This week only...eating trumps writing.

Restaurant Week is a genius idea. For those who aren't familiar, it's a stretch of 10 days or so where most of the nice restaurants in downtown Cleveland offer special deals and menus. It's the fleetingness of it that inspires me to look forward to it every year, and of course the deals themselves. Three courses for $30. And just to put it in perspective, let's take Lola, for instance, which is arguably one of Cleveland's most well-known restaurants. Thanks to a one Mr. Michael Symon. The last time I ate at Lola, my bill alone (for just me) was $62. So Restaurant Week is a more affordable way to get into some of these upscale places.

This year I made a record number of reservations, and while this wreaked havoc on both my waistline and my bedtime, I'm sad that it's over. It's just so fun to be downtown and see more people there than usual, to look at each feature menu and pick the three-course combination of your choice, to know you're getting a deal. Especially since if you really think about it, three courses is more than you typically eat at dinner, and $30 is still way more than you typically spend. So despite its glamour, all Restaurant Week is really doing is causing you to overeat and overspend. But that doesn't bother me in the least. I'll see you downtown next year.