Visitors to Portland, Oregon, (well, and residents, too) during the month of March have an extra good reason to sample the range of the city’s dining options. The city, known for its food carts and innovative chefs who incorporate the bounty of local seafood, produce, fruits and meats in their menus, frequently rests at the top of “best dining” lists. This month 124 restaurants across the city offer three-course dinners for just $29. That’s a great offer, especially when you consider that a meal at some of those restaurants (I’m thinking particularly of Fogo de Chao Brazilian Steakhouse, Ruth’s Chris or The RingSide) usually costs at least twice that much. This is the seventh annual Portland Dining Month, organized by the city’s official tourism office, Travel Portland.

Yes, your menu choices are usually restricted to one or two entrée options, a first course appetizer or salad and a dessert, but what an introduction to some really unique eateries you’ve perhaps been wanting to try. You’ll find restaurants scattered across the city, from downtown to hip neighborhoods like The Pearl, Division Street, Mississippi Avenue and Sellwood. There are bistros, delis and markets alongside gourmet dining spots and brew pubs. Cuisine ranges from Southern comfort food to Asian-fusion, seafood to vegan. Travel the world with stops at Hoda’s Middle Eastern Cuisine, Biwa, Porto Terra Tuscan Grill, Stammtisch, Xico, Thai Bloom! and the Yakuza Lounge. And we’re not talking about new, untested kitchens but some of Portland’s long-established places with award-winning chefs.

Columbia Distributing, one of the corporate sponsors of the 31-day dining extravaganza, partners with select restaurants to offer beer pairings or beer-focused dishes, while the Oregon Wine Board sponsors 15 winemaker kick-off dinners to celebrate restaurants earning its A-List Award. Uber gets in on the act by offering a free ride, up to $15, to first-time riders when they sign up with the code PDXEATS on their website. And the city’s light rail, streetcar and bus transit options make virtually all of the restaurants accessible to visitors who like a mass-transit option to get to dinner.

Best of all, perhaps, is that your dinner out can provide a boost to the Oregon Food Bank. Diners making their reservations through OpenTable links on PortlandDiningMonth.com will ensure a donation to the organization.

Luckily, we’ve got a trip to Portland planned at the end of the month, so now we’ve just got to narrow down our choices — not an easy task! Check out the options (allowing you to sort by neighborhood, dietary restrictions and cuisine type) at the Travel Portland website, and consider a visit yourself!

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor