Showing posts with label deals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label deals. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Daily Guide to $1 Oysters in Boston

Do you love oysters but can't afford to eat a dozen at the usual $2.50-$3.50 price per pop? Fret not, because there are plenty of places and times to eat oysters for just $1 in Boston! Here is a guide to where to get $ oysters in Boston. I'll try to keep this list as updated as possible, but please check with the restaurant before going :)

Of course, do let me know if you know one that is missing from this list!
Sterling's

Thursday, October 6, 2016

Boston: Dine at a Discount with GoPapaya App

Whether you're a student or someone with a "real job", everyone loves saving money, right?
Well, Bostonians can now have more opportunities to save money while dining out with this new mobile app startup called GoPapaya.

The idea of GoPapaya is like HotelTonight: they work with restaurants to fill tables during the restaurants' down time by offering discounts to customers, usually between 10-30%. On top of that, since they are new and promoting their app, you can sign up with my referral code "pigs10" and they will send you a $10 Amazon gift card after you complete your first reservation!

The restaurant will set a discount on the app in real time, and you'll have 30 minutes to arrive at the restaurant once you make your reservation. When you open the app, it will show you what discounts are available and for how much, sorted by the distance.
Untitled
Once you reserve the table, they will hold it for 30 minutes. During this hold and when you're checked in, you can't reserve another table unless you cancel the current one. Here's when I made one for lunch at Patty Chen's Dumpling Room in Central Square.
Go Papaya
To use it, you'd turn on your bluetooth, and the app will automatically detect when you get to the restaurant and check you in. You don't need to purchase anything from the app so there's no upfront cost like Groupons.

When I got to Patty Chen's Dumpling Room, I just told them I made a reservation with GoPapaya, and they knew what I was talking about.

Patty Chen
Pork Dumpling "Ramen" at PC Dumpling Room


Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Sing for Free Brunch at Papagayo Karaoke Brunch in Charlestown

Bostonians: Want free food? Would you sing for free food?
Papagayo Mexican Restaurant is launching a Karaoke Brunch at their Charlestown location and for the month of January, all brunch entrees are 50% off! On top of that, if you call and make reservation and sign up to sing, you'll get brunch FREE!

I'm no public performer, but I'd sure do it for free food! Find the information and the number to sign up below:


Papagayo Mexican
1 Chelsea St, Charlestown, MA
(617) 242-7400
http://papagayorestaurants.com/

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Late Night Happy Hour at Fleming's Steakhouse

If you've shied away from dining at a steakhouse because of the price, head over to Fleming's Steakhouse for their "late night happy hour", which isn't all that late. Called "8 for $9 til 10", you can get 8 items for $9 each from 8-10pm. They also have a "5 for $6 til 7" which may be an even better deal, but the offerings are better for the later night menu.

The same deal is available at all Fleming's locations nationwide. Even better, at most Fleming's locations you also get happy hour prices on some drinks (8 wines and cocktails) including a flight of single malt scotches for $9! Alas, Boston doesn't allow alcohol happy hour (poor me) so I can only show you the food offerings.

First of all, even though you're only there for the cheaper food at happy hour, they still serve you the housemade bread - served with tomato basil butter and Chardonnay-infused gorgonzola sauce.

Flemings

Flemings
The $9 items that are offered are the same full size that you'd get from the regular menu and includes things like the Filet Mignon Flatbread (danish blue and monterey jack cheese, red onion confit).

The filet mignon was unusually tender for toppings you'd find on a flatbread. This is a steakhouse and it's filet mignon after all! This was probably my favorite of the things I tried.

For the $6 flatbread during the earlier happy hour, you get mushroom and artichoke instead of filet mignon.

 I didn't have the stomach room to try everything and had to skip the prime burger, which I am sure would make a great affordable dinner if you get off work late one day!
Instead, that evening I tried the lobster lettuce wraps (North Atlantic lobster, crumbled bacon, crisped onion strings, orange-fennel slaw, tarragon dressing)
Flemings

Monday, October 28, 2013

Halloween Deals and Specials!

