New England Aquarium Whale Watch

The Deal:  New England Aquarium Whale Watch - $22.00. 


 So, this deal didn’t really work out as well as anticipated.  It’s not entirely Living Social’s Fault, or the  New England Aquarium Whale Watch, but I still don’t feel that I necessarily got the benefit of my bargain.  We did have a lovely time, though.

First of all, you are supposed to be able to show the voucher to redeem the deal.  What no one tells you is that you need to give the Aquarium the number off your voucher to schedule your reservation.  As soon as you do that, the voucher is marked as “used”… and you can neither print it to bring it with you nor use the app to pull it up on your phone.  This was a problem, because no one mentioned it before we made our reservations.  So, if you want to use a similar deal in the future, do yourself a favor and print the voucher in advance.

Second…. in retrospect, perhaps I should not have purchased a deal that was 100% dependent on having nice weather in New England.  The vouchers expired June 15.  We scheduled a whale watch for June 2.  It poured all day.  The weather was terrible.  We got a call, after we were about halfway there, that the watch had been cancelled.  (All was not lost, though, because we had free passes to the Aquarium.)  At that point, there was only 13 days left to use the voucher, and I was scheduled to be out of town for the only intervening weekend.  Luckily, they told us that we could have until the end of June to use the vouchers.  So, we schedule another watch for June 16.  Annnnnnnnnnnnnd - the weather sucked on June 16.  We couldn’t go.  

Most people who had scheduled whale watches for that day were issued refunds.  We couldn’t get a full refund, obviously, because we hadn’t paid full price.  We also couldn’t reschedule because, well, it’s summer, and we’re busy people.  We won’t both be in town again between June 15 - June 30, which is the absolute last day we could use the vouchers for $22.  So, they gave us the option of doing the Harbor Tour instead.  But not at half price.  We didn’t have to pay for it, but the Harbor Tour usually only costs about $24.  So, we saved $2 each.  Not really the deal I was hoping to get.

Don’t get me wrong.  The Harbor Tour was lovely.  We had a really nice time.   Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see any whales.  And it wasn’t quite the awesome deal I expected.  So, if you want to ever do a deal that depends on nice weather, make sure all necessary parties will be in town to actually use it before it expires.  (Or maybe considering not living in New England…)

Cost:  $22
Estimated Value: $24
Estimated Savings:  $2
Total Estimated Deal Savings, to Date:  $1,048.92.

Fuji Steakhouse, Redux

Groupon is re-running their deal for Fuji Steakhouse in Needham.  So, for the next 4 days you, too, have the option of buying a deal that will all you to enjoy up to $30 worth of delicious Japanese food at half price!

Click here.

Deals on the Road - Denver

The Deal:15% off at the Table Mountain Inn

Well, I'm on the road visiting family, so I bring you this very special edition to talk about a slightly different kind of money-savings awesomeness - Yelp check in offers. Yes, I realize no one else can visit this place unless they're planning a trip to Denver, but the point is that Yelp check-in offers can be super useful.

I'm in an unfamiliar town, and looking for somewhere to enjoy a nice breakfast. So, I pull out my phone and open the Yelp app, looking for restaurants in the area. I then filter it further to weed out places that are not open at 8 am on a Sunday morning (my favorite filter, probably). And what do I see? The Table Mountain Inn, located a few miles away, gives me 15% off when I check in with Yelp while I'm there. They had exactly what I wanted for brunch (Eggs Benedict), at a reasonable price - plus I got a discount. That's wonderful! (I love Yelp check-in offers).

The food was pretty good. They have Eggs Benedict with shaved steak and a chipotle sauce, which was pretty good. The waitress never let my coffee cup get empty, despite having a ton of other customers to deal with. She was also very pleasant. I appreciate that brunch comes with a free cinnamon roll, and the fruit selection was pretty good. We got a pretty good brunch for three, for around $35.00.

Cost: The cost of brunch, pre-discount, was roughly $32.00.
Savings: $4.80.
Total Estimated Savings: $1,046.92.

FiRE + iCE in Cambridge and Boston

The Deal: FiRE + iCE: $22 for Dinner or Brunch and Dessert for Two.*

These deals also spring up periodically - sometimes for dinner, sometimes for brunch, or sometimes for either. Now, I have a group of friends that eats at FiRE + iCE once every few months, anyway. So, it was quite exciting to see that I could essentially treat one of my friends to a free meal, and try out one of the delicious desserts. Although I’ve been to FiRE + iCE roughly twenty times, I never actually tried a dessert before.

For those of you who haven’t been there, the beauty of FiRE + iCE is that you get to eat as much as you want. There’s a salad bar, and then there’s a bunch of meat, vegetables, pasta, etc. You grab a plate, fill it up, then choose one or more sauces from the sauce bar (my personal favorite is the mesquite barbecue sauce). You take your bowl of yumminess and your container of sauce to a giant round bar with a huge grill in the middle.** Then, you get to watch them make your food. They chop it up, throw it around, and create a delicious meal right there in front of you while you chat with your friends. For just $16.99, you can eat as much as you want. So, two meals for $22, plus dessert is a pretty good deal. I hear rumors that there’s some sort of other menu, but I’ve never actually investigated. I usually start with a giant spinach salad heaped with steak and bacon, then move on to fish tacos. They bring rice and tortillas to the table, so don’t get too confused when trying to figure out how to eat your delightful mound of meat and veggies (there’s also tofu, and burgers).

