Recently in Deal of the week Category

The minute the menus for next week's Restaurant Showcase were finalized my stomach started to growl. "GRRRR" "GRRR"... yes it really is that good. We're talking crispy salmon cake, homemade pate and mesculun salad from La Boniche and that's just for starters. Ricardo's is going all out with fried rice balls, sirloin steak and grilled shrimp and vanilla gelato or lemoncello for finishers. Hard choice. I could relay the whole shebang here in painstaking detail, but someone already did it for me www.merrimackvalley.org. The dining deals kick in Aug 1 and end (sadly) Aug. 8. This is the first time such an endeavor has been undertaken in Greater Lowell (Concord, Dracut and Chelmsford are in the house). For those of you who don't know what I'm taking about, two-course lunches are priced between $9.09 to $15.09 and three-course dins are $23.09 to $33.09. Many a downtown chef has told me they are sticking to the $23 price tag to get you in their establishment. Very neighborly, don't you think?

Billy Costa of NECN's TV Diner will be in Lowell next Thursday to kick things off. What, Gourmet Gal isn't good enough? Costa swoops into town for the Summer Sam Fest Thursday, July 30 from 6 pm - 9 p.m. in the park behind the Tsongas. There will be a chef's cook-off and tasting. Note (and this is a BIG NOTE, food will only be sampled from 6 to 7 p.m.) See ya at 6:05 p.m.

You won't see Kerouac or Ginzy chowing down on a hoagie, but you will find steak and cheese cut from grade-A rib eye, hand-cut fries and this just in ... Belgian beers at the new Dharma Buns on Market Street. The sandwich shop, from the owners of Creative Buffet in Lawrence, is catering to a younger/late-night crowd and the prices will be reasonable. Seems these guys know their market. Milk shakes, energy drinks and "high-end beers" are the leading liquids. Not a bum deal.

Whoever tipped me off the the yogurt parfait at Market Street Market was right on. And a good price too. The parfaits at Starbucks are a buck more. $2.50 is a fine frugal breakfast. Props to MSM for not gouging us. We appreciate it.

I'd be remiss in my gourmet guru duties if I didn't pass along this late-breaking Cinco de Mayo news. Dollar tacos and $3 margaritas are up for grabs tonight at the Mambo Grill. Cut work early saying you came down w/ the Mexican flu. Hey, it's going around. Live music from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. makes the imbibe vibe at the Merrimack Street cantina. It doesn't feel like May, but what the hay. Tell em GG sent ya!

Would you believe this gorgeous mushroom, leek and gruyere pizza can be yours for loose change? Yes, I met fellow Lowell
blogger Marianne Gries on Friday at Market Basket and the crafty foodie who decamped to the Mill from San Francisco spilled the secrets of the thrifty gourmet. I was so impressed at the meals she shops for every week for 60 smacks that I rushed home and made my own pie. Find out more in the Sun's Frugal Friday section this week.
This za was so easy to make and costs around $6. We had leftovers to boot.
And speaking of fast and easy, I had top quality Chinese at Wah Sang the other night. And I wasn't the only one doing the Wok walk. The Chelms. St. spot was packed. Sure you can order your egg rolls to go, but the open-kitchen is hilarious to watch. A better oiled machine, you will not find in the MV. Wonton soup was loaded w/ veggies and a large is a filling meal! Nice moshu pork and lomein. Wah Sang all the way.

Restaurant Weeks have become like Twitter. The concept isn't fading anytime soon, so you might as well give in. Next week it's Nashua 's turn. The Gate City launches its first Spring Feast Week April Fools through April 7. The difference? Like Priceline, proprietors can set their own deals. Saffron Bistro, high on the yum scale, lays down a 25 percent pre fixe dins, and Peddlers Daughter, best chippers this side of Sligo, lops 20 percent off lunch and dins. Im in. There's also a tapas place called Stella Blu on the list. Anyone been? Lowell's sister city raises the stakes higher w/ a beer tasting. Those Granite Staters really do live free. Tastings take place nightly at a different spot. Three cheers for the N of H. more here

Centro, the Market Street bistro that looks like Miami Beach, is keeping the Great Plates love alive with a spin on the city's successful promo. Starting this week, chef Patty Stella lays down a three-course discount meal that should revive those ladies who used to lunch, but have gone into hiding w/ a can of beans in the basements of Belvidere. (You know who you are). For $9.50 the mid-day crowd can fortify themselves w/soup or salad (Centro nabbed 2nd place at WinterFest 09's soup comp. btw) baked orecchiette pasta and sausage tossed with ricotta tomato sauce and topped with Parmesan cheese. Yes please! Sinful chocolate mousse with fresh berries will send you back to the office w/ a spring in your step. Or, if you throw in a signature cocktail or two at the squiggle bar, home for a catnap. And you thought the three-martini lunch was dead. Centro's Great Plates runs Wed.- Fri. from 11:30 to 3 p.m.
www.centrolowell.com