This week is special. There’s something in the air that just different than any other week. You might be thinking, “The Oracle’s really done it, they got the date of Valentine’s Day wrong,” but no, there’s something special about this week.

It’s still about love though, not love for boyfriends or “galentines,” but the love that really matters. The kind that lasts through thick and thin: the love for good food.

That’s right, we’re in the swing of Restaurant Week. Until Friday, Feb. 23, there is an area-wide event hosted by MSP Magazine including some of the Twin Cities’s hottest restaurants with two or three course, prix fixe menus ranging from $10 to $35 per person, not including tax, gratuity, and any beverages for dinners and lunches.

The entire list of participating restaurants is a long one with over 50 participants in the Twin Cities and surrounding area, but this year there are some new additions. In Saint Paul, Citizen, Fitzgerald’s, Holman’s Table, PUBLIC, and Vieux Carré are the new locations for this special event.

This event offers an opportunity to sample restaurants that might otherwise go unnoticed in the plethora of options in the cities.

“We are excited to use this platform to showcase to a wider audience what we are all about,” Liz Bergquist, Director of Operations at Holman’s Table, said.

As a restaurant located in the Saint Paul Downtown Airport, before security clearance, can be difficult.

“Our challenge as a new restaurant off-the-beaten-path is to let people know we’re here and open, the reach of MSP Mag shines a light on places you may not go to,” Bergquist said.

Like every restaurant on the list, Holman’s Table built a special menu for the fixed priced deal. They will have both a $20 lunch option and a $35 dinner option.

“We selected items that have already stood out as guest favorites. We, of course, love everything on our menu, but wanted to be sure we picked the best of the best and included items unique to us,” Bergquist said.

Their menu, compared to other featured restaurants, features a variety of choices in the appetizer and entree categories including duck ragout, hanger steak, diver scallops, and organic farro salad to name a sampling.

“Mushroom Toast is to die for, our burgers and steak use some of the best beef around, Revier Farms, and our Salmon is perfectly smoked and prepared on our Organic Farro Salad or in our Salmon Entree.”

As for the other new Saint Paul options, there’s lots to eat for both lunch and dinner.

The most affordable option from the newcomer’s will be a $15 lunch at Citizen, Fitzgerald’s or PUBLIC kitchen and bar. Fitzgerald’s in the Summit University neighborhood might be the closest to campus for samplings like wild mushroom soup and moules-frites, but downtown Citizen is offering a four-course lunch with soup, salad, and small plate, and a dessert.

For dinner, Citizen will be the cheapest at $25 offering luxuries like crab cakes, cedar planked salmon, and ivoire cremeu. PUBLIC, uniquely, will be offering the option to add wine for an additional $10 to their $30 dinner.

If you’re looking to take part in Restaurant Week without spending too much, check out somewhere with a $10 lunch option on the lowest end of the spectrum like al Vento for a two course lunch starting with soup, salad, or bruschetta and finishing with pizza, raviolis, or a panini in Southeast Minneapolis.

If you’re looking to take part but time is an issue, head someplace close to campus like Kincaid’s for an classic American meal or Saji-Ya for sushi during lunch or dinner with only a ten minute drive from campus.

As Bergquist summarized, “Foodies by heart we love the concept and what it offers diners in the Twin Cities, going out should be a great experience and [Restaurant Week] truly highlights the community aspect of eating.”

All information about the full list of restaurants featured and their menus can be found on MSP Magazine’s website.

Newcomers to Restaurant Week in Saint Paul, Minnesota