You’ve heard about Sample the Sierra and the Pop-Up Dinner, but the culinary excitement doesn’t stop with these two events. Join Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority, Tahoe Chamber and El Dorado County in South Shore’s 4th annual Restaurant Week, which begins Friday, Sept. 16, and continues through Friday, Sept. 23.

During the course of seven days, the three organizations continue the celebration of regional food that began with Sample the Sierra’s Pop-Up Dinner and farm-to-fork festival.

“Restaurant week and Sample the Sierra worked together and coordinated with one another — they wanted to support one another. They do have similar objectives to highlight the great food scene happening here in Tahoe,” Shannon Earley of Weidinger PR said.

Over 30 restaurants participate in the weeklong recognition of regional dining. Local favorites such as Cold Water Brewery & Grill, Ernie’s Coffee Shop, Mirabelle at Lake Tahoe, Riva Grill and Verde Mexican Rotisserie will feature prix fixe menus or special deals throughout the week.

“People are able to try a restaurant they maybe haven’t been to, or are able to try a different style of menu they normally aren’t accustomed to,” Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority marketing manager Stuart Maas said.

Limited-time menus offered at a fixed rate are featured at restaurants such as Cafe Fiore. The establishment’s four-course menu includes a choice of soup and salad, entrée options of fisherman-style swordfish or New Zealand lamb chops, and tops it all off with homemade white chocolate ice cream or tiramisu for dessert.

Other eateries advertise deals on regular items — Sno-Flake Drive-In is offering 20 percent off its “Big Cheese” burger with the mention of “Restaurant Week.” And still others, like Jimmy’s at The Landing Resort & Spa, offer complimentary drink pairings with the purchase of an entrée.

“It’s really to showcase all the culinary offerings that our area has to offer. Like Sample the Sierra, it allows the chefs to go above and beyond their normal offerings or menu and give a little bit of flair or showcase something they would like to do.

We’re really trying to push the whole restaurant and culinary scene here. Between Sample the Sierra and Restaurant Week, we think this is the best way to do this,” Maas said.

For a complete list of participating restaurants, as well as information on each location’s specials, visit http://www.tahoesouth.com/restaurantweek.