Tbones Participates in Week of Dining Deals

Sunday kicks off New Jersey Restaurant Week, during which more than 200 restaurants statewide will be offering delicious dining deals, and T'bones on Commons Way is joining in on the fun.

Restaurant Week will run through Sept. 25. 

Tbones, a tuscan steakhouse—located in the Bridgewater Marriott on Commons Way—is participating in the week with a specially created, $35 fixed-price menu for dinner every day.

Dinners are served at the restaurant Monday through Saturday, from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., and reservations are recommended.

Robert Williams, Tbones' specialty restaurant chef, said the food and ambiance at Tbones is "high-end cuisine with a more casual and comfortable feeling."

The three-course menu being used for the event gives diners a choice of a house salad, fried calamari or a lump crab cake for an appetizer; kobe braised short ribs, seared ahi tuna or pan-seared chicken saltimbocca for a main entree; and key lime pie, tiramisu or Tahitian vanilla crème brulée for dessert.

"[The menu] is a play on normal items we have in the restaurant, with a little bit of a spin," Williams said. "It is to show what makes us stand apart from the rest."

The different dishes also incorporate Jersey Fresh products and other local ingredients, in conjunction with the New Jersey Restaurant Association's Restaurant Week criteria, Williams said.

One of three dining incentives set by the New Jersey Restaurant Association, which has both sponsored and organized this week-long event, must be met in order to be on the official Restaurant Week list, said Deborah Dowdell, president of the New Jersey Restaurant Association. These incentives are offering 20 percent off the check, excluding tax, alcoholic beverages and gratuity; providing a complimentary dessert and coffee with purchase of an entree; or a $35 price-fixed three course meal featuring Jersey Fresh products.

"Jersey Fresh is the official brand of New Jersey," Dowdell said. "It represents products grown and harvested in New Jersey."

Dowdell also said that far more restaurants in the state are celebrating Restaurant Week outside of the official list. Additionally, some restaurants are donating money during the week to Share Our Strength, a national organization that supports programs aiming to prevent childhood hunger, she said. 

"The New Jersey Restaurant Association is a business organization representing professional restaurateurs in New Jersey," Dowdell said. "[Its] purpose is to promote the industry for all the economic benefits it brings to the state."

Dowdell said there are 23,000 eating and drinking establishments in New Jersey, and that 300,000 people are employed by the industry, making it the largest private sector employer in the state.

"When you dine out, you're really helping affect the economy," she said. 

Meanwhile, Restaurant Week gives New Jersey restaurants the opportunity to promote themselves. Williams said Tbones mostly wanted to participate in this year's New Jersey Restaurant Week because of its publicity potential.

Williams cites his participation in Hot Chefs Restaurant Week of Southern Jersey and Philadelphia Restaurant Week as successful ways of increasing traffic in restaurants where he has previously worked.

"It is a great marketing tool, and a great way to get our name out there and introduce people to what we do," he said. 

Dowdell said she hopes diners will also get to "enjoy the bounty and delicious flavors of the state," while "celebrating the industry on a statewide basis."

On Aug 1, Governor Christie and Lt. Governor Guadagno signed a proclamation officially declaring the week of Sept. 19 through Sept. 25 New Jersey Restaurant Week. 

"New Jersey Restaurant Week was originally inspired by New York Restaurant Week, which has been successfully taking place for more than a decade," Dowdell said, adding that the New Jersey Restaurant Association has tried different variations of it over the years. 

"This is the second consecutive official New Jersey Restaurant Week," she said. "And we expect to be doing this for years to come.  

For more information about New Jersey Restaurant Week and participating restaurants, visit dineoutnj.com.