5 to Try: Prix Fixe Menus

The entrees change regularly, based upon the availability of fresh ingredients (and the whim of the chef). However, XO's economical, multi-coursed dining experience offers delicacies like pan-seared duck and parsnip soup every night of the week.

Owner and chef Bruce Tillinghast created his prix fixe menu so nearby college students could afford his eclectic dishes such as shrimp with ginger dumplings and skate fish with beet chips. His three-course meals--which vary seasonallly--are offered Monday through Thursday.

In the more formal Salon upstairs, you may select any entree (such as as Bouillabisse Marseilles, Coquilles St. Jacques or Boeuf au Poivre) and, for an additional $10, turn it into a three-course feast.

Tuesday and Sunday nights, you can have a moderate saving if you're willing to forgo quail as an appetizer. Main courses--which tend toward the Southwestern or the Continental--change weekly.

Available Tuesday through Thursday, this French restaurant's Bistro Dinner includes a glass of house wine as well as an appetizer, an entree and a dessert. A second option, the Vegetarian Dinner, has a similar setup but minus the alcohol.