Deals, deals everywhere

Deals, deals everywhere To thaw out the chilly economy, restaurateurs are lighting up their menus with all kinds of deals. Campiello (6411 City West Pkwy., Eden Prairie, campiello.damico.com) is putting up a two-course weekday lunch for $9.95, offering a soup or salad then a choice of three pastas or two sandwiches. Bellanotte (600 Hennepin Av. S., Minneapolis, bellanottempls.com) is following suit with a three-course lunch for $10.95, one that starts with tomato bruschetta, moves on to a choice of seven entrees (pastas, salad, flatbreads) and finishes with tiramisu.

At Ursula's Wine Bar & Cafe (2125 4th St., White Bear Lake, ursulaswb.com), chef Andrew Whalen prepares an early-bird special: from 5 to 6 p.m. daily, any salad, entree, dessert and glass of wine on the menu goes for $35. Tuesday is Rummage Wine Sale day at Ursula's, when remnant bottles (including leftovers from the restaurant's wine classes) are sold in the $10-to-$20 ballpark.

Speaking of early birds, venerable Murray's (26 S. 6th St., Minneapolis, murraysrestaurant.com) gets into the act weekdays from 4:30 to 6 p.m. with a three-course meal for $19.95, with choices in each course that include soup or salad, an 8-ounce sirloin or seared tuna paired with a buckwheat noodle salad and creme brulee or chocolate cake.

The Good Earth (Galleria, Edina, and 1901 W. Hwy. 36, Roseville, goodearthmn.com) is luring traffic with a three-course meal for $9.95. To mark its 21st anniversary, Tejas (3910 W. 50th St., Edina, tejasrestaurant.com) is celebrating with a two-course dinner for $21; the current menu features a quesadilla starter and an ancho chile-and-plum-glazed pork chop. Cosmos (601 1st Av. N., Minneapolis, cosmosrestaurant.com) is luring dinner parties of 10 (Sunday through Thursday) or more by kicking in a half-hour predinner reception, which translates into a complimentary glass of champagne and a pair of hors d'oeuvres per person.

Even mighty P.F. Chang's China Bistro (Southdale, Edina, and 12071 Elm Creek Blvd., Maple Grove, pfchangs.com) is in a price-cutting mode. For a limited time, the chain is featuring a four-course lunch or dinner for two (with a number of choices in each course) for $39.95.

Around town Say goodbye to two south Minneapolis restaurants: The Clicquot Club and Morelos Mex Grill have shut their doors. The Richfield Tacos Morelos (2 W. 66th St.) remains open. Matty B's in both downtown Minneapolis and downtown St. Paul has also called it quits.

In the business-is-slow department, both the Oak Grill (700 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, macys.com) and the River Room (411 Cedar St., St. Paul, macys.com) are dropping dinner and weekend service. The restaurants are now open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. Morton's the Steakhouse (555 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, mortons.com) has dropped lunch service and is now serving dinner daily.

Gastro non Grata, the cover-charge-free event for food, music and conversation lovers, is returning from 6 to 9 p.m. Feb. 15 at the Triple Rock Social Club (629 Cedar Av. S., Minneapolis, triplerocksocialclub.com), featuring victuals by the Modern Cafe (337 13th Av. NE., Minneapolis, moderncafeminneapolis. com) and Miel y Leche Catering (www.mielyleche.net) and a meat raffle sponsored by Clancey's Meats & Fish (4307 Upton Av. S., Minneapolis).

RICK NELSON