Mitzy and I at the Four54 Grill in Lancaster, PA Photo by Joel Shprentz
Have I mentioned Mitzy, our ten year old cockapoo?
We don’t often travel with our dog, but last weekend’s road trip to Lancaster, Pennsylvania was the exception.
When looking for a dog friendly place to eat, we turned to BringFido.com.
The Four54 Grill in central Lancaster was rated 5 bones, so we thought we would give it a try. The restaurant is located right next door to the Lancaster Science Factory.
There was ample outdoor seating and the patio was well shaded.
Upon arrival, the owner immediately greeted us with a giant water bowl and biscuits for Mitzy. We ordered inside, and they brought the food out to us.
The Four54 Grill claims to have the best burgers in Lancaster County and they may well be right!
Pet Friendly Hotel in Lancaster, PA
Huge front lawn at the Courtyard Marriott Lancaster, PA Photo by Joel Shprentz
We chose the Courtyard Marriott in Lancaster because of its pet friendly policies. The Courtyard welcomes dogs under 75 pounds, and the fee is a reasonable $15 per night.
Upon checkin, we received a goody bag Mitzy. The hotel is surrounded by lots of grassy areas for exercising your dog.
Where to Eat in Bel Air, Maryland
BringFido.com led us to a surprising find in the historic downtown of Bel Air, Maryland. The Sunny Day Cafe is a breakfast and lunch place with lots of outdoor tables.
Sunny Day Cafe in Bel Air, Maryland
The cafe was hopping on a Sunday afternoon.
The menu features brunch items like omelets, crepes, and a few Greek specialities.
But the big surprise was the daily special: a gigantic crab cake with a cup of Maryland crab soup for $11.
We are always in search of the best crab cake in Maryland. Well, we found a serious contender at the Sunny Day Cafe in Bel Air, Maryland! Moist, spicy, not a lot of filler — and quite the deal!
Sad News in Bel Air
Heroin overdoses and deaths year to date
Bel Air, Maryland is the county seat of Harford County. The county is due north of Baltimore County, with a rural and suburban population of just 250,000.
The county is battling a public health crisis of epic proportions.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is sponsoring the 42nd Annual NOAA Fish Fry on Wednesday June 14, 2017 from 6 p.m.to 9 p.m.
The Fish Fry will take place in the Department of Commerce Courtyard, at 14th Street and Constitution Avenue in Washington, DC.
16 to 20 chefs and vendors will display their seafood to bring awareness to sustainable marine fisheries. The guest chefs come from locations around the United States from Alaska to the Chesapeake Bay.
Expect to sample a wide variety of fish, crab, scallops, salmon, shrimp as well as side dishes, beer and wine.
Both wild caught and aquaculture raised fish and shellfish will be served.
This event attracts some 1,500 participants and usually sells out early.
Ticket are $35. Ticket sales begin May 10, 2017 at 1 p.m. EDT on Brown Paper Tickets.
Temperatures this August in Washington, DC have reached record highs.
Anyone who’s anyone has decamped to Martha’s Vineyard.
That means restaurateurs are trying to fill their tables by offering fixed price menu specials: $22 for lunch, and $35 for dinner.
Over 260 restaurants in DC, Maryland, and Virginia are participating in DC Restaurant Week, which runs from August 15 – 21, 2016. It’s a good opportunity to try some of the region’s highly acclaimed (and expensive) restaurants. Several that are tempting me include:
Del Campo — Latin American in Penn Quarter
Dino’s Grotto — Italian in Shaw
Jaleo — Spanish in Penn Quarter
Oyamel — Mexican in Penn Quarter
Rasika — Indian in Penn Quarter
Zaytinya — Mediterranean in Penn Quarter
Restaurant Week at Ford’s Fish Shack
We snagged a great deal at a fabulous seafood restaurant in Loudoun County: Ford’s Fish Shack.
La Fourchette is the European equivalent of Open Table or Yelp.
You can search for nearby restaurants, read reviews, and make a reservation online. The website is owned by TripAdvisor.
You can also find restaurants offering twenty to fifty percent off menu prices with a prior reservation via the La Fourchette app.
On our recent trip to Paris, I opened the app to search for nearby restaurants.
