DineL.A. And Newport Restaurant Week Make Southern California A Food Destination

Winter dineL.A. and Newport Restaurant Week are coinciding, enabling Angelinos to enjoy great restaurant deals throughout both cities.

Winter dineL.A. is in full swing until Jan. 27, celebrating the city's rich culinary diversity and featuring more than 300 restaurants throughout Los Angeles from newcomers such as Geoffrey Zakarian's Georgie, Greg Bernhardt's Paley, and Tony Esnault's Spring to timeless spots including Wolfgang Puck's Spago, Suzanne Goin's Lucques, and Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken's Border Grill. Additional participants include well-known restaurants including Alimento, Akasha, Cut by Wolfgang Puck, Sugarfish, and a.o.c.

Back by popular demand, the Exclusive Series, presented by American Express, offers diners a chance to enjoy some of LA's most luxurious restaurants including as Providence, Melissé and Patina. Visit the dineL.A. website to book reservations.

Diners can eat their way through the city's diverse neighborhoods and cuisines with Winter dineL.A's specially priced lunch and dinner menus. Lunch menus are $15, $20, and $25, with dinner menus priced at $29, $39, and $49, or beginning at $95 for the Exclusive Series. Enjoy additional savings through American Express by signing up and using an AmEx card at participating restaurants to receive $5 off a final bill of $21 or more.

DineL.A. guests can also share their culinary experiences at participating restaurants with the returning "Dine. Snap. Win." Instagram contest sponsored by American Airlines. Diners simply snap a photo of their dineL.A. dish, use the hashtag #DineSnapWin, and include the restaurant name to be entered into the contest where one winner will receive 100,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles. Contest is valid through the dates of Winter dineL.A.

In addition to dineL.A., more than 60 restaurants are taking part in Newport Restaurant Week, which runs through Sunday, Jan. 29.  Participating restaurants are offering special two-or three-course prix fixes priced between $10 and $25 for lunch, and $20 to $50 for dinner.

This year's participating restaurants include newcomers Benihana, Farmhouse at Roger's Gardens, Gratitude Newport Beach, Hornblower Cruisers and Events, Juliette Kitchen and Bar, Lighthouse Bayview Café, Mr. G's Bistro, Sessions Westcoast Deli, Sweet Lady Jane, and Zinc.

Celebrating its 11th anniversary this year, Newport Beach Restaurant Week, produced by Dine Newport Beach and Newport Beach Restaurant Association, is a citywide two-week dining event showcasing the coastal community's restaurants. Holding the title as the longest-running restaurant week in Orange County, the annual culinary festival has grown to incorporate a wide variety of restaurants offering preferred menu pricing for lunch and dinner. For more information and a full list of participants, visit their website.