Pittsburgh, PA, December 27, 2012:  When Pittsburgh Restaurant Week begins on Monday, January 14, 2013 area diners can expect to see several new items debuting on menus across the region.  As restaurants city-wide prepare for the upcoming celebration, both new and established chefs are taking advantage of the opportunity to debut “New Dishes for the New Year” along with their week-long dining deals lasting through Sunday, January 20, 2013 for Pittsburgh Restaurant Week – Winter 2013.

Tweet and discuss the New Dishes for the New Year using official hashtag #NewDishNewYear

According to an online poll conducted at pittsburghrestaurantweek.com/pghrestaurantwk, over 55% of restaurant week diners aim to visit a new restaurant in town, while less than 10% may opt to re-visit a favorite restaurant.  So when planning began for the Winter 2013 celebration, Event Director Brian McCollum thought it was important to respond by creating a theme that would inspire the community to both discover and re-discover the Pittsburgh dining-scene.  The “New Dishes for the New Year” theme encourages both new and established restaurants to debut a new menu item so the community gets a fresh taste of something new and delicious.

While not all 50 participating restaurants will offer a new menu item, McCollum hopes that the public will be drawn toward trying the new dishes.  Chef Dan Robinson from Kaleidoscope Cafe in Lawrenceville will debut a new small plate, a Trio of Duck.  New restaurant week participant 1810 Tavern in Bridgewater has planned a special “$20.13 New Year’s Revolution” dish.  A popular destination for past restaurants week celebrations, Verde Mexican Kitchen & Cantina in Garfield will debut a “Mexican macaroni and cheese” dish, MACCARONES Y QUESO, among several other new items.

With the celebration drawing near, now is the time to start making reservations to take advantage of wonderful dining deals at participating restaurants.  Visit pittsburghrestaurantweek.com/pghrestaurantwk for the official listing of participating restaurants and their dining deals.

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