The goal of Restaurant Week was to get people to go to restaurants they might not normally try. For me, it accomplished this goal.

After reporting on Restaurant Week, I decided I wanted to get in on the action and picked out a restaurant to try Saturday night, the last night of Restaurant Week.

With more than 50 restaurants participating, choosing just one was a difficult task, but I finally settled on The Landing at the Radisson Hotel Grand Rapids Riverfront.

The online listing promised three different options for each course that all sounded good, so my date and I optimistically made our reservation.

The restaurant was about half-filled when we got there at 8 p.m. The atmosphere was comfortable and a bit more casual than we were expecting. Attire ranged from jeans to business casual. We were seated at a table with a river view, one of the restaurant’s promised features.

The service was prompt, and the waiters friendly. Dinner started off with bread and our first-course appetizer. I chose the lobster bisque, and my boyfriend had the grilled honey shrimp skewer, which featured three decent-sized shrimp. One of the things that attracted us to the Landing was the surf-and-turf combination, and we both agreed the “surf” appetizers were definitely up to par.

As we waited for the next course, the sounds of the live band performing in the adjoining bar floated into the dining room. It conflicted with the intended atmosphere of the room, but sparked our interest enough to lead us over to the bar after our meal.

The second course arrived with a petit filet for me and pepper-crusted salmon for my boyfriend. The tender steak was topped with mushrooms and came with garlic mashed potatoes, all covered with a complementary gravy. The portion size was sufficient and the food tasty.

My date was not so satisfied with his meal, however. The salmon came with herbed rice pilaf and was covered in a roasted red pepper sauce. The sauce had a spicy tinge, which was not what he had expected for his salmon.

Dessert was good, though rather small. We both chose the chambord mousse in a chocolate cup for our final course. The two chocolate cups we each got were about an inch in diameter, though they were artfully arranged on the plate with spirals of whipped cream and swirls of raspberry liqueur.

Beyond the three-courses included in the $20.10 special, the drinks were moderately priced from $4-$8 with a good selection of wines, specialty beers and martinis. The Restuarant Week special fell in the middle price range of the menu.

Overall, the Landing provided a very pleasant dining experience with high-quality food and reasonable prices.

For more information on the Landing, their menu or how to make reservations, visit www.ontherivergr.com.

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