We were staying at the Radisson Blu Le Metropolitan hotel in the 16th arrondissement — on points, of course.
20 Percent Off Radisson Blu Metropolitan Restaurant
20 percent off dinner at Le Metropolitan Restaurant in Paris
The Radisson Blu Metropolitan hotel is in an upscale residential district near the Trocadero Gardens. The hotel has modern decor, an indoor swimming pool and steam room, a mid-sized restaurant, and a head on view of the Eiffel Tower.
The first restaurant to pop up when I opened the La Fourchette app was the hotel restaurant at Le Metropolitan.
The offer was for a 20 percent discount off of menu prices if you made a reservation on the app.
Other restaurants had offers of 30 percent or 50 percent off, though many of these offers excluded the set price “menu du jour.”
The app lists tens of thousands of restaurants in France and elsewhere in Europe; not all restaurants offer discounts.
In Paris, I noticed that many of the places with special offers were ethnic restaurants serving sushi, couscous, kebobs, or other specialities.
Click here to get an idea of other restaurants that are offering discounted meals in Paris.
Earn Loyalty Points with La Fourchette
You can earn loyalty points for each reservation you make with La Fourchette. They call the points “Yums.” You can cash in your “Yums” in for discounts at participating restaurants.
Mermaid fountain at entrance to Radisson Suite Hotel Oceanfront in Melbourne Beach, Florida
If you have Club Carlson points to burn and you need to burn them fast — consider the Radisson Suite Hotel Oceanfront in Melbourne Beach, Florida.
Melbourne Beach — where’s that?
That’s the question I was asked repeatedly whenever I mentioned our Spring Break trip to Florida.
Melbourne Beach is on a barrier island about half an hour south of Cape Canaveral. This area along the eastern seaboard in Florida is known as the “Space Coast.” Melbourne Beach is a low key beach town. There’s no boardwalk or amusements — just a broad sandy beach, the wind, the waves, and the Atlantic Ocean.
Melbourne Beach is a quiet residential area with four high rise hotels, some condos and and garden apartments, and single family homes. The beach is very clean and not crowded at all. Day visitors will find free beach parking at a municipal park next door to the Radisson.
The view from our balcony at the Radisson Suite Hotel Oceanfront
Burn Your Club Carlson Points at the Radisson Suite Oceanfront in Melbourne, Florida
The Radisson Suite Hotel Oceanfront is a gem of a property, and is especially well suited to families traveling with kids. It was built in 1984 as condos, but was immediately purchased by Radisson for use as a hotel.
The view from my balcony at the Radisson Suites Hotel Oceanfront
We used 44,000 Club Carlson points to stay for two nights at this magnificent property where every room is a suite and has a balcony overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Through the end of May 2015, holders of the Club Carlson credit card can get a second night free when redeeming award nights.
As a Club Carlson Gold member (due to having the credit card), I landed a top floor suite. The welcome gift was a bowl full of fruit and pastries.
The “rooms” are actually more like one bedroom apartments. Both the bedroom and large living room have floor to ceiling windows overlooking the ocean, and all the rooms have an oceanfront balcony. The decor is modern. Each room has a king sized sleep number bed in the bedroom, and a queen-sized sofa bed in the living room. I especially loved that the floors were travertine tile, which is so much cleaner than carpet.
I didn’t take any pictures of our suite because the panoramic photos on the hotel website are so drop dead gorgeous. But I can tell you this: every single room in this hotel is has a full oceanfront view. Every room is a large suite — modern, clean, and comfortable.
There is a pool, hot tub, sundeck, and poolside bar. Two beach chairs and an umbrella rent for $20 a day, but beach toys are free to borrow. My only concern: no lifeguard on the beach.
If you make your reservations before the end of May 2015, you can have a two-night stay in a gorgeous oceanfront all-suites hotel for just 44,000 points. Award room availability is wide open through December 2016.
The view of the bay from the room entrance at the Radisson Suite Hotel Oceanfront
There is a shopping center with a Walmart and a supermarket across the street from the hotel. The Walmart features a large selection of beach items at the front of the store. There’s also a pizza place, a Thai restaurant, and a Friendly’s.
