Charlotte Restaurant Week kicks off

The latest Charlotte Restaurant Week runs July 15-24, and its website goes live June 24, listing menus and reservation info. (Note: The website is there now, but info is for the January dates. Wait til Friday to get the new stuff.) This go-round, 92 restaurants will participate (see below), both in Charlotte and surrounding areas, including Matthews, Lake Norman, Concord, Belmont and Fort Mill.

The skinny: Restaurants offer a fixed-price meal of three or more courses during the CRW for $30, not including tax and tips.

What's new: A virtual food drive to benefit Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina, conducted through the website. Using Second Harvest’s new GiveABit system, donors can place their choice of food items or cash in an online shopping cart, to end up on the food bank’s shelves during the usually difficult summer months. Second Harvest's goal is to eliminate hunger through education, advocacy, and partnerships.

"We felt it would be an easy way for folks to help fight hunger while they're making their dining plans," Bruce Hensley, whose PR firm owns and runs CRW, said in an email. This way, restaurants don't need to have collection barrels (which Second Harvest has to deliver and pick up), and diners don't need to remember to bring donations to dinner.

Among newcomer restaurants: Table 274, Epic Chophouse, Room 112, FireWater, 15 North Roadside Kitchen, Savannah Red, Pisces and Fran's Filling Station.

Participating places, by geographical area, are:

Cotswold: Table 274

Dilworth: 131 Main; 300 East; Bonterra; Cantina 1511; Copper; Dolce; Fiamma; Fran’s Filling Station; Zen Fusion

Eastover: Deejai; Primo Tuscan Grille; Providence Cafe

Elizabeth: Cajun Queen; Carpe Diem

Lake Norman / North Mecklenburg / Iredell County: 131 Main; Alton's Kitchen & Cocktails; Choplin's; Dressler's; Epic Chophouse; Firebirds; Flatiron Kitchen + Taphouse; Kabuto; Mickey & Mooch; The Prickly Pear; Red Rocks Cafe

Matthews: Santé

Midtown: Dressler's; Maharani; Mama Ricotta's; Melting Pot; Pisces; Vivace

Plaza Midwood: Bistro La Bon; Lulu

South Charlotte (Ballantyne / Arboretum / Pineville / Fort Mill): 131 Main; Cantina 1511; Firebirds; Gallery; Global; Maestro's; Mickey & Mooch; New South Kitchen & Bar; Passion8 Bistro; Rudy's; Tria Terra; Trio

South End: The Liberty; Nikko; Pewter Rose; Sullivan's Steakhouse

SouthPark / Park Road / Foxcroft: 15 North Roadside Kitchen; BrickTop's; Cafe Monte; Del Frisco's; Firebirds; Georges Brasserie; McCormick & Schmick's; Paco's Tacos & Tequila; The Palm; Red Rocks Cafe; Ruth's Chris; Terrace Cafe; Toscana; Upstream; Village Tavern; Zink

Southwest Charlotte / Yorkmont: Omaha Steakhouse

University / Concord: FireWater; Melting Pot; Rocky River Grille; The Speedway Club

Uptown: Aquavina; Aria; BLT Steak; Blue; Caffe Siena; Capital Grille; Chima; Enso; Fleming's; LaVecchia's; Luce; McCormick & Schmick's; Mez; Mimosa Grill; Morton's; Room 112; Ruth's Chris; Savannah Red

West Mecklenburg / Gaston County: Nick’s Steak and Taphouse; Old Stone Steakhouse