From a restaurateur’s point of view one of the riskier promotions I’ve come across is a “pick your price” lunch menu in the Canyon Cafe in Loews Ventana Canyon Resort. Here’s how it works: customers choose from a menu of selected appetizers, entrees and dessert and when finished, the customer chooses a price they think is fair. The promotion is being offered through Sept. 8.

Around the corner in the same resort, the Cascade Lounge is running a Friday “date night” promotion showing a classic movie starting at 8 p.m. during which you can enjoy special $7 Bellini cocktails. And because they can do these things at resorts, the people at Loews would like for you to come early enough to start the evening with a special dinner for two for $38 in the Flying V restaurant. The dinner includes an order of guacamole made tableside, a full rack of barbecue baby back ribs and a dessert all to be shared between two.

• Loews Ventana Canyon Resort, 7000 N. Resort Drive -  www.loewshotels.com/en/Hotels/Tucson-Resort/ - (520) 299-2020.

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Tucson Originals news

Tucson Originals will have its next quarterly sale of gift certificates Wednesday (June 24). The certificates, good at any of the independently-owned member restaurants of Tucson Originals are offered at prices that are 25 to 40 percent of retail. The certificates are good for six months and if you’ve never participated in one of these sales, you should know the certificates can sell out for some restaurants in a matter of minutes.

You should also know, Tucson Originals has some new member restaurants: Ghini’s French Caffé, 1803 E. Prince Road (520) 326-9095; Tohono Chul Tea Room, 7366 N. Paseo del Norte (520) 797-1222; Delectables Restaurant, 533 N. Fourth Ave. (520) 884-9289; and Caffé Luce, 943 E. University Ave. in Main Gate Square (520) 207-5504.

• Tucson Originals - http://tucsonoriginals.com/

$20.09 specials continued

As I’ve been noting since Memorial Day weekend, the independent restaurant members of Tucson Originals are offering summertime specials priced at $20.09 through Labor Day weekend. Here are three more to add to your list:

• Dakota Cafe, 6541 E. Tanque Verde Road in Trail Dust Town -  www.dakotacafeandcatering.com/  - (520) 298-7188. Two house margaritas or two glasses of featured wine plus an appetizer.  

• Dove Mountain Grill, 12130 N. Dove Mountain Blvd., Marana - www.dovemountaingrill.com/ - (520) 579-8999. Choose any appetizer and entree from the special summer menu.

• Rio Cafe, 2526 E. Grant Road - http://www.rio-cafe.com/ - (520) 323-5003. A three-course dinner starting with either a mixed green or Caesar salad, your entree choice of either carne a la Mantequilla de Pasilla (a grilled eight-ounce steak topped with pasilla butter) or Criollo chicken, and chocolate mousse for dessert.

A parting (coffee) shot

Has anyone else noticed the burn - financially, speaking - of a cup of coffee or iced tea lately? It seems the going price these days for iced tea is $3 and I’ve found more than one restaurant charging $4 for regular drip coffee.

The unit cost for the beverages makes for a generous profit margin. But it’s a strange disconnect in pricing when restaurants are offering a food special, such as a $5 burger and then charging another $4 for a cup of coffee. What makes even worse is that the prices for coffee and iced tea aren’t always prominent on menus and, more often than not, it’s a spur of the moment order at the end of a meal, long after you saw the menu.

Is it just me or does this bother other people? I’d like to know. Please drop me an e-mail. 

Contact Michael Luria at mjluria@gmail.com. Meals & Entertainment is a weekly feature of Inside Tucson Business.