Dine like a rock star

While many would love to trade in their fries for steak frites or ditch the fro-yo in favor of some crème brulee, a meager cash flow thwarts any such aspirations for culinary grandeur. Cravings for gnocchi and bolognese must be quelled somehow with ramen and Easy Mac; jars of queso from CampCo hopelessly try to fill the void of a gooey gruyere fondue.

But two glorious times each year, Boston's swankiest, hippest and most established purveyors reach out to those who are usually forced to gawk at their Paris Hilton-priced menus outside before sadly ducking into UBurger. Boston Restaurant Week, which takes place once in the winter and once in the summer, allows diners to enjoy a prix-fixe three-course lunch for $20.08 or dinner for $33.08 - roughly the price of a week's worth of trays of sushi from the GSU.

This year's winter version of the culinary bargain took place last week, providing the opportunity to dine like a VIP on a college-student budget and see what makes some of Boston's most popular and well-respected restaurants worthy of their top-dollar menus.

Participating restaurants visited included Sibling Rivalry, located in the culinarily cutting-edge South End, and the uber-pricey L'Espalier, tucked away in a 17th-century brownstone just off luxurious Newbury Street. Both restaurants are lauded in the Boston area - the former for its creative upscale American cuisine, and the latter for its New England-inspired French fare.

At Sibling Rivalry, curvy booths, a fully exposed kitchen and leather and metal menus provide a rustic yet utilitarian atmosphere that is reflected in the simple yet interesting dishes. Standout appetizers include fat, juicy mussels simmered in a curry broth and a psychedelic-looking sliced beet and goat cheese salad. A roasted artichoke-topped, citrusy salmon paillard accompanied with crispy, dense chickpea fries proves to be an equally intriguing and pleasant entrée, while a brioche bread pudding provides a comforting conclusion to the meal.

The vibe at L'Espalier is less like a restaurant and more like a filthy-rich aristocrat's dining room. Elaborate service is reminiscent of the scene in The Beauty and the Beast when Lumiére and Mrs. Potts told Belle to "be our guest." Predictably, the food is served in tiny but tasty portions. A slightly unattractive though delicious white bean-stuffed calamari comes alongside a grilled cake of polenta, and a fork-tender hunk of short rib is served perched atop smooth mashed potatoes and garlicky greens. A perfectly portioned blood orange and chocolate dessert plate is as decadent as it is beautiful.

Though Sibling Rivalry and L'Espalier could empty your wallet without Restaurant Week on your side, you still may want to check them out sometime this semester. Sibling Rivalry hosts its own weekly version of Iron Chef with "Fight Night" Mondays, where you can have a three-course, prix-fixe meal for $35 and watch it being cooked, competition-style, from start to finish. And while L'Espalier has no such deals, it could provide the perfect romantic location to impress a significant other, or (let's be honest) be a special place to have mom and dad take you the next time they come to visit.