Seafood Restaurants

Herndon Date Night: Half Off on the Half Shell

Groupon Deal at Ice House Cafe
Half Off at Ice House Cafe
Herndon, VA

I’m done with Resturants.com.  I gave up on Entertainment Book a long time ago.

But there are still a couple of dining discount programs that I keep an eye on.

The first is the Dining Rewards Network, that allows you to earn miles or cash back for dining at certain restaurants and paying with a registered credit card.

The second is Groupon.

Of these two programs, Groupon definitely offers the better deals, because you can get as much as half off.  The Dining Rewards Network is better for earning a few extra frequent flyer miles to keep your account active.

I find that there are still a few quality seafood restaurants in both these programs in the Northern Virginia area.

Case in Point:  The Dining Rewards Network

  • Tara Thai in Herndon, Virginia:  This restaurant consistently serves delicious food, beautifully presented, including many fresh fish and seafood options.  Highly recommended. The prices are reasonable, too.
  • Clydes of Tysons Corner:  See my review here.

Groupon:  A Date Night Deal

  • Groupon Deal Ice House Cafe
    Groupon Deal Ice House Cafe
    Herndon, VA

    The Ice House Cafe, Herndon, VA:  There are a few local gems in “downtown” Herndon that have stood the test of time.  The Ice House Cafe is one of the few joints around with an oyster bar, and live jazz on the weekends.

Groupon is currently offering a choice of several 50 percent off deals:

  • $17 for one dozen oysters or clams and two soups of the day or house salads, valid Monday–Thursday (up to a $35.90 value);
  • $17 for one dozen oysters or clams and two soups of the day or house salads, valid Friday or Saturday (up to a $35.90 value);
  • $24 for two dozen oysters or clams, valid Monday–Thursday (up to a $48 value); or
  • $24 for two dozen oysters or clams, valid Friday or Saturday (up to a $48 value).

Destination Hotels’ Instant Status: Sign Right Up!

Carolina Inn, Chapel Hill, NC
Carolina Inn, Chapel Hill, NC

I’m just back from two business trips to North Carolina.

Last week, my meeting was held in the Carolina Inn, a fabulous historic hotel on the campus of the University of North Carolina.

I’ve stayed there several times before, sometimes with a very good Priceline rate.

Destination Delivers

When I checked in, the desk clerk offered me a brochure for the Destination Hotels and Resorts loyalty program, Destination Delivers.  “It’s a pretty good deal,” she said.  “You can get room upgrades.”

When I got to my room, I went online to check out the benefits.  Anyone can sign up, and you are automatically granted “VIP Status.”  The benefits of VIP Status are somewhat elusive, but they seem to include:

  • 10% off the Best Available Rate 

Use promo code D2BAR1 to receive 10% off the Best Available Rate.  Offer is based on availability.   

  • 20% off the Best Available Rate

Get 20% off the Best Available Rate during your birthday month.  Mention promo code D2BDAY.  Must show valid ID to receive discount.

  • Room Upgrade Late Checkout

A room upgrade could be a very useful benefit, especially at a historic hotel like the Carolina Inn, where the standard rooms are quite small.  This benefit is only offered when available.   

  • Late Checkout

Again, when available.

Destination Hotels and Resorts

I’ve stayed at two of the Destination Hotels and Resorts, both on Priceline stays, and they were both fantastic!

There are more than 40 other hotels and resorts in the Destination portfolio, including many at ski resorts, and city hotels in Washington, DC and Chicago.  All the properties are in the United States.

What’s the Catch?

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Japan Dreaming: Pretty Good Number One

Pretty Good Number OneFishing 4 Deals focuses on budget, domestic travel.  But anyone can dream, right?

Lately, I have been dreaming about traveling to Japan.

There are a number of things that intrigue me about Japan:

  • the natural beauty
  • J-pop culture
  • traditional arts like pottery and paper making
  • the trains
  • manufacturing industries
  • hot springs
  • old Japan
  • fashion
  • the gardens and temples
  • and, of course, the food

To indulge my fantasy, I picked up a copy of Pretty Good Number One: An American Family Eats Tokyo, by Seattle-based food writer Matthew Amster-Burton.

The book is about an American couple and their adorable eight year old daughter Iris, who rent an apartment in Tokyo for one month.

 Tokyo is the opposite of the DMV.  It is the least annoying place I have ever been to.  –Matthew Amster-Burton

Amster-Burton used Kickstarter to crowd source the publication of the book in ebook form.

Here’s what one reviewer said about  Pretty Good Number One: An American Family Eats Tokyo, published in February 2014:

The layers of the city, its extraordinary food pleasures, its quirkinesses, emerge as the author and his family spend an intense month living in Tokyo and exploring widely . . . Warning:  this book will make you hungry.  You’ll yearn, as I do, to catch the next plane to Tokyo, so you can get eating.  —Naomi Duguid, writer and traveler
Japan by RailAmazon has the kindle version of the book on sale for $3.99.I am not going to Japan any time soon, but in the meantime, I enjoy reading travel books.