After going over the dessert menu, I thought the easiest to share would be the fondue. It was wonderful - lots of fun. We got this lovely molten dark chocolate pot, surrounded by pound cake, brownies, strawberries, marshmallows, bananas…. I can’t even remember it all. I feel like there may have been pineapple, but I don’t eat pineapple, so I could be wrong. What I do remember was that pound cake dipped in chocolate is delicious. The whole table was really excited when this dessert showed up (I got lots of fondue forks). We had fun with a group (obviously, most of the group had to pay for their own dinner), but this would also be a good deal to split on a date, or just with a friend.

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* My apologies. I purchased this one before Buy With Me was taken over by Gilt City, so I actually can’t find a working link to show you what the deal was. That means you’ll have to just take my word for it that it said what I say it does.
** If you have food allergies, they’ll take your food and cook it in the back on a different grill.

Cost: $22
Estimated Value: $42.97 (based on the dessert I ordered).
Estimated Savings: $20.97
Total Estimated Deal Savings, to Date: $1,042.12.

Villa Franchesca in the North End

The Deal: $15 for $30 Worth of Upscale Italian Dinner Cuisine at Villa Francesca in the North End.

I’ve seen deals from Villa Francesca posted at regular intervals, so you may have a shot at still getting one. It’s not valid on Saturday nights, though, so plan ahead. Also… of all the deals that I have used, and I have used quite a few (you may have noticed), this was the only one where I really feel like we received a lower quality of service. It was as if the waitress assumed that, because I had a discount, I was cheap and therefore not willing to tip well. I hate when people look at me, assume I’m not going to tip well, and then give me bad service accordingly. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy, because I really don’t want to tip you 20%+ when you’ve made me feel like I’m not really good enough for you to be bringing me food. The restaurant was empty, so that has nothing to do with it. I really felt that the waitress was friendlier before hearing that we had a Groupon. She was astonished when we ordered coffee following the meal, as if anyone who buys Groupons isn’t going to spend a penny over the value. It’s a discounted coupon, not a maximum spending limit.

Now, if you just want a good Italian meal in the North End, Villa Francesca is delicious (of course, I’ve never had a bad Italian meal in the North End). The menu is interesting, and everything was perfectly prepared. I like that they refuse to cook filet mignon more thoroughly than medium (it’s even on the menu). The menu is a little pricy, so I wouldn't be likely to go there without some sort of deal. I would just say that, if you have a deal, maybe you don’t want to tell the waitstaff that until the end of the meal.

Oh, and this has nothing to do with anything, but I appreciate that you can make reservations online.

Cost: $15
Value: $30
Savings: $15
Total Estimated Deal Savings, to Date: $1,000.15.

Ken's Steakhouse in Framingham

The Deal: $20 for $40 credit at Ken’s Steakhouse.

I have always wanted to try Ken’s Steakhouse. I’m always very curious when I see the salad dressing at the grocery store (because it’s a steakhouse, not a salad place). I’ve tried the sauces. Everything is good. And I’ve heard really good things about it. So, when this deal popped up, I was really excited. Not surprisingly, the deal sold out quickly. I’m just glad I grabbed it when I did.

I had my first taste of chateaubriand on a cruise I took with my best friend in 2003. It immediately became, hands-down, my favorite steak. I haven’t seen it on a menu since (or in a grocery store). I'm sure it's out there, but apparently my normal places aren't quite swanky enough. So, imagine my delight and amazement when I sat down at Ken’s, and - there it was!! Right there, just waiting for me to try it. It was cooked perfectly, and it just melted in my mouth. The waiter was friendly and helpful - I let him talk me into trying their signature salad dressing (I’m not a big fan of lemon), and it was wonderful. I’m so glad I did. He helped my friend pick out her entree, and she said that it was one of the best meals she’s ever had. Oh, and at the end of the meal, when we were fighting over which of us got to take the last bit of bread home, he brought us an entire new loaf.

The bottom line - this was one of the best meals I've ever had, and it only cost me $20.00. My mouth is watering just remembering it.

Cost: $20
Value: $40
Savings: $20
Total Estimated Deal Savings, to Date: $985.25

Fuji Steakhouse in Needham

The Deal: $15 for $30 Toward Hibachi Dinner Fare and Sushi for Two .

This one is another lesson in reading the fine print - and one that I likey wouldn’t have purchased if I’d been paying more attention. So, fair warning! You have to read all of the terms and conditions of the deal, even if it looks obvious from the headline (and from knowing what the restaurant serves).

Fuji Steakhouse is my friend’s favorite sushi restaurant. So, when I saw this deal posted a few days before Christmas, I was excited. I could take her out, have a nice meal, and save a few bucks. Win! Unfortunately, actually redeeming the deal required two separate trips. I failed to notice that the deal was only for the hibachi, not sushi (probably because, as you can plainly see, the headline says “Hibachi and Sushi”). When the waitress pointed out that the teeny print does say “hibachi bar only,” we were already sitting at the sushi bar, and there was a line out the door for the hibachi, and we were hungry, so we weren’t feeling compelled to move. But I wasn’t really happy at the idea that they would advertise a deal on sushi that you couldn’t really get.

We went back for hibachi a couple of week later. It was good hibachi (and my first experience with hibachi). Watching them make the food and flip eggs and stuff was really cool. The waitress kept my water glass full. Since we had just left the gym, that was a good thing. This is also another place where most of the entrees are expensive enough that it’s very easy to spend more than the price of the deal. So, keep an eye on what you’re ordering, because $30 goes fast here.

Cost: $15
Value: $30
Savings: $15
Total Estimated Deal Savings, to Date: $965.25