Sixteen Westerly area restaurants will participate next month in a special "restaurant week" promotion designed to show off the varied cuisines of the local eateries.

The first Westerly-Pawcatuck Area Restaurant Week will launch on Sunday, Oct 3, with the participating restaurants offering a three-course price fixed menu - $15 for lunch and $25 for dinner.

The event, intended to become an annual one, is being hosted by the Greater Westerly-Pawcatuck Area Chamber of Commerce.

Lisa Konicki, who heads the chamber, said the restaurant week is intended to make dining out locally more attractive and affordable - with the goal of inspiring those patrons to return year round.

"This program is designed to encourage people to broaden their food horizons by trying out some of the region's finest eateries at tantalizing prices," said Konicki in announcing the restaurant week, which actually extends from Oct. 3 through Monday, Oct. 11. "It will be a culinary cornucopia."

The event requires no coupons, passes or tickets. Starting Sept. 12, the Westerly area chamber will offer a personal guide to local restaurants during the special promotion at www.westerlychamber.org.

Once there, viewers can see the participating restaurants' offerings, along with biographies of the chefs, recipes and listings of events. The chamber plans to include cooking demonstrations and related culinary experiences onto its website.

Westerly restaurants participating in the special nine-day event are the Andrea Hotel; Casa Della Luce; Cooked Goose; Dylans Seafood & Steakhouse; 84 High Street Café; FRA's Italian Gourmet; Guytanno's Café; Steven Patrick Tavern; Senor Flaco's; Shelter Harbor Inn; Vetrano's, and WB Codys.

Also, The Fisherman Restaurant in Noank; Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville at the Mohegan Sun; the Prime Time Cafe in Pawcatuck, and the Old Wilcox Tavern in Charlestown, R.I.

Local restaurant owners Chris Champagne of the 84 High Street Café and Chris Blackmer of Dylan's Steak and Seafood helped establish the format and pricing for the Westerly area restaurant event.

The Westerly-Pawcatuck Area Restaurant Week, produced by the chamber, is being sponsored by the Westerly Sun, The Resident and So Rhode Island Magazine.