Editorial: Restaurant Week is a chance to support Chicago’s world-class eateries. But make sure you’re getting a deal.

With freezing temperatures outside, holiday frolics in the rearview mirror and gray skies abundant, the second half of January tests the mettle of the most loyal Chicagoan. Even Teslas are balking at the weather, preferring a warm garage to juicing up and doing their job. One sympathizes.

Enter Chicago Restaurant Week, the annual program wherein eateries offer prix fixe menus priced at $25 for brunch or lunch and either $42 or $59 for dinner.

Most offer three courses including dessert. Some even throw in a drink. For foodies on a budget, Restaurant Week, which starts Friday and runs through Feb. 4, offers the chance to try one of the establishments typically beyond reach. You can get a bargain center-cut filet mignon at Morton’s Steakhouse in the Loop without paying extra for the mashed potatoes, or you could try such lauded joints as Avec in the West Loop, Moody Tongue in the Near South Side (two Michelin stars should improve your mood) or Daisies in Logan Square.

Given all the impediments thrown in the way of Chicago’s restaurateurs by the city in the last 12 months and the preexisting fragility of the field, we’d say that this annual promotion is a fine way of supporting the kinds of local businesses that make this city a great place to live. (Yes, still.)

We have only one caveat: Be sure that your destination of choice offers you a true deal.

As in past years, a few places mostly have repackaged their regular prices along with their offerings and, given that many folks don’t typically buy all three courses, a night out during Restaurant Week could end up costing you more. That’s not the intent: Strapped customers are supposed to get a January break, and restaurants in return get to fill their tables at the quietest time of the year and tempt you with a few highly profitable beverages, at additional cost.

Luckily, some folks every year crunch the data and rate the fairness of the pricing. Check Reddit or do a simple Google search, and you can usually find a spreadsheet pointing you to the best bargains.

We prefer the restaurants that see these two weeks primarily as a chance to introduce themselves to people who will be so awed with their food as to return. There are many such chefs and restaurateurs in this spectacular foodie city, and, in our experience, lunch can be an especially excellent deal.

So bundle up, choose wisely and grab a friend or three. January need not be as bleak as it can seem.

Join the discussion on Twitter @chitribopinions and on Facebook.

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.