Christmas Shopping with the Chinook Book

In our Christmas present shopping this year, we tried to buy local and use Chinook Book coupons as much as possible. Miraculously, we never set foot in a mall during the Holiday season.

Here's a quick rundown on where we shopped.

The Hub Bicycle Coop: hit up one of our favorite bike shops for bike lights. We used two coupons here for $20 in savings.

Egg|Plant Urban Farm Supply: tried out this place for the first time to get garden tools. Savings: $5.

Mississippi Market: kind of strange location for gift shopping, but they had great "Locally Grown" t-shirts and other locally made gear. Savings: $5.

Aaron's Green Cleaning: setup some cleaning sessions for my parents. Estimated savings: $50.

Patina: this is usually our go-to spot for wedding gifts, but it's also great for fun stocking stuffers. Savings: $10

Moss Envy: last summer we checked out this store and were disappointed that they didn't have anything branded with their logo. After reading our blog post about it, they added various gear online and we finally got around to ordering some coffee mugs. There is a coupon for Moss Envy, but it wasn't applicable to our purchase. Savings: $0.

Total savings on Christmas shopping: $90.

Oui, Oui Monsieur

After some holiday feasting, we hosted brunch for Eli and Ryan. Off to St Paul Cheese Shop once again. Unfortunately their coupon is only for the Signature Chevre (highly recommended) so no savings but what we lacked in discounts, they made up for in deliciousness. A little Croque Monsieur a la Pip. Still dreaming about it!

Christmas is Awesome

In anticipation of our upcoming trip to Mexico, the tree was topped with a Luchador angel.

Had a great time with the in-laws at the British Ad Awards at the Walker (an annual tradition) and thankfully my hands were kept warm by Santa's gift of handerpants.

$99.99 in Savings

I was ready to celebrate reaching the $100 in savings mark, but we're a penny shy. In any case, as of December 18, 2011 we've saved $99.99 using 25 Chinook Book coupons (16 print and 9 mobile coupons).

Happy Holidays!

Webster's, I mean Riverview Wine Bar

For whatever reason, every time I refer to Riverview Wine Bar, I first call it Webster's Wine Bar. If you went to college with me, you will likely understand. So we hit up the Riverview before a Christmas party and had drink and a flatbread pizza. Great spot at the bar and tasty drinks/eats. I think I want figs on my pizza every time.

Right to Left: Like, Like, Didn't Like, Like
Coupon: $5 off $20
Total Savings: $5
Yes, recommended!

Breakfast at its Finest

If you haven't been there yet, Blackbird is so good. Especially for Brunch. Norske Scrambler.

And the Colleen Obrien...

Coupon: $5 off a purchase $20
Total Savings: $5

Beer, Brownies and Chess

Kate ditched me last night to go out for a girls night, so I called up my friend Dan and headed over to one of our local establishments Tracy's Saloon to grab a beer and play some chess.

As Heavy Table has attested, Tracy's has been upping their game over the last couple years. They have a great selection of local beers and their food is really quite good. The last time I was here, I had their wild boar shepherd's pie, which was outstanding.

Last night, I just ordered a brownie not expecting much. Instead, we got a huge (at least 4''X4'') brownie with a liquor frosting that was amazing. We devoured it so quickly that it was gone by the time I thought of taking a picture. Washed down with a Surly Bender, it was a great night (plus I beat Dan twice!).

No coupon, but if you're in our neighborhood (Seward), I'd definitely recommend Tracy's for a drink or a quick meal.

Taking in the NYC Sights

So Twinkly

New York, New York

Just because, we went to NYC for a long weekend in December. In the spirit of this Blog, we ate and ate and ate and spent all of our Chinook Book savings.

Here's the skinny on what we did:

NoHo Star for drinks and apps in NoHo

Abistro for french/senegalese dinner in Brooklyn

Brooklyn Art Museum for first Saturday free admission in Brooklyn

Walked Central Park with Allison

Red Rooster for brunch in Harlem

Checked into Le Parker Meridian to see the Ginger Bread Houses 

Took in a Christmas Tree in Rockefeller Center

Walked the High Line in Chelsea

Spotted Pig for Dinner in Chelsea

Pink Berry for Dessert in Upper East Side

Johns Pizza for lunch in the Village

I enjoyed everything we did and all the food we ate. I would recommend it all. Of these things, Pink Berry for frozen yogurt is one of my favorite things but not unique to New York, so if you are passing bye might be worth a visit. I would go back to Abistro, because it was delicious and not something one can find easily outside of New York. If I was there again on the first Saturday of the month, I would plan better to take full advantage of the show. Lastly, a walk on the High Line was a very relaxing way to see Chelsea and some urban renewal.

Hope thats helpful!

Kate

PS. I love New York.

Travail Kitchen and Amusements

Well we resisted for quite a while. Reports of a two-hour wait in Robbinsdale were enough to keep me away from this joint, in spite of all of its glowing reviews. Long and short, we were wrong to wait so long to go here. This "small plates of awesome food at affordable prices" thing is a trend I hope to follow into 2012 and beyond.

Emily joined us on a Thursday at 6 so that we could avoid the wait. For the blog, here are a few items to discuss...

1) Tiny amuse bouche of foie gras. Disclaimer: I did not know anything about how this stuff is made nor did I do any research on Travail's practices.

2) Steak Tartare under cellophane. Here is Emily to explain...

3)  Tiny bacon bite with blue cheese foam and a drip of balsamic vinegar served on the bottom of this tiny metal cup

4) Reinvented lunch tray complete with a pack of ketchup

Good! You should go too but stick to the weekdays so you don't get pissed off about the wait.