Busboys had barely cleared the tables from West Philly's first Dining Days multicourse, fixed-price dinners when Lori Klein Brennan was declaring the promotion a big success, perhaps not surprisingly. As director of marketing and communications for University City District, it's Brennan's job to say such things. But the fact that the district announced its second Dining Days promotion, for Jan. 12-19, just six months after the first, makes her words easier to swallow.

"Everybody saw an increase in business," Brennan says. The initially reluctant Greg Salisbury of Rx says Dining Days 1 "was the most successful promotion or ad campaign we've ever been involved with," and resulted in a permanent $25 fixed-price option on the BYOB's midweek menu.

University City District borrowed the Dining Days idea from Center City District's two-and-a-half-year-old $30 Restaurant Week. This time they're also borrowing their month. (Restaurant Week is traditionally held in January but this year was moved to Feb. 19-24 to space out the biannual promotion, the CCD's Michelle Shannon says.) Dining Days differs in that it offers a range of fixed-price dinner options from $20 to $30, so at least a few of the area's many lower-priced ethnic restaurants can participate. Still, American restaurants like World Café Live, Marathon Grill, Smokey Joe's Tavern and Marigold Kitchen—many recent arrivals to the West Philly dining scene—make up about half the list of 20 participants.

The appeal of a $30 dinner at Penne and Marigold is clear. "You'd spend twice as much to eat there any other week," says Brennan. Less upscale places have had to be creative to make even $20 seem like a bargain. Pizza Rustica, for instance, is offering multicourse, multi-pizza Italian, Gourmet Italian and Greek dinners for two. Instead of dessert, Strikes Bowling Lounge is capping off their $20 dinners with a free game.

For the first time, the district has also arranged for fixed-price ($5) parking at the 38th and Walnut streets garage with validation from participating restaurants. A list of Dining Days restaurants and menus is available on the University City District Web site. While you're there, download a copy of the University City Ethnic Dining Guide for information about some West Philly restaurants that are a bargain the other 351 days a year.

For more information about Dining Days or to get a copy of the University City Ethnic Dining Guide, visit www.ucityphila.org or call 215-243-0555.