By Alexandra Pecci
Correspondent

Whether you’re craving $1 oysters at Commercial Street Fishery or $2 drafts at Murphy’s Taproom, you can indulge in your pleasure during Eats Week in Manchester.

The event running from April 11 to 15 features 21 downtown restaurants offering discounted food and drink deals.

The fourth-annual Eats Week is produced by the nonprofit Intown Manchester, an organization which works to support the city’s downtown business district.

Unlike typical restaurant weeks, Eats Week doesn’t involve set prices for the restaurants. Rather, the establishments each come up with their own Eats Week deals, according to Samantha Appleton, director of marketing and public relations for Intown Manchester. The result is a variety of menus and prices, meaning a lot of choice and variety in the fare and the expense.

Ignite Bar & Grille is offering five $5 lunch specials, which include shepherd’s pie, chicken pot pie, Manch-meatloaf, pan-seared tilapia, or soup and salad. Meanwhile, J Dubs Coffee is giving away a free coffee to anyone who buys a pastry or gelato.

“The tag line for Eats Week is ‘Get a LOT of Yum for a LITTLE Sum’ and that’s exactly what it’s all about,” Appleton said in an e-mail. “People can expect to get great food at exceptional prices.”

Another participating restaurant is Firefly American Bistro, a relatively new place on Concord Street that opened in December 2008. Owner and manager Diane Downing said patrons who come in during their recently rolled out Sunday brunch will get a second item at half the price when they buy something from the regular brunch menu. There also will be several dinner specials.

“We have a couple of signature dishes that we’re going to be featuring for our dinner specials. One of them is our bacon-wrapped bistro steak, which is quite popular,” Downing said. “Manchester is a steak town, for sure.”

The bacon-wrapped bistro steak is pan-seared, finished with a Tennessee bourbon BBQ sauce, topped with onion straws, and served with mashed potatoes and a vegetable.

Firefly American Bistro also will offer chicken farfalle, a marinated chicken breast with crisp pancetta, sundried tomatoes and artichoke hearts, topped with bowtie pasta in a basil pesto cream sauce.

“We’re also offering a lunch special and a three-course dinner for $20.10,” she said. Courses include soup or salad, a choice of entrée, and dessert.

In addition to providing local residents with great restaurant deals, Eats Week promotes Manchester and its flourishing options for eating out.

Appleton said she hopes people will check out the rest of downtown and see what’s going on, too, like the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, whose Manchester opening day is April 15.

“I think it’s an opportunity for multiple restaurants to offer discounts and good deals to encourage people to support the local dining scene,” Downing said. “Despite the economy, we still continue to see new restaurants opening up and thriving.”

Appleton agrees, adding that downtown Manchester is experiencing a “dining boom.”

“It seems like every month, we hear about a new restaurant opening up,” she said. “The Queen City has become a dining destination in our state. And events like the Taste of Downtown Manchester and Eats Week help to showcase the wide variety of stellar dining options we have here.”

If you go
What: Eats Week
When: April 11 to 15
Where: Downtown Manchester
How: To learn more visit http://intownmanchester.com/eatsweek.php. Diners should ask the waitperson for the “Eats Week” special.

Participating restaurants
900 Degree
Ben & Jerry’s
The Bridge Café
Commercial Street Fishery
Consuelo’s Taqueria
Cotton
Edible Arrangements
Firefly American Bistro
Fratellos
Ignite Bar & Grille
J Dubs Coffee
JD’s Tavern
Jillian’s
Mint Bistro
Murphy’s Taproom
Nadeau’s Subs
Piccola Italia
Red Arrow Diner
Richard’s Bistro
Wild Rover Pub
Z Food and Drink