Restaurants to offer price-fixed menus

Weeklong event to benefit Three Square food bank

Special to ViewChef Hubert Keller of Fleur de Lys and Burger Bar at Mandalay Bay demonstrates cooking tips for Julie Murray, CEO of Three Square. Both Fleur de Lys and Burger Bar are among more than 50 restaurants participating in Restaurant Week 2009 which benefits Three Square. Advertisement

Locals and tourists alike will get a rare opportunity to enjoy meals from some of the valley's best restaurants at greatly reduced prices, all while helping to feed the valley's hungry. Restaurant Week, which runs from Aug. 31 through Sept. 6, was conceived not long after the Three Square food bank, the charity it supports, opened for business.

"Three Square officially began in September of 2006," said Julie Murray, the non-profit organization's CEO. "Right after the first of the year in 2007, David McIntyre, the head of food and beverage for the MGM Grand, told us he loved our mission, loved what we were trying to do and wanted to do something to get restaurants engaged in our work to end hunger."

McIntyre had seen similar programs in New York and San Francisco and felt it could work in Las Vegas, especially with the great number of world-class restaurants the city boasts.

The concept is simple. Restaurants create special menus for Restaurant Week with a fixed, lower-price rate. This year, those fixed prices are $20.09, $30.09 and $50.09. Not all participating restaurants have meals at all three price points, but all offer at least one meal at one of the prices.

"Some of finest restaurants in town are offering meals that would normally cost double, triple or even quadruple the Restaurant Week price," Murray said. "Not only can a customer come in for a fine meal, but they get to know that a portion of the proceeds will help us with our work to end hunger at the Three Square food bank."

Three Square acts as the valley's central food bank, providing meals for many of the valley's hungry. It's a job that has gotten bigger even as Three Square has worked to be more efficient.

"The need has grown faster with the recession and the unemployment numbers and the foreclosures," Murray said. "Those numbers keep growing, and just when we think we've got our arms around the problem, something else goes even higher. We're struggling to keep up and we're looking to the community to help out with food drives and small donations to keep our food banks full."

Tim Ryan, the general manager for FiAMMA at the MGM Grand and this year's chair for Restaurant Week, is pleased with the restaurant turnout this year.

"So far, around 60 or 70 restaurants are on board, and we hope to have quite a few more by the time Restaurant Week rolls around," Ryan said.

During the 2008 Restaurant Week, Ryan worked closely with the chair Scott Hamilton, director of food and beverage for the MGM.

This year nearly all the restaurants at the MGM are on board, as well as many of dining establishments at other properties on the Strip. A few locals restaurants are participating as well, such as Rosemary's at 8125 W. Sahara Ave.

Ryan hasn't finalized his own restaurant's menu, but he said he expects it will offer a $30.09 menu and a $50.09 menu.

"It will be a three-course meal, and it will be a huge value," Ryan said. "It will be great for people to try out some of our great restaurants in town while supporting the charity so they can feel good about dining out."

Ryan is pleased and proud to be working with Three Square on Restaurant Week.

"They're really working hard to end hunger in our valley," Ryan said. "By partnering with them, we're trying to educate our friends all about Three Square and give them a reason to come out and join us and have a great time."

A list of participating restaurants and menus is available at www.threesquare.org. Check back for frequent updates. Information about Three Square and how to donate food or volunteer also is available at the site or by calling 365-6574.

Contact Sunrise and Whitney View reporter F. Andrew Taylor at ataylor@viewnews.com or 380-4532.