Prix fixe dining for all

It’s back. Every year, a slew of restaurants create three-course menus for $35 for a very special 10-day period, this year starting January 12: Dine Downtown Restaurant Week. It’s a prime time to check out some of the city’s fancier restaurants that you normally can’t afford or try a spot you don’t know much about. And it’s a boon for the restaurants, too, which normally suffer a slow period shortly after the New Year—something about resolutions or whatever—and hope to lure in future repeat diners. More than 30 spots are participating this year, including reliable participants like Biba, Ella Dining Room & Bar, Empress Tavern, Grange Restaurant & Bar and the Firehouse. Other interesting options include Brasserie Capitale, Kasbah, Plan B Cafe and Skool on K. For a full list of restaurants and sample menus, visit https://godowntownsac.com.