I’ve picked up a copy of Japan by Rail, which offers incredibly detailed advice, down to how to find your platform, where to stash your bags, and where to exit the train station.

I am planning my miles and points accrual strategy with this trip in mind, focusing on collecting United miles and Ultimate Rewards points for the airfare, and Barclaycard Arrival points for the Japan Rail Passes.

The goal is to stay at hotels as close to the train stations as possible.  Japan Rail has a network of hotels throughout the country adjacent to rail stations.  These hotels offers discounts to rail pass holders.  The JR hotels would be super convenient but are mostly lux properties on the expensive side.

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ANA Mileage Club Offers Discounts at Sushi Restaurants

Discounts on SushiIf you love sushi as much as I do, you may be interested in netting a discount at some of the best Japanese restaurants in the Washington, DC area.

The discounts are small — 5 to 10 percent off — but the effort required is minimal.

What’s more, if your plans call for travel to Los Angeles, Honolulu, Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, or New York — you may find some worthwhile discounts on sushi there as well.

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Eat Lobster, Earn Points

Clyde's Lobster SpecialMy husband and I honeymooned in Maine, so every year we try to go out for a celebratory lobster dinner.

Lucky for me that Clyde’s, my favorite restaurant chain, has extended their lobster special through the month of October.

Luckier yet that Clyde’s of Tyson’s Corner in Northern Virginia is part of the Dining Rewards program.

By signing up for the US Airways Dividend Miles Dining rewards program, you can earn 1,000 miles the first time you dine at a member restaurant, spend $40, and write a review.

Lesser known restaurants participate in the Dining Rewards program to attract customers and favorable reviews.  The Metro construction at Tyson’s Corner must be deterring customers, because Clyde’s is well known for its high quality food, fanciful decor, and reasonable prices.

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Part 3: Destination Resort Overlooking the Hudson River — on Priceline

This mini-series explores stellar properties available through Priceline’s opaque bidding process.  

Part 1:  The Carolina Inn – Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Part 2:  Little America – Salt Lake City, Utah

Part 3:  Tarrytown House Estate  & Conference Center, Tarrytown, New York

Tarrytown House Estate
Tarrytown House Estate

My husband grew up in Irvington-on-Hudson, one of those cute little river towns about 20 miles north of New York City.  His family lived in a development of mid-century modern homes just up the hill from Washington Irving’s Sunnyside home.

Irvington and its neighbor Tarrytown make a good base for exploring the Hudson River valley.  Scenic views, historical reenactments, art, and hiking opportunities abound, with attractions that will appeal to children and adults.  Tarrytown is easily accessible by car and by train, making this a great region for a weekend getaway.

Sometimes when we visited family in Irvington, we would get a Priceline room, most often ending up in the 2.5 star Hampton Inn in Elmsford, NY.

Once in 2008, we bid $50 on Priceline and were upgraded to the 3 star Tarrytown House Estate and Conference Center.

This property is a 26-acre full service resort with several historic mansions and cottages, beautifully landscaped grounds, a magnificent view of the Tappan Zee bridge.  There are numerous recreational opportunities on site.  Several low-rise buildings discreetly sited on the property constitute the conference center.

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Cruising the Northeast Corridor — Half Price Crabs in Harve de Grace

If you are hoping to avoid the highway rest stops on a road trip from New York to Washington, DC  — there’s a great little place to eat at the halfway mark.

Price's Seafood - Harve de Grace, MD
Price’s Seafood – Harve de Grace, MD

Price’s Seafood, in Harve de Grace, Maryland is a rundown crab shack on the waterfront in the quaint town of Harve de Grace, just past the Hatam Bridge.

This quintessential Maryland crab house is not fancy, but the crabs are great.  You can eat inside or on the porch.  They put heavy brown paper down on the tables — just as it should be.  Crabs are seasonally priced.

Yelp.com has a deal that gives you $10 off a purchase of $20.

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Where Can You Find the Best Crab Cakes in Maryland?

Hint:  It’s not the Eastern Shore.  

IMHO, the best crab cakes in Maryland can be found at the Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI).

Baltimore’s famous Obryckis, known for their tremendous crab cakes, has closed their downtown location and opened two venues at BWI.  This Baltimore landmark, founded in 1944, is a favorite of seafood lovers.

A Delicious Crabcake
A Delicious Crabcake

The next time you fly out of BWI, check out Obryckis Restaurant and Bar located at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport between gates B-9 and B-11.  The service is fast and the food is delicious — a far cry from the usual airport fare of soggy sandwiches.  Obryckis also operates a bar on Concourse A.

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National Pinball Museum in Baltimore to Pull up its Anchor

National Pinball Museum Joel Shprentz Photo
National Pinball Museum, Baltimore
Joel Shprentz Photo

One of my favorite quirky attractions of all time — the National Pinball Museum — has announced that it will be closing its doors on March 3, 2013.  This gem of a museum near the Inner Harbor in Baltimore traces the history of pinball over the last 100 years.  There are three floors packed with exhibits, and best of all, dozens of pinball machines set to free play.

There are just two weekends left to get in on the fun.

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