Village Vines

It's been a wee bit cold here in New York City and I have been a little unmotivated to leave my apartment unless I have to.  But apparently it is supposed to reach 40 degrees tomorrow and so my hibernation might come to an end.  When it does, I am going to take advantage of some of the great deals on this new site that Skye turned me on to.  It is called Village Vines.  

It's in the spirit of Groupon, but it is only restaurants and some really good ones too.  With this site you pay a $10 reservation fee and then get a certain percentage off your whole bill (food and wine).  Usually it is 30% although I have seen some for as high as 50% and others as low as 20%.  They usually have certain days that you have to go.  For example Dinasaur BBQ in Harlem is 30% off but only on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.  Because you make the reservation through their website there is no coupon neccesary.  Also the deals aren't just 1 day deals like groupon or living social.   You usually have some time to decide.  Currently they have offerings in NYC, Los Angeles, D.C., San Francisco and Chicago.  

Here is what they say on their website:

VillageVines gives food lovers access to preferred pricing with their city's most popular restaurants. We make your dining experiences more convenient and more affordable, and we do so by partnering with the best dining establishments – from the restaurant icons to the up and coming gems.

Here’s how it works:

	Each day we highlight a handful of restaurants from among our carefully curated list of the best spots in your city
	You choose where to dine and use us to make your party's reservation before the offer expires
	You pay $10 to secure your exclusive pricing (typically 30% off your party's entire bill – food and drink
	Your discount is applied to your bill at meal's end - no coupons, no phone calls and no hassles

I love being able to get great deals at home and when I travel.  With all these sites that offer great deals on great restaurants and things to do, I may never have to pay full price again!

20at20 is back!

January is a hard month to budget, especially when there are so many great deals in New York City to take advantage of.  But I would be remiss if I didn't tell you about one more deal.  Back for only 2 weeks, January 24^th – February 6^th is 20at2o.  20at20 is 20 of the best Off-Broadway show for only $20 a ticket 20 minutes before the show.  

Here is how it works: Starting 20 minutes before show time, go to the box office and say 20at20 and your tickets are only $20.  See any 7 show you will receive a voucher for a free dinner for 2 at any participating restaurant in the area.  You just have to mail in your ticket stubs.  You can't beat $20 to see a show.

Not sure what shows to see?  I’ll share some of the shows on my list with you.  Fuerza Bruta is a show that is supposed to be tremendously fun and I have not gotten there yet, so here's my chance.  The New York Idea by David Auburn (Proof) at the Atlantic Theatre Company, Miss Abigail’s Guide to Dating (Staring Eve Plum from the Brady Bunch) is getting rave reviews.  Apparently it is hilarious.  It is from the creators of Spelling B.   Molly Sweeney at Irish Repertory Theatre (they always have fantastic productions) and there are many more great choices.   Whether you are visiting New York City or whether you live here, there are fantastic deals to be had.  Don’t miss out!  Starting January 24^th you can get a 3-course dinner and a show for under $100.  Now that’s worth putting your snow boots on for.

Groupon free mobile apps

Groupon, if you haven't heard of it, is a fantastic concept.  When you sign up (for free) you will get daily emails about all sorts of deals in your city.  They have everything from restaurants, to spas, gym memberships, classes of all sorts and lots more.  It varies as to how much you get off, but I find it tends to be around 50% off, sometimes more sometimes less.  Great deal, right?  They have participating cities all over the world so if you are going on vacation you can sign up to get the San Francisco deals or the London deals.  Coming to NYC?  Sign up!  You can save both at home and on vacation.  Now that's awesome!  With all this money I am saving, I can plan another vacation.

Today they announced their free mobile apps for Android, Blackberry and iphone.  This comes with a special offer.  For every different groupon you purchase with your phone app, you will get $1 of groupon bucks, on purchases through February 17th, 2011.  (groupon bucks is money that you can use towards a future groupon purchase).  So now you can purchase and redeem your groupon deals from anywhere and get money towards a future purchase.  Saving is becoming easier by the minute.

Barcibo Enoteca

Because I am a wine drinker I am constantly seeking out places that have good wine with good value.  Life is just too short to drink bad wine and so I often find myself at Barcibo on 69^th and Broadway.  

Not only do they have a fantastic list of Italian wines, but they also have a staff that is extremely knowledgeable and super friendly so they can help guide you through the list to make sure you get a glass of wine that you will like.  Italian wines can feel overwhelming if you aren’t familiar with all their grape varietals, and there are a lot!  They have over 100 wines by the bottle and over 40 by the glass.  They also have a full bar for the non-wine drinkers out there.

Though Barcibo is very popular amongst those who know about it, it is still a bit of a secret.  It is one of the bigger wine bars out there.  They have an upper and a lower section as well as outdoor seating in the summer.   The food there is also fantastic.  We shared a few things.  One of my favorites is the crostini.  We got the crostini with prosciutto and bufala Mozzarella and the burrata with tomato.  

