Sneak Peek: Seven Exclusive Menu Offerings at Reserve Week Boston 2015

Special offerings at O Ya / Photo courtesy of Reserve

Common Friday scenario: You race out of work, ready to drop a little cash on a splurge-worthy night out. But inevitably, you’re thwarted by the throngs who had the exact same idea you did. Now you can’t get a seat anywhere. Oh, screw it, you’re just going to order pizza and hope things work out better next time.

But there’s an alternate universe where you can get a table on a whim, where restaurants will give you special one-of-a-kind treats just for showing up, where your adventures in gluttony will actually help donate money to charity—and to top it all off, a luxury Uber will take you there for free. That alternate universe is called Reserve Week.

Boston magazine has teamed up with concierge app Reserve and Uber for a weeklong dining promotion that, from Sunday, April 26, to Saturday, May 2, gives diners the opportunity to unlock “exclusive menus, cocktails, and pairings” at 48 participating restaurants in the Boston area. Make your reservations through the Reserve app, using the code “RESERVEWEEK,” and—if you’re signed up for Uber—you’ll also get a code that grants you access to UberVIP, plus a complimentary ride. And for every meal you sign up for during Reserve Week, the restaurant will make a donation—$20 the first time, and $5 thereafter—to 34 charities, including the Greater Boston Food Bank and No Kid Hungry.

So what kinds of exclusive eats should you be expecting? Here are a few highlights:

O Ya

Tim Cushman’s stunning sushi spot will be creating a custom sake pairing, based on their Sake 101 class.

9 East St., Boston, 617-654-9900, oyarestaurantboston.com.

Row 34

As if actually getting a seat in Fort Point’s always-packed seafood haven weren’t magical enough, they’ll be serving up a special “smoked and cured board,” with beer pairings by Row 34 beer director Megan Parker-Gray.

383 Congress St., Boston, 617-553-5900, row34.com.

Oleana

Dig into a family-style Mediterranean tasting menu with “eclectic wine pairings”—which also happen to pair really well with their gorgeous patio.

134 Hampshire St., Cambridge, 617-661-0505, oleanarestaurant.com.

The Blue Room

This longtime Kendall Square fine-dining outpost (a fave of Julia Child) wants customers to invent their own menu with “Chinese Laundry”—a five-course tasting menu they’re calling “an on-the-fly omakase.”

One Kendall Sq., Cambridge, 617-494-0934, theblueroom.net.

Taberna de Haro

Taberna de Haro’s Straight Law cocktail gurus have been getting raves for their sherry program this year; fittingly, the restaurant is serving “Splashes of Sherry”: five courses, paired with five sherry tastings.

999 Beacon St., Brookline, 617-277-8272, tabernaboston.com.

Journeyman

Inman Square’s creative New American joint is serving a nine-course menu with cocktail pairings from the equally inventive Backbar.

9 Sanborn Ct., Somerville, 617-718-2333, journeymanrestaurant.com.

Shojo

Over in Chinatown, rowdy night spot Shojo will be serving Japanese whisky flights from their curated selection of whiskies.

9A Tyler St., Boston, 617-423-7888, shojoboston.com.