Did I mention that there are laundry machines at the Radisson? That is a necessity for our family when traveling with kids.
I am grateful to The Deal Mommy for introducing me to this place.
Everything is super easy, relaxed and convenient.
Where to Eat in Melbourne Florida
If you love seafood you can’t do better than Shells of Melbourne, which features about a dozen different kinds of fresh fish and seafood daily. Shells of Melbourne is a family style restaurant located inland, near the Melbourne Mall.
Another place we tried was Squid Lips, located just over the bridge on the mainland. It’s a rambling bayside bar and restaurant, with a view of the fishing pier. The virgin coladas are highly recommended!
$10 off your meal at the Bonefish Grill, expires 4/6/15
The Bonefish Grill is running a promo that offers $10 off your meal, lunch or dinner. This seems like a solid deal, especially for solo diners.
This Slickdeals thread has lots of ideas about how to get the most out of this coupon, such as using it after 4 p.m. on Wednesday, for Bang Bang Shrimp ($5) and Bang Bang Shrimp Crispy Tacos ($6).
Bonefish Grill Offer Fine Print
— Valid through 4/6/2015.
–Excludes tax, alcohol and gratuity.
— Dine-in only at participating Bonefish Grill locations. — Not valid with any other offer, discount or coupon.
— One coupon per table, per visit.
–Excludes group and event dining.
Please tip your server based on the pre-coupon amount.
Earn Frequent Flyer Miles at Brooklyn Bagel & Coffee Company
Earn Frequent Flyer Miles at Brooklyn Bagels and Coffee in Chelsea
To be perfectly frank, I don’t know if this is the best bagel shop in New York or not.
The bagels are very fresh and very good, and the place earns four stars on Yelp.
But the key thing is that this shop participates in the Rewards Dining program.
I favor the United Mileage Plus Dining program, but most of the major airlines run a similar rewards program with the opportunity to earn their frequent flyer miles at the same list of restaurants.
If you make ten purchases at participating restaurants in a calendar year, you can earn 5 times United Mileage Plus miles every subsequent time you dine at a participating restaurant. (You earn 3x miles for the first ten purchases.) Couple that with a rewards earning credit card to increase your savings.
Thus, if you stop in for bagels or coffee once in a while, you will be on the fast track to earning five times miles at hundreds of participating restaurants.
Do you earn frequent flyer miles through the Rewards Dining program? Have you find any gems that you would like to share?
Update: Deal Extended. $16 for $40 of crabs with coupon code:Save 20% off sitewide with code SUMMERSTART. Valid 6/19/14 12:00 am ET through 6/21/14 11:59 pm PT. Restrictions apply.
This bayside restaurant serves up bushels of crabs and other seafood specials. It’s not fancy, just a genuine crab shack by the Chesapeake Bay.
Price’s Seafood restaurant is a great midway stop if your driving between New York and Washington.
LivingSocial Deal on Price’s Seafood
LivingSocial is running a fabulous deal where you can get a voucher for $40 worth of seafood for $20. (Please note that the terms of the offer exclude Fridays and Saturdays.)
But you can do better than that!
Price’s Seafood on the Chesapeake Bay
If you collect United Mileage Plus points, you can get 6x points by going to LivingSocial via the United Shopping Portal, and an additional 15 percent off with coupon code UNITED15.
You must act quickly because this offer expires today, June 16, 2014! You’ll get the voucher for $17, plus earn 102 Mileage Plus points in the bargain!
100 points isn’t worth much, but can be useful if you need a transaction on your account to keep your miles from expiring.
Alternately, if you go through the cash back shopping portal at FatWallet, you can get 10 percent cash back. I have had very good experience with FatWallet. They track all your purchases and the cash back posts fairly promptly. With this route, you’ll get $2.00 cash back on your purchase.
Here’s a chance to win two VIP tickets to the 2014 Lobster Rumble in New York City on June 5, 2014.
The charity event features a chance to vote on your favorite lobster roll among 23 contestants.
The winner and a guest will get roundtrip airfare to New York, a two night stay in a four star hotel, and a $500 gift card, courtesy of Haagen Dazs ice cream.
The event is completely sold out so this contest is your only chance to get in to this year’s tasting event!