The lump it is sitting on is bufala mozzarella.  YUM!

The prosciutto is so delicious it almost melts in your mouth.  We also had the cheese and meat plate as well as the risotto. 

The portions are very generous

The risotto is really spectacular there.  We had the risotto with the sweet Italian sausage, peas and corn.  Wow!  I have also had the mushroom risotto as well and I can say that it is one of the best I have had.

The atmosphere is warm and sophisticated.  The staff is great and the prices are very reasonable.  This is one of my favorite spots on the upper west side.    Wine bars are all the rage, but not all are created equal.   This one, however,  is top notch.

Barcibo Enoteca

2020 Broadway

212-595-2805

Broadway show tickets: 2 for 1

January is a month where most of us are curbing our spending a little bit.  But with Restaurant Week and Broadway Week, we can afford to go out and enjoy ourselves a bit and still save money.   Broadway Week is happening January 24^th – February 10^th 2011.  With the discount code BW2011 you can get two tickets for the price of one.  Tickets can either be purchased at the box office of the theater or on line at www.nycgo.com and there will be a link to purchase tickets.

How does this differ from TKTS?  First of all, you can buy in advance and not have to stand outside in line in the cold on the day of the show.  Second, most of the tickets that TKTS has to offer are the highest priced tickets.  Usually that puts you in around $65 or $70 per ticket, which is a good deal.  With Broadway week you also have access to mezzanine seats and therefore can get two tickets for as low as $65.  So that would be about $33 each.  So if sitting in the orchestra isn't as important as the price, you have a little more to choose from and with prices like that, you can’t afford not to go!  So go get your friends to join you for some good theater.  January is turning out to be a pretty good month.

Restaurant Week 2011 is here!

Restaurant Week started in 1992 as an effort to promote dining in New York during the Democratic National Convention. Restaurants, which are natural competitors, came together and each charged $19.92 for a three-course prix fixe.  It was such a success it continued to grow and now it happens twice a year, in January and in July.  It is a great way to experience some of the pricier restaurants in New York City at a fraction of the cost. You get a 3-course meal that consists of an appetizer, entrée and dessert.  Lunch is $24.07 and dinner is $35.00.

Restaurant 2011 runs Monday January 24^th – Feb 6^th.  Many restaurants will continue lunch only through the end of February.  Restaurant week runs primarily Monday – Friday, Saturdays are excluded and Sundays are optional.    You can check out a list of participating restaurants at www.nycgo.com/restaurantweek/ where they have a link to book your table on Open Table.  Reservations fill up fast so try not to wait till the last minute.  However, if you are at all like me and you procrastinate a little too long, I do have a good tip.  Most good restaurants serve full menus at the bar and don’t normally take reservations for bar seats.  You may have to wait, but you will get to eat at that place that has been booked for weeks. 

I am also going to share my top “Undies” secret with you.  Apiary on 11^th & 3^rd normally has a no-corkage fee on Monday nights.  So if you really want a fantastic meal and big savings, bring a nice bottle of wine and have the $35 pre-fixe dinner on a Monday night during restaurant week at Apiary.  It is probably one of the best deals going.  I may just see you there.  I am booking my Monday night table right after I post this.

Casellula

Wine bars are huge in New York City and around the country.  Some are great.  Some are over-priced and mediocre.  Casellula is one of the great ones.  They have a wine list that is constantly changing and a cheese list with over 40 cheeses.  That means you can go back all the time and have something new and different almost every time you go.   That, in my opinion, is fantastic!

Tonight I just had a small snack.  I had a white bean crostini with bacon and mushrooms topped with truffle oil.  The bacon was so fresh it made me feel as if I was eating rashers in Ireland.  It was a spectacular appetizer.  We also had a 3-cheese plate.  The cheeses are always good, but the amazing part of our cheese plate tonight was the brown sugar fudge with the Ossau-Iraty cheese.  Ossau Iraty is a sheeps milk cheese from Spain that is always a favorite of mine.  Coupled with the brown sugar fudge it was outstanding.  It was the perfect marriage of tastes and I have never seen that before on a cheese plate.  I think you should rush down there just for that!

It is a small space so there is almost always a wait and they don’t accept reservations.  In my experience, it is best to get there either before 7pm or after 10pm to avoid the most crowded times.  However, that said, it is well worth the wait.  The other great thing is that once you are seated, it doesn't feel small due to the windows and the high ceilings.  It is really a cozy atmosphere.  If you like cheese, they have one of the largest selections in the city.  If you like wine, then this is your place.  For such an intimate space they really know how to deliver a fantastic meal.  Put this on your “places you must go” list.   It will soon be on your favorites list.

401 West 52nd St (between 9th & 10th)

212-247-8137