Others, not so much. We’ve all experienced the agony. You sit down at a restaurant you’ve been dying to try, peruse the menu, and narrow your choice down to the braised pork belly, the grilled lamb chops, the cornmeal-fried chicken, and the seared scallops. Or the porterhouse, medium-rare of course. Come to think of it, the roasted butternut squash ravioli sounds good, too.

Rachel Lipton, Andrea Samlin, and Jordan Zelesnick feel your pain. Every time the trio of Instagram food bloggers get together for dinner, they want to order . . . everything.

It was while sharing a particularly delicious bowl of fish ceviche at Puerto 511 that their new company, Tapas in the City, was born. It’s dedicated to bringing more of restaurants’ menus to the masses. They host multi-course dinners at city restaurants, during which diners shed the shackles of ordering just one dish, and instead, indulge in several. The women try to pick places that are relatively new, and they work with the chefs to choose the set menu, which always includes a vegetarian option.

“We think of tapas more of like a small plate for yourself,” rather than a shareable dish, says Samlin (@Bmore_Hungry). “A young professional couldn’t afford to order everything off the menu, nor could they eat it all, so we thought picking signature items would be more appealing.”

That was clear on Wednesday, when the trio of city-dwelling 26 year olds hosted their third dinner at Sammy’s Enoteca. Like the first two (and the next one, on August 25 at Cava Mezze), it was sold out.

“It makes it more affordable because you can try a little bit of everything and not have to worry about spending 20 bucks on this, and 20 bucks on that,” said Austin Rose, of Mt. Vernon. “Rachel has been posting these amazing pictures of food on her Instagram (@LiketheteaEATS), so we had no choice but to come.”

He’s glad he did. For a flat fee of around $50 (which included three drinks and gratuity—non-drinkers pay less), he and the other 30 or so guests each enjoyed their own six-course small plate meal. Sausage and rapini, risotto with wild mushroom, watermelon salad with feta and mint, gnocchi in Bolognese sauce, and duck ravioli were among the dishes chef Sam Curreri served at his new Fells Point restaurant, which opened three months ago.

“We’re not typically a small plates restaurant—being Italian, it’s almost like an oxymoron,” Curreri says. “This gives us more exposure.”

As the night progressed, conversation flowed at the large communal table and a few other smaller ones. The women take great care to make all their guests, most of whom are millennials, feel welcome.

“With all the young people who are going on dates on apps like Tinder and Bumble, this is a great activity,” says Zelesnick (@jzeats) “Or for people who just moved here and don’t know anybody, this is a great way to meet people.”

And get to know some new food.

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Summer Restaurant Week returns July 22-31 with upwards of 90 spots offering special menus, and the reveal of a brand new pricing concept.

“Our diners are really savvy,” says Michael Evitts, vice president of communications for Downtown Partnership. “They’ll scour the website comparing menus to look for the best value.”

Traditionally, the promotion requires restaurants to offer their menus at the same fixed price point across the board—which is typically $20 for a two-course lunch and $30 for a three-course dinner. After feedback from diners, organizers this year are allowing restaurants to choose within a range of $12-20 for two-course meals and $20-35 for three-course meals.

“We typically have over 100 restaurants participating and they encapsulate a broad range of dining options,” Evitts explains. “What you pay for a three-course meal at a smaller neighborhood bistro versus a steakhouse is very different, so we found that some of the restaurants that are normally less expensive, where it’s harder to get your check up to $35 on a regular basis, didn’t appear to be as much of a bargain to diners.”

Many spots are taking advantage of the opportunity to feature more affordable menus. Johnny’s, for example, will offer a two-course lunch for $18 (highlighting fried green tomatoes and blackened chicken sandwiches), Alexander’s Tavern will offer a three-course dinner for $25 (think pork tenderloin and heirloom pizza), and Cava Mezze will offer its traditional “Mezze Mania” three-course lunch deal for $15.

Cava’s regional manager Maurizio Luise is happy that the restaurant doesn’t have to alter its prices in order to participate this year. He says that he wishes Downtown Partnership’s liberal pricing guidelines were mirrored by restaurant weeks in other cities like D.C. and Virginia, where he operates additional locations.

“It works out very well for us,” he says. “It’s less printing, less headaches, and better service all around because everybody’s already used to it and they know what to expect.”

Other restaurateurs around town agree that the new guidelines are a good fit.

“I understand why they want that flexibility,” says Christopher Spann, owner of Wine Market Bistro in Locust Point. “People shouldn’t just be making up a number, it should be a deal. That’s the whole idea.”

Wine Market Bistro will highlight seasonal dishes such as cantaloupe gazpacho, curried watermelon salad, shrimp and squash risotto, and bourbon bread pudding on its special menus this year. Spann says that the restaurant habitually participates as a way to boost business during the summer.

“It’s become its own holiday,” he says. “This time of year, there are folks who will hop around to different places and eat out multiple times over the course of 10 days. It also creates a fun competition between all of the city restaurants because, in terms of the menu format, we’re all on the same playing field.”

