By: Liz Farmer

Once again, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar is offering a winter prix fixe menu to lure in diners whose budgets would otherwise balk at the idea of going out to a pricey steakhouse. We saw this a lot last winter, too, with white tablecloth establishments such as Ruth’s Chris Steak House.

But look for a slight change this year — prices are up. Fleming’s prix fixe menu this winter is $39.95 per person, compared with $35.95 last winter. This year’s menu also doesn’t include a glass of wine (although this year’s dessert beats last year’s milk and cookies).

Ruth’s Chris prix fixe menu has stayed the same at $39.95. But here’s another kicker — Baltimore’s Winter Restaurant Week meal prices have also gone up about $5 to $35.10. (Restaurant Week dinners were $30.09 last winter).

In covering the restaurant industry, I heard a lot over the last year about food costs going up for restaurateurs who didn’t want to pass on that price increase to their customers for fear of losing them. How much of these price increases do you think are a result of restaurant owners finally just upping their prices to stay afloat — or are they upping the prices because the economy seems to be inching back up?