The difference between a good restaurant and a destination restaurant isn’t always about great dishes or special menu items.

    The difference between a good restaurant and a fantastic restaurant is the entertainment. Is it a restaurant where everyone in your family will leave feeling like they’ve had a night to remember? Is it a restaurant where you’d go with friends when you’re having a night on the town? Is it a restaurant that you and your significant other will have a significantly romantic evening?

    Over the past few months, we’ve profiled several area restaurants that go above and beyond to give customers everything they could ever ask for in a dining experience.

    Ixtapa Cantina in the Crossroads Plaza for instance has a family night every Tuesday. Tuesday’s are Kid’s Days at Ixtapa. Not only can kids can get a meal for $1.99 but “Blinkie” the Clown entertains the night away with balloons, face painting and stickers. Who doesn’t like balloons with their burritos?

    When I was young I used to love watching balloon creations being made - from poodles to Queen size tiaras. I used to wish I could make them myself but I couldn’t even get those moldable balloons blown up. After a good half hour of trying, I’d be left with a handful of spitty, limp balloons and a red face.

    And Ixtapa doesn’t just entertain the child in us all, a live Mariachi band performs from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. every Sunday night at the restaurant. A uniquely enjoyable night of music, you and your friends can enjoy authentic Mexican cuisine and tasty margaritas while listening to suave men in silver studded charro outfits and wide-brimmed hats playing energetic ditties.

    Both the Deven’s Grill and Bailey’s Bar and Grille also offer live entertainment. Why eat anywhere with piped in tunes when you can hear music performed live by some of the best local entertainers in the area?

    You can hear amazing acoustic music every Wednesday night at Bailey’s (Tim Rollo will be performing this Wednesday, Aug. 25). Plus, every Thursday it’s Ladies Night at Bailey’s with plenty of music and fun (on Thursday, Aug. 26 Ladies Night is being hosted by Gold to Green - bring your old boyfriend jewelry for cash!)

    Every week the Deven’s Grill keeps things rockin’ with a Thursday Night Music Series featuring live performances by local entertainers from 7 to 10 p.m. (Acoustic Hot Tub will be performing this Thursday, Aug. 26).

    Plus, an event for the whole family - every Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. it’s Cruise Day at the Deven’s Grill. Come for a great barbecue feast and stay to see a menagerie of hot rods and classic cars.

    But not every restaurant has to have a special event to be special, many of the restaurants we’ve featured are perfect for you and that special someone simply because of the delectability of the atmosphere.

    The Harley House is the perfect place for a little romance no matter what time of day it is. The Harley House is open for Brunch every Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and for dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. There’s nothing like the satisfaction of eating a great meal in the cozy, country quarters of the Barn, Tavern, Meeting house or Garden Room.

    Dario’s Brick Oven Pizzeria is also perfect for a romantic evening. Enjoy an Italian meal and a bottle of wine in their cozy, bistro-style dining room.

    If you want the same ease and coziness but are craving a bit of peanut sauce, Bangkok Hill has excellent indoor and outdoor dining for such a treat, as well as some of the friendliest staff you could ask for in a restaurant.

    And if you want to have a meal to remember with no strings attached, pull up a chair and dig into some of the best omelets in the area at the Ugly Omelet, where you can’t stop eating OR looking around at all the fantastic dining décor. The Omelet not only comes equipped with some fantastically far-out kitsch, but the walls are also adorned with artwork created by local artisans. I guarantee that no matter where you look you’ll like what you see.

    And for an easy-going night of pleasurable pub fun, Donnelly’s Tavern has good food, good beer, KENO, (killer teriyaki steak tips!) and your favorite teams playing on the TV.

    So the next time you want to go out for a meal or for a little fun, ask yourself what you’re really in the mood for and visit any of these great places today!