Across the harbor, Brewers Hill newbie Gunther & Co. is celebrating its first-ever restaurant week, with a menu full of dishes such as Thai shrimp glass noodles, lamb tacos, scallop ceviche, and pan-roasted bass with miso-Dijon vinaigrette. Owner Nancy Hart Mola says that she’s excited for restaurant week to help spread the word about the new spot.

“It’s a great opportunity for people who haven’t heard about us to come out and get a sense of what we do,” she says. “It’s also a good way for restaurants to band together to show the community what a great assortment of options they have.”

On the horizon, Baltimore County Restaurant Week will be running August 5-20. However, for the city’s promotion, Evitts’ main goal is to get people downtown.

“We created restaurant week to bring people into the city and show them not only what we’re doing for dining, but culturally in terms of city evolution,” he says. “It’s not just about what the chefs do individually. Our food scene is a reflection of how dynamic and interesting Baltimore is right now.”

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But Cava Mezze isn’t serving your typical Highlandtown Greek fare.

“The menu has a more modern twist,” explains Cava’s chef de cuisine Dimos Kolouas. “It’s not like my grandma would make it, but the flavor is traditional. We give it a more updated touch.”

While the fare is similar at each Cava Mezze, every menu has a local angle.

This menu is seafood heavy.

“In other locations it didn’t work as well,” says Kolouas, “but in Baltimore they love their seafood.”

Signature items include the tableside flaming saganaki, grilled octopus, and scallop risotto. And much of the menu is influenced by what’s available at area farms.

“Even though we’re Greek inspired, our menu is not dictated by being Greek,” says co-owner Ted Xenohristos, who founded the Fleet Street eatery along with childhood friends Dimitri Moshovitis, and Ike Grigoropoulos.

And while the new spot is the first Cava Mezze in Baltimore, the three cofounders, all D.C.-area natives, have had a longtime love affair with the city.

As kids, the three spent a lot of time in the Greek community of the city. “I’ve always loved Baltimore, and always had such a connection here,” says Xenohristos. “We wanted to be entrenched in the local community.”

Xenohristos grew up on restaurants like Ikaros, but wanted to branch out when it came to his own place. “We wanted to do a Greek restaurant that wasn’t your typical blue and white, big plate menu,” he says.

For his part, cofounder Moshovitis is a trained chef, who graduated from Baltimore International College Culinary School. “A lot of recipes came from the working relationship between Dimitri and his mother,” says Xenohristos.

Despite this being the fourth location, Cava Mezze is anything but a franchised restaurant. Each space has its own personality and energy.

While the other Cava’s are mostly brick and stone, this location is clad in steel and wood and adorned with old photographs and Greek records.

“We want people to feel the energy that we have here at Cava,” says general manager Anthony Koroulakis. “We’re happy to be a part of this community.”

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Open

Breadbangers: Federal Hill has a new lighthearted lunch spot specializing in over-stuffed sandwiches and pitchers of beer. From the music to the names of the sandwiches, Breadbangers is designed to evoke ’80s and ’90s rock bands like Def Leppard and Metallica. The chalkboard menu of specialty sandwiches is always changing. “Prices are low and the sandwiches are huge,” says owner Brett Marshall, who is also a managing partner at Bluegrass Tavern. 544 E. Fort Ave.

Clavel: This new mezcal bar and taqueria opened last week in Remington. Clavel’s menu and décor is inspired by trips that owner Lane Harlan (who also owns W.C. Harlan) has taken to Oaxaca, Mexico. Homemade tortillas, queso fundido, barbacoa tacos, and ceviche are just a few of the menu highlights. Clavel’s bar boasts more than 30 types of mezcal, which are featured in custom cocktails. 225 W. 23rd St., 301-848-2849

Opening Soon

Cava Mezze: This DC area Mezze restaurant is branching out to Baltimore. This location will feature Mediterranean dishes, like braised short rib and lamb shank, but will also include seafood options. Opening on Monday, June 22, this location will seat up to 120 patrons and have a full brunch and dinner menu. Be on the lookout for more locations opening in Maryland this year. 1302 Fleet St., 443-499-9090

Mi & Yu: Edward Kim is throwing his hat in the ring of Baltimore noodle bars with Mi & Yu. The restaurant will feature mostly ramen, but the menu will include pho and udon as well. This is not your college years’ ramen. 1016 S. Charles St.

Ch-ch-changes

City Café: While remaining at the helm of The Food Market, chef Chad Gauss is returning to City Café where he plans to make over the menu and bring the café back to its glory days. Along with City Café’s new operating chef James Jennings, Gauss is working on revising the menu to highlight the café feel. Classic dishes like crab cakes, NY strip steak, and hand-cut pasta, along with some of Gauss’s specialties like the chicken fun salad will be featured. “All of the customers will be able to experience the feeling [City Café] once had,” says Gauss. 1001 Cathedral St., 410-539-425

Tortilleria Sinaloa: Little Italy will get a taste of Mexico when a second location of Tortilleria Sinaloa opens in two months or so. This iteration will be larger than the original location in Fells Point and will offer outdoor seating. The menu is also expanding and will include burritos and larger entrees. 415 S. Central Ave., 410-276-3741

Closed

Nature’s Table: This healthy food joint is set to close in the coming months, leaving a culinary hole at the corner of Pratt Street and Light Street.

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