I’m a huge fan of restaurants that offer items from their regular menu on their Restaurant Week menu. This allows me to try something that a restaurant would normally offer and determine if I want to come back when Restaurant Week is over, which I think is should be the while point of the event. Telepan falls right into this category. Their RW lunch menu allows patrons to pick an appetizer, an entrée and a dessert off of their regular menu for the low price of $25.

The moment Restaurant Week reservations opened up, I quickly snatched reservations for lunch at Telepan for a Friday afternoon (taking full advantage of my summer Fridays!). We arrived early for our reservation but they sat us anyways. The dining room was quiet despite having a few other tables filled. Our waiter stopped by with the offer of water and left us to peruse the menus, which had the biggest selection of options I’ve seen during Restaurant Week.

For my appetizer, I went with the House Smoked Brook Trout with corn blini and green onion sour cream. This dish was divine. The smoked trout was flavorful without being too salty or fishy. The corn blini was soft and served as a perfect foundation for the smoked trout.

The Boyfriend had the Poached Egg and Frisée Salad with wild mushrooms and mustard vinaigrette. We were both pleasantly surprised when we each took a bite. This salad is simple – there are only a grand total of 4-5 ingredients in it but it was so flavorful! Each bite tickled our taste buds and left us wanting more.

For my entrée, I had the Roasted Chicken with carrots vinaigrette, organic grits, and wild spinach. The spinach was a bit bitter but everything else on my plate was perfection. The chicken was so tender and soft, I barely had to chew each bite. The carrots vinaigrette was very good – it felt more like a sauce/gravy than vinaigrette, which suited me just fine. I think this is one of the best pieces of chicken I have ever had.

The Boyfriend had the Maine Pollock with salsa verde, heirloom tomatoes, and eggplant. The portion size was very generous and he really liked it. There was a nice crunch to the Pollock and it was very nicely flavored.

For dessert, I had the Telepan S’more, which was heavenly. It comes with a dark chocolate brownie with marshmallow in the middle and graham cracker ice cream on top. The marshmallow was fluffy and slightly melted. It was also a bit warm, which tasted so good when mixed with the coldness of the graham cracker ice cream. I highly recommend coming to Telepan just for this dessert!

The Boyfriend had the Coconut Cake, which comes with coconut whipped cream. We both thought the dessert was a bit lackluster and didn’t quite belong on the menu. The cake was very crumbly and the icing tasted like it might have been cream cheese. The end result was a slice of cake that was a bit on the heavy side. Compared to the delicious and airy coconut cake at Orchid’s in one of my previous posts, this one was legions away. The coconut whipped cream was tasty though, so that was the saving grace.

Service was attentive without being overbearing. Our dishes came out in a reasonable amount of time – we had enough time to chat and enjoy our courses without feeling rushed. I huge pet peeve of mine is a rushed meal! I would definitely return to Telepan – even on a normal basis because their dinner prix fixes aren’t even expensive! Keep in mind, however, that for the rest of Restaurant Week, they only do lunch Wednesdays to Fridays from 11:30 – 2:30.