Ordering Out

Ordering out, ordering in or ordering delivery, no matter what you call it, it's a very popular option in our house. We often (too often, probably) don't want to be bothered cooking because we've waited until we're hungry to decide we want something to eat. Because we don't feel like going anywhere either, we start going through our collection of menus to see which delivery place calls out to us the loudest. When my daughter's home, it'll never be Caribbean or Indian (unfortunately).


We live in the shadow of Philadelphia where there are a variety of different food cultures. Some of that overflows to our area and we are fortunate. We have the choice of Italian, Caribbean, Indian or Chinese in our area. Of course, most food delivery isn't up to the same caliber as being seated at a top notch restaurant. The Indian delivery, however, is from an actual full-service restaurant that has won awards, whose chef worked for award winning restaurants before opening one of his own. He believes in giving everyone access to good food, so he also offers the delivery service. Of course, his prices are the same for delivery as they are for the meal in the restaurant, but that was still nice when it was snowing and no one wanted to be on the road (they were brave souls, I  must say).




I haven't yet had delivery from the Caribbean restaurant, but I have eaten there more than once. It is excellent! The menu leans heavily towards the Dominican Republic, but they also have Cuban, Puerto Rican and some Mexican thrown in for a more pan-Hispanic flavor. I do wish, though, that we have a Mexican restaurant that delivered. I'd be one of their regulars!

hoagie

Our Italian places are more accurately called steak and hoagie shops, but don't ever think that's all they have to offer. Some have fried chicken, fried seafood, crab cakes, seafood bisque (granted, some are better than others), hamburgers, pasta platters, traditional pub grub appetizers and, a pleasant surprise for some, hand-dipped ice cream and milk shakes. 

pizza turnover

I personally like pizza turnovers, which are similar to calzones, but not the same thing. Think of having a pizza with sauce and cheese and folding it in half, sealing the edges and either deep-frying them or baking. Although frying them is not the healthiest way to have them, that's my favorite way to have them. 

Cheese steak extra cheese

I also like chicken cheese steaks with fried onions. So so so good!!! And, if I can get it in a wrap, even better. Now, you may have heard of Philly Cheese Steaks, but don't overlook the cheese steak's little cousin. When done right, they're just as flavorful and tender as the original; thinly sliced chicken cooked and seasoned on the flat-top grill with cheese and/or peppers, onions, mushrooms, etc.on rolls only bakeries in the Philly area can supply. Talk about comfort food!

Sicilian Pizza

Pizzas come in all styles (except Chicago), from New York thin crust to Sicilian thick crust. Some have excellent sauces, but questionable cheeses; others hit the mark on both things, but the bread used to make the crust is lacking. Yet, each place has something to offer that the others don't. That's why we keep the menus on hand because we never who we'll be in the mood for. 

General Tso Chicken

The Chinese deliveries are fairly basic and have almost identical menus with different prices. They differ only in the taste of their items. The one I like the best uses garlic more heavily than the rest (which is surprising given my dislike for garlic). They are also the cheapest. There is one that just began delivery service that I haven't tried yet, so the jury is still out on them for me. 


Everyone has to go or take out service (or take away, as it may be called where you are), so if we desire, that is also an option we can take. But, when we're not in the mood to go out, it's not likely we'll be in the mood to pick up. 


And, now a few images from CATURDAY!!

Really, Mom? Another picture?

Fishtail Kitty

Sleepy time baby

Upscale Eating at an Affordable Price

As you may have seen in some of my blog entries, I am definitely not well off financially. Yet, I enjoy eating out. One of the ways we try new restaurants is with coupons or certificates we can purchase online. This way we can try restaurants that are normally beyond either our means or our spending comfort levels without straying too far from our spending limits.


The site we used to use regularly was Restaurant.com. Restaurants will use them to advertise themselves in order to increase their customer base and customers can get gift certificates that they can use for half their face value (i.e. pay $25, spend $50; pay $12.50, spend $25). They often have sales where you pay less than half of the certificate's face value. It's a great way to try a new place out. I would advise, however, that you contact the restaurant before you buy the certificate just in case they've stopped accepting them and haven't yet told Restaurant.com. Always ask upon arrival, too, just in case. It's not often that it happens, but it does happen and you should not wait for a surprise before you find out. Restaurant.com will credit you with the money for the purchase, though, that you can use on another purchase of a different certificate, so you really don't lose your money.


Each restaurant has its own rules that apply to the use of the certificates, so be sure to read the fine print. Some require groups of four, some restrict to certain days of the week, etc. Be sure you know what you're paying for before you buy. Once you've bought the certificate, print it and tuck it away to take with you to dinner.


We have also used these when we're traveling if we've planned our stops in advance. It has saved us more than once during a road trip.


Another way is in the weekly or monthly coupon books that arrive in the mail. They will often have BOGO or other deep discount coupons for local restaurants in them that expire at the end of that month or the next. 


The Entertainment Book is another source of discounts if you're willing to pay the price of the book itself. End of year discounts on the book are a good way to go if you realize that their year ends November 1. My daughter and I have used these for years. She makes full use of the movie coupons and my friend and I use the restaurant coupons, but it doesn't take long to recoup the original cost of the book. And, restaurants aren't the only discounts being offered. There are other discounts that the Entertainment Book has such as car washes, auto maintenance, lawn care, car rental, etc. 

One of the restaurants we visit that has a "Sunset Menu"

Locally, several of our restaurants have what they refer to as "sunset menus", a type of "prix fixe" menu, that are only good between the hours of 4PM and 7PM (generally). They offer a more limited selection, but also often include beverage, soup, salad, entree and dessert, for a lower price than their main menu offers just for the entree. We have really enjoyed using that option.


All in all, there are quite a few ways to enjoy dining out at a reduced price even when your budget is tight. Even if it's only once a month, we all deserve to treat ourselves once in a while.