For most patrons of Restaurant Week — that biannual $30 chance for area cheapies to find out how the other half eats — a Friday reservation for 10 p.m. at Brassiere Perrier or Le Bar Lyonnais is as good as it gets.

The actual holy grail of the event, which comes around again Sept. 18, is the grand prize in its less-well-known companion contest: 52 $50 restaurant gift certificates — enough to dine at a different Restaurant Week participant every week of the year.

Michelle Shannon, marketing chief at Center City District, says the contest was created to get Restaurant Week diners to fill out post-dinner surveys. The contest is almost as successful as Restaurant Week itself, with almost 10,000 of 40,000 surveys filled out and returned. That's great for planning and promotion; less so for your chances of winning.

Until and unless you get really lucky, there are still those $30 feeds. And who better to turn to for advice on where to go this time around than January contest winner Maia Silvestro, 29, an assistant public defender from Old City who has dined at more than a quarter of the 86 Restaurant Week restaurants with her prize winnings. Among her more enthusiastic recommendations:

Farmicia: The atmosphere is "amazing and the food [she had a crab cake] was outstanding."

Fork: After having brunch here, she's found herself in former favorite haunts thinking, "I wish I were at Fork."

Roy's: Had "phenomenal" pineapple-barbecue ribs and an "outstanding" molten chocolate dessert here.

Bellini Grill: A "low-key" BYOB with "good food and service."

Spasso: Loves their mussels so much she actually went back a second time and paid!

Silvestro cited no significant weight gain since her Restaurant Year began and has avoided bankruptcy from supplemental payments at the priciest places by giving away gift certificates (her parents got Le Bar Lyonnais) or only having drinks and appetizers (at McCormick & Schmick's happy hour, for instance).

Told that she sounded quite value-conscious, the school-loan-laden Silvestro corrected, "No, I'm poor." In fact, Silvestro previously only went to "nicer" restaurants about six times a year, and described her past Restaurant Week excursions as "a splurge." And in a way that would make any Restaurant Week cheapie proud, she wondered whether she might be able to "use any of my gift certificates on Restaurant Week — you know, leverage my winnings." (We doubt it.)

Send tips and unwanted restaurant gift certificates to cwyman@citypaper.net.

Center City Restaurant Week and Restaurant Week Contest, Sun.-Fri., Sept. 18-23, three courses for $30, various locations, 215-440-5500, www.centercityphila.org/restaurantweek.