parente , lifestyle reporter at the San Diego Union-Tribune. Welcome. Thank you Maureen. What is new this year? Can you tell us about some of the new participating restaurants? The list goes on and on. There are 180 restaurants. UberOne of the most exciting new things going on is that is offering a promotion to Coronado. I think for a lot of us who don't live on the island, the bridge is a mental barrier. We think not to think of going out of dinner to Coronado. A are trying to remedy that. They have a special rate that will take you the state chophouse, 1500 ocean at the Dell. L4 Niall and [ name unknown ] on the water line -- waterfront and Leroy's. You need reservations? Absolutely. It is really late. I think people need to get on the phone as soon as the segment is over. You should know some of of the restaurants don't advertise but they extend restaurant week for a second week. If there's a place that you are dying to go to call them and ask them if they are extending it. What about tipping? Do you tip on the reduced prices? You know what. I'm a pretty generous tip or so I like to tip on what it would have been doing a little calculation in my head. Although I did go out to dinner the other night and we barely tipped 15% because our service was not very good. That is another consideration. As we have been saying with 180 restaurants, restaurant we can be overwhelming -- so many choices, so much good food -- what is your approach for getting the best out of these bargains? What I like to do is go for a splurge and go to a restaurant I wouldn't usually spend the money for. I can expense my dinners when I am reviewing them, but when I am on my own dime, I am paying attention to the pocketbook. What I do, I look at the big splurge places, George's, 910, state chophouse and Coronado -- I look at their menu and if it looks good, it usually does, that is my first choice. What I try to do is stay close to home. I want to go to a neighborhood spot in trying to spread the wealth a little bit closer to home. For me that would be American bistro on El Cajon. What's in it for the restaurants? A lot grumble about it because it is a big undertaking for them to be serving all of those dinners at the same time and not really making the kind of profit margin they would make on a regular night. A lot of people only go to the restaurants during restaurant week copper what they're hoping for is that they will showcase their food and it will become a place you will come back over and over -- whether or not it is restaurant week. Can you quickly tell us what dishes you have really enjoyed perhaps the top dish you have enjoyed quick The top dish I enjoyed was a Moroccan spiced lamb at 910. The chef is a genius. He is one of the best in town. It is a little underrated. I had an eggplant appetizer a sampling of all kind of different eggplant preparations and that led to this Moroccan spiced lamb dish. I ended it with the most incredible half-baked chocolate cake which I dream about every day. Restaurant week runs technically through January Restaurant week runs technically through January 24. We have a list of participating restaurants on our website KPBS -- KPBS.org. I had been speaking with Michele Parente . Thank you so much. Thank you Maureen. I Maureen Cavanaugh. Thank you for listening.