Featured Festival: Great Plates, Fort Collins, Colorado

Good food for a great price with proceeds going to a worthy cause, that’s what Great Plates is all about. The two-week long culinary event features 30 plus restaurants and raises money for the Food Bank of Larimer County – a substantial amount of money. Last year’s event raised $35,000 and the organizers hope to beat that amount by raising $40,000 this year.

It works like this, the participating restaurants offer up a special menu for $25. It might be a fancy three course meal for one or a two course meal for two, but you’ll only pay $25 plus tip. It’s a steal of a deal and you are eating for a good cause.

While Great Plates is the perfect opportunity to get out of your restaurant rut and try something new, it’s also an opportunity to visit your favorite joints as well. We always take advantage of the Coopersmith’s pizza and beer special on the poolside part of the restaurant. For $25 you can choose an order of nachos and large specialty pizza (El Diablo is our fav) or two topping pizza PLUS a pitcher of beer or soda.

We also use Great Plates as an excuse to get together with friends by utilizing the special at Washington’s Sports Bar & Grill that includes four half pound hamburgers, four sides and four domestic beers, well cocktails or sodas for $25. This is the deal of the century for what I consider one of the best hamburgers in Colorado.

If you are looking to dine on something more epicurean than pizza and hamburgers, Great Plates has those options available too. Fish, one of my go-to spots in Fort Collins for fresh, amazing seafood is offering a four course dinner for one for $25. It includes a grilled bay scallop skewer as an appetizer, house salad, entrée of Santa Fe Style lobster enchiladas with choice of two sides and a dessert. My mouth is watering.

If you’re craving steak, you can find this option at Mainline, the Melting Pot or Sonny Lubick Steakhouse, among others. With more than 30 restaurants participating this year, you’ll surely find what you are craving. There’s even a $2.50 breakfast option at spots like Snooze and the Crooked Cup.

Great Plates starts Saturday, March 1 and runs through the 14, 2014. Go HERE to see all the menus of the participating restaurants.

The 8^th Annual Great Plates is brought to you by the Downtown Fort Collins Business Association and member businesses.

Featured Festival spots on HeidiTown.com are paid advertisements. Interested in having your festival or event featured? Email TheMayor@HeidiTown.com.