Forget parties with a high cover charge, a lot of bars and restaurants are throwing deals and specials! Here's where to drink on the cheap for Halloween:

First of all, there's a Boos for Booze bar crawl along Washington Blvd in Culver City. Deets:

Crawl kicks off at A-Frame from 5-7pm
Serving: Furikake Kettle Corn and Heirloom Pickles - $6, The Omen (Rye Whiskey, Yellow Chartreuse, Imbue Petal & Thorn, Lemon) - $6

Crawl moves to Waterloo & City from 7-9pm
Serving: Scotch Egg with Piccalilli - $4, Waterloo Scary PubTail (Mezcal, Blood Orange, Serrano Chilies) - $6

Crawl culminates at The Corner Door, 9pm
Serving: Fried Chicken Sandwich - $7,  Halloween Punch - Ginger & Mary Ann (Bourbon, House Made Spiced Apple Cordial, Lemon, Lime, Ginger, Prosecco) - $6

------------------
Or, if you'd rather stay put at one place and drink all day/night, Ricardo Zarate's restaurants are giving you open bar deals:
Picca. 9575 West Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90035

9:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m:
·         Welcome shot for those dressed in costume
·         $20 open bar to those who enjoyed dinner earlier in the evening
·         $25 open bar to general public
·         Includes: Pisco Halloween Punch, Peruvian beer, and house wines
Tricks: Costume contest, “Thriller” dance competition, and bobbing for apples  
Treats: 20% off New Year’s Eve Dinner, “Spooky Gift Bags,” and a surprise grand prize

Mo-chica. 517 West 7th Street, Downtown Los Angeles, CA 90014
                                                 
11:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
·         Welcome shot for those dressed in costume
·         $25 open bar: Pisco Halloween Punch, Peruvian beer, and house wines
2:30 p.m.-10:00 p.m:  Happy Hour- 20% off entire bill
Tricks: Costume contest, dance competition
Treats: Gift certificates and “Spook Gift Bags”
  
Paiche. 13488 Maxella Avenue, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292

            2:30 p.m.-10:00 p.m:   $25 open bar with special-themed cocktails, beer, and house wine
9:00 p.m.-midnight:    666 Menu featuring 6 dishes for $6 each
Tricks: Raffle, Costume contest
Treats: One-hour mixology class with Mixologist Deysi Alvarez, one-hour cooking class with Ricardo Lopez, and more

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Thirsty Crow in Silverlake is also throwing a Dead Celebrity Party starting at 9pm with $5 "blood punch" and a costume contest

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Weekly Wine & Corkage Deals - Los Angeles

This is a hopefully growing list. If you know of a deal, let me know!
Note: I haven't personally checked out these deals, so call first and confirm before you go.

Monday

  • Free corkage. Cafe Pinot, Downtown.
  • Free corkage (limit 1 bottle/2 diners). Il Forno, Santa Monica.
  • Free corkage. Josie Restaurant, Santa Monica.
  • Free corkage. Providence, Hollywood.
  • Free corkage. Ray's and Stark Bar, Mid City.
  • 1/2 off all bottles of wine. Bar and Kitchen (at the O Hotel, downtown), Los Angeles.
  • 1/2 off all bottles of wine. La Cachette Bistro, Santa Monica.
  • 1/2 off all bottles of wine. Lazy Ox Canteen, (downtown) Los Angeles.
  • 1/2 off all bottles of wine. Momed, Beverly Hills.
  • 1/2 off all bottles of wine. RivaBella, West Hollywood
  • 1/2 off all bottles of wine under $90. Taste on Melrose, West Hollywood.
  • 1/2 off all bottles of wine. Wilshire Restaurant, Santa Monica.
  • $25 for any bottle of wine. Whist at the Viceroy, Santa Monica.

