If you live in the Philadelphia region, restaurant week is a great bargain. Participating restaurants will offer three-course dinners for $35 per person. Some of the restaurants will also offer three-course lunches for $20 per person. Price does not include beverages, tax or gratuity.

 

If you don’t live in the region, you can still take advantage of a freebie that’s offered in conjunction with restaurant week. You can download “Center City Cooks,” a compilation of recipes from restaurant week chefs.

 

You can print out the entire book, one section or one recipe along with tips from the chefs and notes from Philly Homegrown. Some of the tips from Philly Homegrown point home cooks to the farmers markets where they can find the ingredients for the recipes. Home cooks outside the area can use ingredients from their own local producers in the recipes.

 

The fall 2011 edition of “Center City Cooks” is the first in what is expected to be a quarterly offering, with seasonal recipes being added throughout the year.