Indecision is a tough personal trait to possess as the second leg of Olympia Restaurant Week kicks off today. Today through Thursday, the vacillators, waverers and second-guessers will have to strain their brains to pin down which meal deals are right for them.

As they say in biz speak, if you fail to plan, then you plan to fail. Don't succumb to indecision; spend a moment strategizing your personal approach to the wonders of Olympia Restaurant Week. Check out the list of restaurants; or flip through the menus. Ten Thurston County restaurants will be serving up special $25 three-course dinners, with some eateries offering a three-course lunch menu for $15.

Should you try a new place you've always wanted to visit but somehow never made it there? Ever been to Pellegrino's or Dockside Bistro?

Another useful strategy is to use your Olympia Restaurant Week visits to support longtime favorites; just ask legions of Mercato, Budd Bay Café and Swing Wine Bar devotees.

You might dispense with the restaurant and let the food itself call to you. Mercato is making an amazing bread pudding, Ricardo's is serving Pork Filet Mignon, Adesso has Chippino, and Oly Rock Fish has a Lamb & Pistachio Ragu with your name on it.

Intrigued? You should be. Olympia Restaurant Week is the perfect time to explore new restaurants, support local businesses and best of all, enjoy great food and a night on the town for much less than it would normally cost. Budget-minded diners are able to sample some of the best cuisine the area has to offer. Whatever your Restaurant Week strategy, don't forget to make reservations, if possible - it works out better for everyone.

Follow the Olympia Restaurant Week blog for updates. Also visit the Olympia Restaurant Week Facebook and follow @OlympiaRestWeek on Twitter.

LINK: Fancy Olympia Restaurant Week 2013 Menu Guide

A glance at Budd Bay Cafe's menu choices for Olympia Restaurant Week suggest the waterfront business of nearly 25 years chose to play it safe and offer classics like Seared Salmon, Rosemary Chicken Breast and Marinated Flank Steak.

But a closer look reveals the salmon is actually with wasabi cream and soy glaze, and is served with the delicate balance of jasmine rice.

"We definitely wanted to put salmon on the menu. We prepare it six or seven different ways," explains Pam Oates, manager. "And this is our most popular salmon dish. It's very well received."

And the chicken isn't just seared with rosemary; there is also shiitake mushrooms, artichokes and sun-dried tomatoes in a zesty wine sauce, served with a side of Yukon gold mashers.

"We chose this because it's like comfort food," says Oates. 

Having a beef choice rounded out the menu, she adds.

The appetizer and dessert menus seem consistent with seafood/steakhouse fare, offering Crab Cake, Chowder or Caesar Salad for appetizer choice or Creme Brulee, Cheesecake or Chocolate Lava Cake for dessert. 

Olympia Restaurant Week runs now through April 18 — Sunday-Thursday - participating restaurants offer three-course lunch and/or dinner menus for $15 and $25, respectively.

BUDD BAY CAFE, 6:30 A.M. TO 9 P.M. MONDAY-SATURDAY, 9:30 A.M. TO 9 P.M. SUNDAY, OLYMPIA RESTAURANT WEEK SUNDAY-THURSDAY, 525 COLUMBIA ST. NW, OLYMPIA, 360.357.6963

LINK: Olympia Restaurant Week Reservation Center

LINK: Olympia Restaurant Week Menu Guide

For ambiance, it's hard to beat Swing in Olympia. It's located in a cute bungalow perched above Capitol Lake. The wine list includes a balance of local choices with international ones, and the menu is large with a definite ritzy air to it. Entrees can be ordered as small plates, which is a nice touch. Wednesdays bring live music.

Swing was voted "Best Creative Cocktails" and "Best Wine Selection" by Weekly Volcano readers in the 2013 Best of Olympia. The Weekly Volcano named it "Best Seat to View Capitol Lake."

Swing Wine Bar & Cafe is one of 10 restaurants participating in Olympia Restaurant Week, which means it will offer three courses for $25, Sunday-Thursday April 7-18.

To reserve your space at Swing during Olympia Restaurant Week, call 360.357.9464.

Below is Swing Wine Bar & Cafe's Olympia Restaurant Week menu.

Most people desire food prepared at a locally owned restaurant where the proprietors had some role in creating what they're hawking. At a barbecue place, you should be able to smell the smoke and picture the manager toiling over the coals in a sweaty, stained wife-beater. At a French restaurant, the host should be so snotty that you want to punch him in the mouth, even though he'll probably surrender before you can. And at an authentic Italian joint (not one named for the infamous Olive Garden crime family), the owner should be from Italy - but also know that you're in for a hell of a meal, just because the ownership so damn passionate about the food. Pellegrino's Italian Kitchen is one of those joints.

Owner Sam Pellegrino is 100 percent Sicilian from the town of Palermo. Although semi-retired, his big personally is always there - whether in the photographs leading up the stairs, Italian dishes passed through generations of Pellegrino's or via his daughter and house manager, Jennifer Pellegrino.

Pellegrino's is one of 10 restaurants participating in Olympia Restaurant Week, which means it will offer three courses for $25, Sunday-Thursday April 7-18.

To reserve your space at Pellegrino's during Olympia Restaurant Week, call 360.709.9020.

Below is Pellegrino's Italian Kitchen's Olympia Restaurant Week menu. The cozy Italian joint in Tumwater offers more than the required three options per course, including a Tour of Italy entree.

There's something appealing about viewing the cut of meat before it arrives on your plate, especially when you're dealing with prime cuts of Wagyu beef and dry-aged, marbled slabs of steak. Ricardo's Restaurant in Lacey, which underwent a transformation a few years ago when they started focusing less on pasta and more on meat. The Bone "in" Fillet, one of the chef's favorites, will leave carnivores wiping tears of joy from their eyes and if that's not enough, the delicate Maytag Blue salad with just enough dressing and the ideal amount of pistachios will definitely complete the picture perfect meal. Read the Weekly Volcano's review of Ricardo's here. You'll read why Ricardo's was no doubt voted Best Steak in the 2013 Best of Olympia issue.

However, this is Olympia Restaurant Week, which is about three courses for $25 — a chance to dine at Ricardo's for much less than you normally would be allowed. Nice.

To reserve your space at Ricardo's Restaurant during Olympia Restaurant Week, call 360.413.9995

Below is Ricardo's Olympia restaurant week menu.