24 East Valley restaurants to participate in Arizona Restaurant Week starting Friday

Two dozen East Valley restaurants will participate in Arizona Restaurant Week’s fall edition, which starts Friday and runs through Sunday, Sept. 27.

Restaurants will offer special prix fixe menus for either $33 or $44 per person. Typically, the menus include a choice of appetizer, a choice of entree, and a choice of dessert.

For example, Zappone’s Italian Bistro in Gilbert is offering:

• Appetizer: Choice of Roman-style artichokes with mint, Calabrian chiles, and garlic; or proscuitto-wrapped shrimp with orange glaze and fennel.
• Entree: Choice of braised beef cheeks with saffron risotto; or Branzino with Sicilian capers and smashed Yukon Gold potatoes; or asparagus-ricotta ravioli in butter and olive oil.
• Dessert: Limoncello semifreddo with blueberries; or flourless chocolate torte with hazelnut gelato and orange glaze.

The participating East Valley restaurants by city:

• Ahwatukee: The Melting Pot.
• Chandler: Bernard’s at Ocotillo Golf Resorts, CHoP, Earnest, Firebirds Wood Fired Grill, Fired Up Grill, Porkopolis, Roy’s, The Keg, and Vintage 95.
• Gilbert: Barrio Queen, High Tide Seafood, The Keg, Zappone’s Italian Bistro.
• Mesa: Beaver Choice (whose chicken schnitzel is pictured above).
• Tempe: Cafe Lalibela, Citrine, Culinary Dropout, House of Tricks, Salut Kitchen Bar, The Dhaba, The Keg, Thirsty Lion, and Top of the Rock.

See the list of all Arizona participating restaurants and their menus here.