Third Thursday on NW 23rd!

Like Alberta and the Pearl District, NW 23rd is joining the ranks of hosting a Thursday night street celebration where restaurants, stores and other businesses (like the new Umpqua bank between NW Flanders and NW Glisan Streets) stay open late and join together in offering sweet deals for shoppers and diners. Here are a few of the great deals you can get from restaurants:

Print out this coupon to receive deals at Moonstruck Chocolate (525 NW 23rd Ave, between NW Hoyt and NW Glisan Streets) and Santa Fe Taqueria (831 NW 23rd Ave, at the corner of NW Kearney Street). The coupon makes for a great -- and relatively cheap -- date night: At Santa Fe Taqueria, buy one meal and get one for free. Meals at Santa Fe range from $3.95 for a bean and cheese burrito (vegetarian and vegan options available!) to $11.00 for a relatively filling yet boringly named Prawn Dinner (garlic butter prawns with mushrooms and green onions, served with rice, beans chips and choice of tortillas). I'd opt for the tacos (It's rumored that Gabriel Rucker, chef of Le Pigeon, comes to Santa Fe for his taco fix) with chips and guacamole.

After dinner, take your sweety to Moonstruck and get two beverages (coffee, tea, mocha or their infamous cocoa) for the price of one with the purchase of a dessert. Make sure to check out their new Valentine's Day truffles; the lovebugs are absolutely the cutest truffles I've seen, perhaps to date (And I'm a frequent holiday truffle admirer).

If you come out with a bunch of friends, head over to Limo (pronounced lee-mo) on NW Everett and NW Westover. Limo is a newer restaurant in the Northwest scene but has already received pretty rave reviews (My own to follow soon!). Limo is hosting happy hour starting at noon tomorrow through 10 pm. Select bottles of wine are also half off.