Tuesday
  • Free corkage. Cafe Pinot, Downtown.
  • Free corkage. Daily Grill, multiple locations.
  • Free corkage (limit 1 bottle/2 diners). Il Forno, Santa Monica.
  • Free corkage. Josie Restaurant, Santa Monica.
  • Free Corkage. Osteria Mamma, West Hollywood.
  • Free corkage. Ray's and Stark Bar, Mid City.
  • 1/2 off all bottles of wine. Chaya Venice, Venice.
  • 1/2 off select bottles of wine. The Churchill, West Hollywood.
  • 1/2 off all bottles of wine. The Hungry Cat, Hollywood.
  • 1/2 off most bottles of wine (some bottles excluded, ask server). Meet French Bistro, Culver City.
  • 1/2 off all bottles of wine. The Raymond, Pasadena.
  • 1/2 off bottles of wine. Rush Street, Culver City.
  • 1/2 off all bottles of wine. Bar and Kitchen (at the O Hotel, downtown), Los Angeles. 
  • 1/2 off all bottles of wine. Coupa Cafe, Beverly Hills.
  • 1/2 off select bottles of wine. Sadie Kitchen and Lounge, Hollywood
Wednesday
  • Free corkage. Cafe Pinot, Downtown.
  • Free corkage (limit 1 bottle/2 diners). Il Forno, Santa Monica.
  • Free corkage. Ray's and Stark Bar, Mid City.
  • Free Corkage. The Raymond, Pasadena.
  • Free Corkage. The Royce at The Langham, Pasadena.
  • Free Corkage. Colorado Wine Company, Eagle Rock.
  • 1/2 off all bottles of wine. AKASHA, Culver City.
  • 1/2 off all bottles of wine from the Garden Courtyard list. Buffalo Club, Santa Monica.
  • 1/2 off all bottles of wine. The Edison, Downtown.
  • 1/2 off all bottles of wine. La Grande Orange, Pasadena
  • 1/2 off all bottles of wine. The Hudson, West Hollywood
  • 1/2 off all bottles of wine. Tam O'Shanter, Atwater Village
  • 1/2 off all bottles of wine. Wolfgang's Steakhouse, Beverly Hills.
Thursday
  • Free corkage. Cafe Pinot, Downtown.
  • Free corkage (limit two). Meet French Bistro, Culver City.
  • Free corkage. Ray's and Stark Bar, Mid City.
  • 1/3 off all bottles of wine. POP Champagne & Dessert Bar, Pasadena.
  • 1/2 off all bottles of wine. The Edison, Downtown.
  • 1/2 off all bottles of wine. Saddle Peak Lodge, Calabasas.

Friday
  • Free corkage. Cafe Pinot, Downtown.
  • Free corkage. Ray's and Stark Bar, Mid City.
  • 1/2 off all bottles of wine. Saddle Peak Lodge, Calabasas.
  • 1/2 off all bottles of wine. Il Buco Ristorante, Beverly Hills.

Saturday

  • Free corkage. Cafe Pinot, Downtown.
  • Free corkage from 12-5PM. K-ZO, Culver City.
  • Free corkage. Ray's and Stark Bar, Mid City.

Sunday
  • Free corkage. AKASHA, Culver City.
  • Free corkage. Cafe Pinot, Downtown.
  • Free corkage. Celestino, Pasadena.
  • Free corkage and 1/2 off select bottles of wine. Chaya Brasserie, Beverly Hills.
  • Free corkage. Ray's and Stark Bar, Mid City.
  • Free corkage (if not on their wine list). Craft, Century City.
  • Free corkage (limit 1 bottle per 2 diners). Culina, Beverly Hills
  • $1 corkage. La Cachette Bistro, Santa Monica.
  • 1/2 off all bottles of wine. BOA Steakhouse, West Hollywood.
  • 1/2 off select bottles of wine. Chaya Downtown.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

FIG in Santa Monica: Quiet Spot for Meal and Drinks

FIG, a restaurant focusing in seasonal and local ingredients, has as its namesake the 100-yr old fig tree that sits in front of the Fairmont Miramar hotel (where the restaurant is located).I heard from LA&OC Foodie that FIG is on the Restaurant.com list- where you can buy a $25 gift certificates for $10 ($35 min purchase), and oftentimes they will have a 80% off sale! That's $25 for $2 people!! I bought 3 ...


Psst! Now til 6/25/09 they're having a 80% off sale! Just enter code: DISH.

