If there's an excuse to get off the beach this month, it's the new and improved Restaurant Week Boston - actually, two five-day flights, August 5 through 10 and 12 through 17 - offering three-course lunches ($20.07) and dinners ($33.07) all over the city and the suburbs. For information on who's in and who's out, visit www.bostonusa.com/restaurantweek. >> It's snake eyes for a solo Michael Schlow as he doubles his bets next spring and opens his second Alta Strada restaurant, this time at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods. Whereas the first Alta Strada, in Wellesley, is intimate, the new one will be 8000 square feet and will seat 225 lucky diners at a time, with a trattoria and a wine bar, an open exhibition kitchen, a six-seat "antipasti counter," a chef's table, and a 20-person private dining room. Sounds like a whole new reason to drive to Connecticut. >> Another guilty pleasure goes gourmet: OM's Rachel Klein introduces the "Haute Dog," with peach relish, blue-cheese slaw, and tempura onion rings. You can feel good about it since it's made with all-natural ingredients and an all-natural casing. Klein keeps them soaking in an apple cider and brown sugar solution, and grills them to order. The dogs are $13 - or snatch one up for only $10 from 5 to 7 p.m. every night as part of the restaurant's ongoing "10 for 10" promotion. >> UpStairs on the Square owners Mary-Catherine Deibel and Deborah Hughes are celebrating their 25th anniversary in the business with events throughout August. (How many other pairs have made it 25 years together in restaurants?) Every Wednesday evening from 9 p.m. on, the Monday Club transforms into a cool, candle-lit jazz venue (cover charge for non-diners is $5), with local groups, such as the Gypsy Shaffer Band, performing. On August 23, there's the "Matt's Just Back from Napa" wine tasting ($45 for a four-course tasting). Chef Steve Brand pairs four small plates with a variety of Napa Valley boutique-production wines. On August 28, there's "Tomatoes Times Five," a five-course tasting menu starring the best local tomatoes.
