Fine Dining in The D

f fast food and Coney Island fare are not your idea of good meals and chain restaurants leave your palate unsatisfied, Detroit Restaurant Week (DRW) might be just what you're looking for.

From Sept. 23 through Oct. 2, guests can enjoy a prix-fixe, three-course meal for only $28 per person, excluding beverages, tax and gratuity, at 21 fine dining establishments in Detroit.

DRW has been going strong since fall 2009 and happens twice a year. "We are different from any other restaurant weeks [in other cities] because we keep it only fine dining and only Detroit," says Dana Boyette, DRW's project manager. The purpose is to support and promote fine dining restaurants in greater downtown Detroit.

Since its inception, more than 120,000 people have participated in DRW, spending an estimated $2.1 million.

Detroit Seafood Market, a Black-owned restaurant, is participating in DRW for the second time. "We have watched our business grow because of DRW," says the restaurant's general manager, Theo Oresky. "We were mainly excited about people coming in downtown Detroit."

Boyette agrees: "If this is what it takes for people to try Detroit, then that is OK with us."

Restaurant and jazz nightclub Cliff Bell's is participating for the first time this season. "We are trying to draw some attention [to the fact that] that we are a restaurant and not just a jazz nightclub," says General Manager Tony Muzzi. "So, we are very excited to be participating in DRW."

The restaurant furthest from downtown participating in this season's DRW is La Dolce Vita, located in the Palmer Park area. Restaurants in Midtown, Eastern Market and the New Center area are also part of DRW, but the majority are in the core of downtown.

Boyette encourages city dwellers and suburbanites to take advantage of this opportunity to enjoy gourmet dining at a reasonable price. "This week is going to be jumping," he says.

For a list of all participating restaurants and to make reservations, visit DetroitRestaurantWeek.com.