We came late, past 9:00 PM. The restaurant was pretty quiet overall (except for a table of 4 drinking ladies that were quite ... lively), and I liked the decor and ambiance.
The menu is divided into Snacks, Salads, Appetizers, and Entrees. At the bottom of the menu is a nice touch - a list of currently in-season ingredients, and also what will be in season soon.

The bread at FIG is served warm, each in its own paper bag, and accompanied with arugula butter.
Never had arugula butter before, it was quite a nice touch.

Our first orders were from the Snacks section: Tarte Flambee (fromage blanc, blue cheese, lardon) - $6
This was nothing special, more like a mini, less-cheesy pizza.

Roasted Tomato Soup (mascarpone, basil) - $9
Pretty good and hearty, with a nice smokey flavor from the roasted tomatoes. Actually, this reminds me of the tomato soup at Nordstrom's cafe - when it's done right!

Young Beets with Santa Barbara Pistachios - $8
Very good and light and refreshing, but the portion is pretty small.

I thought the portions from the Snacks section were pretty small and doesn't seem to be really worth the price - especially in comparison to the other dishes I had later from the Appetizers section.

Although the next dish I had was called the Mushroom Fricassee ($12), it seems that the focus of the dish was in fact the sweetbreads.
Do share this dish with another person. The mushroom fricassee itself is a bit heavy and add on top of that the pieces of fried sweetbreads and it would make it hard for one person to finish this dish by itself. The mushroom fricassee was delish, the sweetbreads were decent but were a bit on the tough and dry side. They were not the best quality sweetbread, but then again this whole dish was only $12...

Warm Quinoa Salad (chard, butternut squash, toasted almonds) - $13
Delicious, and healthy too! It wasn't so much like a salad rather than a rice bowl - except that the quinoa instead of rice gave it that extra firm texture and a nice flavor. The toasted almonds were also a great addition.

Braised Tongue (tomatillo, breakfast radish) - $11
This was one of the rare occasions I enjoyed tongue in the US. Most tongues I've had in this country were tough, but this one was tender, just like how my family prepares it! The tomatillo sauce is a little spicy, but even I can still eat it so it's not too bad :P I really enjoyed this dish.

Both the braised tongue and quinoa salad made for a great lunch the next day too!

After all this food, and especially the spicy tongue at the end, I wanted something light for dessert, so I just ordered the sorbet. You get 3 scoops, and I just asked for 2 blood oranges and 1 pomegranate.
A bit denser and heavier than your usual "sorbet" but good nonetheless!

The bar at FIG boasts fresh seasonal ingredients and it's currently a great and quiet place to just sit, have a drink, and talk. And of course, eat. I want the restaurant to do well, but hopefully it won't get too crowded!!

Also, with the way we ordered, the $25 certificate didn't put as big a dent as I had hoped. Skip the snacks, just go with appetizers/ entrees and you'll do much better!

Read the reviews from LA&OC Foodie and Carolineoncrack!

FIG Restaurant
101 Wilshire Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 319-3111
www.figsm.com

FIG Restaurant on Urbanspoon

Friday, March 13, 2009

Bamboodles and the $1 Noodles (I Kid You Not)

Bamboodles has kind of been at the periphery of my radar ever since reading Exile Kiss' post on it, but when Wandering Chopsticks told me they had $1 daily special noodles ($1 ???) I immediately asked her to take me there.

The draw of Bamboodles is the bamboo-made noodles, made fresh daily. When we got there the guy was still working on some noodles, but alas, he didn't mount the big bamboo for my enjoyment. WC got a video though so hopefully she'll blog (sorry, vlog) this.I know the green tea pork noodles is supposed to be the highlight dish here, but since I came to get $1 noodles, the green tea pork will have to wait.
Since I felt kind of bad coming in and just ordering $1 dishes, I asked for an iced lemon tea also and WC got a side of spicy wontons.

Here's the $1 chicken-green onion-noodles:
Pretty good, huh? I don't think I can get this for $1 even back home in Indonesia these days ... Wandering Chopsticks said that the last time she got it, they put less chicken meat, so I guess don't always expect as much meat. But still, for $1 this was quite a meal, and quite a deal.

The noodles are quite good, with a nice chewiness and firmness. There was light fragrance to it. Parts of it were still sticking to each other but I believe these would work wonderfully in a soup. Can't wait to try their spinach noodles also.

