I was talking with friends the other day about how many great restaurants East Lyme has.

And if ever there were a good time to visit them, it’s during Niantic Main Street’s 10th annual Restaurant Week, which starts Friday and runs through March 13.

The participating venues offer things like discounts, special prix fix menus, and gift cards with a purchase.

The Spice Club, for instance, is featuring a $5 tapas menu. At Flanders Fish Market, it’s 10% off your meal if you dine in and mention Restaurant Week. La Belle Aurore is serving up a smorgasbord-style tasting menu for $22 (and there are vegan/vegetarian, pescatarian, carnivore and omnivore options). If you buy two entrees at Lillian’s Café, you’ll get a free bottle of wine.

You’ll notice Restaurant Week lasts more than a week this year; the decision was made to extend the event since restaurants are “still in need due to the pandemic,” according to Niantic Main Street.

Worth a mention: You can also enter to win a $150, $100 or $50 gift card to a local restaurant with a restaurant week passport (visit discovereastlyme.com for details).

Niantic/East Lyme Restaurant Week, March 4-13, restaurants in East Lyme; discovereastlyme.com.