There is no better time to be dining out than in March. Whether you are from the Seattle, Inlands or Portland area, great dining deals await. All three areas are having special promotions to promote dining out and eating amazing food.

Seattle has Dine Around Seattle. More than 40 restaurants are offering three course dinners for $33 and some places a three course lunch for $18. The promotion runs from March 6th through the 31st; Sundays through Thursdays, excluding Sunday Brunch & Holidays.

Inland Restaurant Week has more than 50 restaurants offering three course meals for $29 or $19 depending on the place. Inland restaurant week is Feb. 26 through March 6 and encompasses Spokane, Spokane Valley, Liberty Lake, Post Falls and Coeur d’Alene.

Portland has the most choices with more than 120 restaurants participating in Portland Dining Month. Restaurants will be offering three course dinners for $29. This promotion runs all month March 1 – 31.

With so many restaurants among the three epicurean events, it is difficult to amass a list of recommended restaurants. If I had the time and patience to meticulously analyze over 200 restaurants I would, but I do not. I can however give you advice on how I navigate or make my selections when it comes to these dining out deals.

Make sure you’re actually saving money. Some restaurants will try to make dishes that aren’t normally on the menu just to participate and save money. Getting a bang for your buck at these restaurants through these promotions is almost guaranteed, but you can never be too sure. Compare the normal menus on their website with the menus they are making available for the promotion. Try to find similar dishes and notice any discrepancies with the price tags of dishes.

These events are gateways for trying new places. With that being said, I always want the authentic experience. Again, some restaurants will try to create new dishes just for the fleeting moment. They may be delicious, but I want dishes reflective of the actual restaurant, chef and the arduous hours of coming up with their menu’s, not a dish created to benefit the restaurant economically.

Remember to always make reservations if possible. Many of these restaurants will be privy to using the online reservation system OpenTable. I would recommend making an OpenTable account if you do not have one. Having an account can help keep track of the different restaurants you’ve dined at and give you reward points for dining out. Reward points can be traded in for cash to use at restaurants.

This may be a given, but read the promotional menu first. Look at the menu objectively because that is the most important thing. I have many times decided not to eat at a place I’ve been dying to try because I simply didn’t like the menu for the event. That promotional menu is the one you will be eating so focus on that. Then, proceed to look at any awards and reviews the restaurant has received. Consistency is cardinal in restaurants.

I tend to steer away from restaurants that aren’t well suited for these kinds of promotions. Tapas or small plate restaurants are meant for a procession of many dishes to be shared with large groups. That style of restaurant wouldn’t work well with the restricted conditions of a three course dinner. Other restaurants that usually have this problem are steakhouses and restaurants that already have regular dining deals.

Happy eating this month. I hope everyone goes out and tries something new, exciting and tasty.