The Spicy Wontons ($1.95) contained of eight wontons lightly covered in chili sauce.
The chili sauce itself was nothing special, but the wontons were wrapped in a thin yet springy skin. The meat was also nice and of higher quality (more meat, less bad fat) than most. This was also a nice deal for the price.
(These wontons, plus the chili sauce from YunChuan would be zomg amazing!)

The most expensive item on our check ended up being my iced lemon tea for $2.45 (expensive for an iced tea but I guess they have to cover overhead somehow)!
I'm going to be back to try their other items, but in the meantime ... guys, if you're feeling poor, just come here, get your $1 noodles, but please be considerate and tip reasonably (the dish usually sells for $5.95).
Oh, and the $1 special only lasts while the daily supplies still last, so go there early.

Bamboodles
535 W Valley Blvd
San Gabriel, CA 91776
(626) 281-1226
www.bamboodlesrestaurant.com

Bamboodles on Urbanspoon

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

South Coast Dining Deals: March 20-29

Don't cancel that hot date because of the recession just yet!
For 10 days on March 20th-29th, the restaurants in South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa are offering prix-fixe $20 3-course lunches and $40 4-course dinners for a promotion they're calling Fashion Plates.
We're talking the fine dining establishments here, and these ten days span the weekend also - sounding better than DineLA already here ...

Participating restaurants include:
Pizzeria Ortica (David Myer's new restaurant)
Marche Moderne (Lunch only - but their lunches are always $20 weekday, $25 weekend anyway ..)
Morton's the Steakhouse
Leatherby's Cafe Rouge (dinner only)
Charlie Palmer at Bloomingdale's
Pinot Provence
Hamamori
etc.

For more info, visit http://www.southcoastplaza.com/ or just call up the restaurants directly! :)

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Wakasan: One of Westside's Best Deals

Wakasan is one of my favorite recent discoveries. Why? Well, 1) they're open late - 11:30PM M-Th, and 12:30AM F-Sat (they close at 10:30 on Sundays). I don't know if you remember my ordeal on finding late night places on Mondays, but, well, this about fixes it all! 2)It's a great deal. They prefer you to do their prix fixe menu that's $35 - when I did, I ended up getting 12 items and was stuffed - probably too much so for 11pm on a Monday ...

Thanks to Mattatouille for pointing this place out to me!

1. Cold bean sprouts

2. Bean curd - before it's formed into tofu with vegetables, and
3. Ankimo with ponzu sauce, cucumbers and salmon eggs
The tofu curd had a very interesting texture and the dish overall was great.
The ankimo was also good, and I really like the combination with the cucumbers!

4. Sashimi: Tuna, old yellowtail, red snapper

They're not the best quality sashimi, although it wasn't bad. I wondered why the "old yellowtail" - because, yes, it tasted pretty "old". Anyway it wasn't bad and for $35 for this and a lot more I wasn't going to complain.

5. King crab legs
Yum. They're king crab legs, I don't know what else you want me to say O:)

6. Grilled items: Miso salmon and green beans wrapped in wagyu beef
Pretty standard, salmon's a bit overcooked and hence, dry, for my taste, but overall everything was solid, even though not remarkable.

7. Braised Skate wings
This was my first time having skate. It was pretty fishy, but also pretty meaty. The braising has made it tender, so it was quite tasty - although I wasn't able to finish it because I was full and also because it was too fishy for my taste.

8. Shrimp with sweet potato fried rolls
This was served with cocktail sauce, which I wasn't too keen about. Overall this was pretty bland in my opinion, although it did have nice textures.

9. Chawanmushi
With ginkgo, small shrimps, etc, this was one of the best chawan mushi I could remember having.

10. Miso soup

11. Chirashi with tuna, scallops, uni.
Again, the fish quality is not the best, but the uni is not bad. I didn't really like the scallops as they were not fresh, but I thought the other two were decent.

