Five Things You Need to Know Today, March 9

Today is Wednesday, March 9. Here are five things you need to know:

1. It's yesterday all over again: partly sunny skies with highs in the upper 30s. East winds 10 to 15 mph.

2. It’s officially Restaurant Week ...or weeks, to be precise. What’s that? A really excellent way to get out in March (which is actually the cruelest month, no matter what Chaucer or T.S. Eliot say), have a fancy meal and spend significantly less money than you would any other time of the year. Participating restaurants design a prix fixe menu for the occasion. You pay $33.11 for a three-course dinner; $20.11 for a three-course lunch and, in some cases, there is a two-course lunch option for $15.11. Neighborhood restaurants on the Restaurant Week roster include , , , , and . You can see a full listing of restaurants all over the city and slightly beyond at www.bostonusa.com/restaurant-week. You can make reservations online, too. Restaurant Week runs March 6-11 and March 13-18.

3. Yesterday I became Facebook friends with Rep. Mike Capuano. Actually, I “liked” him on Facebook. Regardless of how you feel about him, you might want to do the same. This is the congressman’s official page and he’ll be posting updates about his work there. Plus, you can post stuff on his wall, like your favorite kitty videos, and tag him in fun party photos.

4. Do your kids love to skate? They might be interested in the Mayor’s Cup Skating Competition this coming Saturday on the Frog Pond from 10 to noon. There’s actually quite a lot scheduled for this event. Frog Pond instructors will put on a bit of a show, including Fred Palascak, winner of “Skating with the Stars.” College students and competitors from the Boston Skating Club will perform, too. It will culminate with a team competition – and a trophy, to mark the closing of the pond for the season (on March 17). For more details, call the Frog Pond at (617) 635-2120 or visit www.bostonfrogpond.org.

5. The Globe recently reported that the state is ranked at the bottom of the list – nationwide – when it comes to having enough supermarkets with fresh, nutritious food, according to a new public health report. Massachusetts does especially poorly in urban areas, including Boston, where there are, apparently, 30 percent fewer markets per person than the national average. Why is this bad? For lots of reasons, potentially, but here’s a biggie: Where there’s a lack of fresh, quality food, there is an increase in obesity, heart disease and diabetes. If you want to read more about the report and what the governor is doing to address this problem, check out the Globe story.

For more things to do in the South End visit our Events Listings.