Analyzing Dine Out Boston, Part 2: $20 Lunches

This is the second part of a six-part series analyzing the offerings at this year's Dine Out Boston, the revamped Restaurant Week. Refer to part one for details about the methodology of the following ranking. In short, Eater has combed through the options available at each price tier (lunches for $15/$20/$25 and dinners for $28/$33/$38) to determine the best (and worst) bets for Dine Out Boston based on three factors: number of options, rough amount of money saved based on the same (or similar) dishes on the regular menu, and how well the Dine Out Boston menu actually represents a regular meal at the restaurant. What this ranking does not include: quality of the dishes or the restaurants. It's also possible that some restaurants will downgrade portion sizes, so while something might appear to be a deal on paper, that's no guarantee of what it will look like on the plate.

Yesterday, we looked at the $15 lunches. Today, $20 lunches.

Here are all of the places offering $20 lunch during Dine Out Boston. Several options have been omitted from Eater's analysis because they haven't shared their Dine Out Boston menus, regular menus, or both, or their regular menus don't list prices: Abby Park, Antico Forno, Artu Rosticceria & Trattoria, Aura, Beacon Hill Bistro, Beat Hotel, The Beehive, Blue Ginger, The Capital Grille, Clink, EVOO, Joe's American, Kika Tapas, Met Back Bay, Morton's, Petit Robert, Ruth's Chris Steak House, Terramia Ristorante. Tryst has also been omitted because it was categorized incorrectly on the Dine Out Boston site; it should have been included in the $15 lunches.

BEST BETS

· Umbria Prime (Financial District): The three-course menu offers plenty of options straight from the regular menu and about $11-28 of savings (get the double Kurabuto pork chop for the best value.)
· Max Brenner (Back Bay): Not too many options, but they represent the menu well and can net you $20-22 in savings.
· Strega (Waterfront): The best deal of the Strega locations: decent options, $10-17 in savings, and a realistic representation of the menu.
· Artisan Bistro (Theatre District): Not a lot of options, but they're from the regular menu, and you can save $17-28.
· Trattoria Il Panino (North End): Very few options, but they'll save you $19-26, and they're a good representation of the regular menu.
· Dalya's Restaurant (Bedford): Plenty of options right from the regular menu and $7-12 in savings.
· Quattro (North End): Choose from about half of the regular menu and save $0-10.
· Strega (North End): Less options than the Waterfront location, but it's still a good representation of the regular menu, and you can save $12-17.
· Toscano (Beacon Hill and Harvard Square): Save $7-13 with a fair amount of options taken right from the menu.
· 29 Newbury Restaurant (Back Bay): A few items are specific to the Dine Out Boston menu, but you'll save $8-11.
· Henrietta's Table (Harvard Square): Virtually the whole menu is available, but you'll only save about $6.
· Sofia Italian Steakhouse (West Roxbury): Choose from a bunch of options from the regular menu and save $0-6.

DECENT OPTIONS

· Sportello (Fort Point): You'll save $15-21, but there's not much to choose from, and most of the items don't appear on the regular menu.
· Pierrot Bistrot Francais (Beacon Hill): Save $6-11 with a medium amount of options that are a fair representation of the regular menu.
· Bin 26 Enoteca (Beacon Hill): Just two courses, but you can save up to $13.
· Avenue One (Downtown): Save $6-11 on a fair number of options that represent the menu well.
· Artbar (Cambridge): There are just two courses, and you'll only save up to $6 or so, but they're from the regular menu.
· 5 Napkin Burger (Back Bay): A fair number of options right from the menu, but you'll only save about $4.
· Chart House (Waterfront): Save $5-10. There aren't many options, but they're a good representation of the menu.
· The Fireplace (Brookline): Save $4-8 on a small number of options, pulled from the regular menu.
· La Voile (Back Bay): They usually have a three-course prix-fixe menu available for $25. This is similar to that, but you'll save $5.
· Row 34 (Fort Point): Not many options, and only a few are on the regular menu. You'll save $6-11.
· Towne (Back Bay): Save $17-21, maybe, but none of the options really resemble anything on the regular menu, so the estimate is very rough.
· Tresca (North End): Just two courses with two options each, but you'll save $8-17.
· Strega Prime (Woburn): Try one of the other locations for a better deal. This resembles their typical lunch prix-fixe, which is $21, so you're just saving $1.

GO SOME OTHER TIME

· Blu (Theatre District): Just a few options, and they don't look like the regular menu, but you can save $11-16.
· Lala Rokh (Beacon Hill): Not a lot of options, and they don't look much like the regular menu, so it's a rough estimate that you'll save $10.
· Zephyr on the Charles (Cambridge): Choose two courses from a small pool of appetizer, entree, and dessert options that don't look like the regular menu. Save about $15.
· Brasserie Jo (Back Bay): Very few options, and they don't represent the menu well. Save $5-7.
· Left Bank (Tyngsboro): Two options per course, and they don't look like the regular menu. Save $6-8.
· Sandrine's Bistro (Cambridge): Basically the same as their existing $20 lunch prix-fixe, so you might as well go some other time.
· Mija Cantina & Tequila Bar (Faneuil Hall): Two courses with three options each. None resemble anything on the regular menu, so it's hard to estimate savings well, but it looks like you'll save approximately nothing.
· Papa Razzi (Back Bay): Two courses with very few options, and they're not a good representation of the menu. Save $0-3. Better off going on a normal weekday, when you can pick an appetizer and entree from the entire menu for $20.
· Salvatore's (Seaport District): Two courses with very few options, and they're very basic options that don't represent the menu well. Based on comparable menu items, you really won't save anything.

· All coverage of Dine Out Boston on Eater [~EBOS~]