Restaurateur Ingrid Croce has announced the launch of ingrid’s list (www.ingridslist.com), the only website that provides fine dining certificates for 3- course prix fixe meals for $30, $40 and $50 at exclusive establishments year round.

ingrid’s list was created for travelers, business people and families who enjoy fine dining but would prefer to do so without spending a lot of money. As a restaurateur, Chef and co-founder of one of the most successful Restaurant Weeks in the world, Ingrid Croce’s goal is to share her experience to help restaurants and hospitality communities get through these financially difficult times and beyond.

Ingrid has owned and operated Croce’s, one of the top fine dining restaurants in downtown San Diego, since 1985. She built it as a tribute to her late husband, singer-songwriter Jim Croce, who died in a plane crash in the early seventies while topping the charts with “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown,” “Time in a Bottle” and “You Don’t Mess Around with Jim.”

Ingrid is also very familiar with the popular Restaurant Week dining concept found in major cities across the United States. She helped start San Diego’s version, which has grown to be one of the most successful restaurant events in the country, now host to more than 200,000 people yearly.

“If Restaurant Week can be so successful for a week or two, why not offer it 365 days a year?” said Croce. “The idea is to help guests afford a lifestyle that includes ‘dining out’ by assisting consumers to make their dining experience exclusive, affordable and easy. And at the same time to help fine dining restaurants fill seats every day at no additional cost to their bottom line.”

ingrid’s list is now home to the best value in fine dining for people who want to dine exclusive and dine smart. Diners get to choose their restaurants from an exclusive list of restaurants hand-picked by Ingrid Croce for their cuisine, wine list, ambience and service. The three-course prix fixe ingrid’s list meal always offers no less than a 20% value and as much as 60% savings.

According to Executive Chef Bernard Guillas of The Marine Room in La Jolla, California, “Ingrid Croce has been a personal friend of mine for the last 20 years. She has a sterling reputation as an ambassador of impeccable taste promoting the San Diego restaurant and hospitality industry, which has now blossomed into a community rich with global diversity and an exciting restaurant scene. As a community leader and a visionary, Ingrid’s new venture will take you on a culinary journey throughout the world.”