There may be no better cure for the winter doldrums than taking a break from the daily routine and having someone else do the food shopping, the cooking and the dishes — at least for one night. Maybe two. And maybe lunch, too.

That’s why the timing of Schenectady County Restaurant Week is so perfect. Starting Monday and continuing through Sunday, March 1, restaurants and bars throughout the county will be offering specially priced dinner and lunch menus.

Restaurant week is a joint effort by the Downtown Schenectady Improvement Corporation (DSIC), the Chamber of Schenectady County, and Discover Schenectady. It’s an opportunity to break the winter routine, get out of the house and enjoy some of our area’s finest eateries.

Participating businesses will offer special $20 lunch menus and special dinner menus for $30 or $40 (or both).

Offering $20 lunch menus next week will be: Broadway Lunch, Schenectady; Chez Nous, Schenectady; Katie O’Byrnes Irish Pub, Schenectady; Max410 at the Waters Edge, Glenville; More Perreca’s, Schenectady; The Nest, Schenectady; The Ritz on Union, Schenectady; Slick’s 1804 Tavern, Schenectady; Tops American Grill, Schenectady; and Wagon Train BBQ, Schenectady.

Offering either a $30 or $40 dinner menu, or both, are: Ambition Cafe, Schenectady ($30); Broadway Lunch, Schenectady ($30, $40); Bellevue Cafe, Schenectady ($40); The Bunker at Mohawk Harbor, Schenectady ($30); Canvas Corks & Forks, Schenectady ($40); Caribe Spanish Restaurant & Sports Bar, Schenectady ($30, $40); Chez Nous, Schenectady ($30, $40); Cornell’s in Little Italy, Schenectady ($40); Ferrari’s Ristorante, Schenectady ($30, $40); Grano, Schenectady ($30); Hometown Pub & Grub, Scotia ($30); Johnny’s, Schenectady ($30); Katie O’Byrnes Irish Pub, Schenectady ($30, $40); Manhattan Exchange, Schenectady ($40); Max410 at the Waters Edge, Glenville ($40); Meat & Company, Niskayuna ($30); Milas, Schenectady ($40); Mohawk Taproom & Grill, Scotia ($30); More Perreca’s, Schenectady ($30); The Nest, Schenectady ($40); The Palazzo Ristorante, Schenectady ($30); Pho Queen, Schenectady ($40); The Ritz on Union, Schenectady ($30); Stella Pasta Bar, Schenectady ($40); Stoney’s Irish Grill, Schenectady ($30); Tara Kitchen, Schenectady ($30); Tops American Grill, Schenectady ($30, $40); Turf Tavern, Scotia ($40); Vice & Virtue, Schenectady ($30); and Wagon Train BBQ, Schenectady ($30).

Visit the Discover Schenectady Restaurant Week page at https://www.discoverschenectady.com/events/schenectady-restaurant-week/ to click on the menu specials.

Remember to make a reservation, and tip generously.

And most of all, enjoy the break and savor all that great food.

© The Leader Herald