12. Vanilla ice cream
I can't say for sure but this tasted very much like Haagen Dazs vanilla ice cream. Which meant it was good :)

Overall we had a great variety of dishes, and some of them very interesting ones I've never had before, and all for $35. Plus they're open late daily. I'll be back here, and I think you know when :P

Wakasan
1929 Westwood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 446-5241

Wakasan Food Service on Urbanspoon

Monday, August 25, 2008

CozmoDeck: May Be A Good Deal!

I found out about CozmoDeck not too long ago - a friend of mine got them for free from a shopping event and gave me a few cards.

So what is a CozmoDeck? It's a promotional tool for restaurants - each card in the CozmoDeck is a gift card that gives you $15 off a meal ($50 or more minimum order on FOOD ONLY).
Not bad, not bad ... since an uncustomized CozmoDeck is only $30 apparently. You can also get a customized one for $65 - this lets you get multiple gift cards from just the restaurants you want - 52 cards total, hence a "deck".

I got one for James Beach, Ciudad, and Pink Taco from my friend, Kat (and they were free! Even betta! Thanks Kat!)

You can see the list of participating restaurants on their website.
They have The Wilshire, Tagine, and Luna Park among others. It's actually a pretty good deal I think. $50 is pretty easy to do even with just two people at these places if you order dessert.

Oh, another note though! I won't recommend buying them now, since they expire December 29th, 2008! If the price remains the same next year, I may get myself one.

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Nice to Meet You, Charlie Palmer

On Saturday I went to South Coast plaza in Costa Mesa, killing two birds with one stone: 1)visiting Kat in OC who's been complaining that I don't visit :P and 2) trying out the 4 courses for $40 deals at the Charlie Palmer's at Bloomingdale's. This post is kindof late for those who want to try out the deal, since tonight is the last night ... but I thought it was still a good intro to Charlie Palmer's.

They had an eye-shaped window that looks into the kitchen. It was pretty cool to see them at work, and one guy even posed for a picture!
We were seated in the room next to their wine collection, and it was a darker room than the main dining room with brown leather chairs instead of white. I personally liked the brighter room, but it's no big deal ...

Besides the waiter/waitress, one of the sommeliers came by and introduced himself, which I thought was nice (we haven't ordered wine or anything).

So the 4 for $40 meal started with: Tasmanian salmon tartare with passion fruit-lavender, watermelon radish
I really liked the passionfruit-based sauce, both the sweetness and sourness worked well with the salmon and it was also interesting, and the masago on top gave the whole thing a nice kick.

Next is the Roasted Corn Soup with Chanterelle mushroom Ravioli:I think this was my favorite of the night. And I'm not just saying that because I'm in love with corn (or am I?). The soup was flavorful, but not too salty like I was afraid of, and the combination with the chanterelle mushroom ravioli worked very well.

Kat's friend also ordered the Kobe beef burger sliders from the lounge menu. There were 3 mini burgers so she gave each of us one (thanks!)

The burger was pretty standard - the meat was very very juicy, which I liked, but at the same time was a bit 'rough'.


For the entree I got: Pan roasted sea scallops, with sunchokes, sugar snap peas, herb jus
The scallops were pretty big, tender and juicy. The sauce I thought was just okay though, and if it wasn't for the interesting vegetables it would've been a rather boring dish.

Kat's friend ordered the Prosciutto crusted pork tenderloin with salsify, black mission figs
I tried a bite of the tenderloin, and it was pretty good. It was not overcooked so the meat is tender and juicy. I actually liked this better than my scallops ..


The chocolate molten cake for the dessert was not bad. It was not anything special either. Without the ice cream it's a little too rich and sweet. But then again, a rich chocolate molten cake is good.





Instead of petit fours, they gave us 'beignets'. They were tasty, but I think they're more like donut holes. Good donut holes.









All in all I'd say the 4 for $40 was a good deal. As for the restaurant itself, it has solid food, ambiance, and service. It's pretty 'standard' high-end restaurant with all the right components, good for business meetings, taking guests, etc, but not one I would make as a "destination."

Charlie Palmer's at Bloomingdale's
3333 S Bristol St
Costa Mesa,, CA 92626
Phone: (714) 352-2525

Charlie Palmer at Bloomingdale's South Coast Plaza on Urbanspoon

Charlie Palmer in Los Angeles

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