McCafe Mocha. Photo: sameold2008/flickr

Ask anyone from New England if she remembers Friendly's and she will probably instantly recount an obsession with their Conehead Sundaes (pictured) or gigantic, thick Fribbles (what Yankees call frappes, or milkshakes).

The Barbie-pink color scheme and 80s cursive script invoke many a memory for folks from the region, so we suspect they'll be in line when the chain gives away free one-scoop cones and dishes on Saturday June 6 (between noon and 5 p.m., the prime sugar-crash zone). It's the second freebie-scooping year in a row and one exec reports, "We want to give away as much ice cream as possible."

Done and done. See you in line, buddy.

[Via Nation's Restaurant News]

Tired of not being in the know?

Everyone knows that every night, somewhere, people are drinking for free. Various bars have promotions from liquor companies, nights when they want to pack the house, and special events that result in totally free drinks, and often free food, as well!

Whether you're visiting or a resident, visit My Open Bar for free drinks in:

• New York City
• Los Angeles
• San Francisco
• Chicago
• Honolulu
• Miami

My Open Bar lets you know what time, what's free, and where it is. All you have to do is show up! They even have mobile and RSS feeds.

Special thanks to my friend Brandon A. for the tip.

Dagoba's Rosemary Mint bar was one of Marisa's standout picks for our Fancy Food Show Favorites, and I've since become slavishly devoted to their Seeds bar. It's 68% cacao, studded throughout with pumpkin, hemp and sunflower seeds, and now I've got even greater impetus to dig it, because the company is giving away free seeds via their website Seed the Day.

"Whether it's a pot on the windowsill, a patch in the backyard or a big community effort, everyone can garden. We'll get you ready for spring and help keep your garden blooming by sending you the very herbs and flowers found in our chocolate bars. Everyone who signs up will get at least one packet of lavender, mint, rosemary, pumpkin or sunflower seeds."

So far as I can tell, there's not a single hitch or string -- just free seeds and an extra excuse to think of chocolate. The site also notes that should your planting group be planning a late night planting romp, they just might send along some delicious provisions. And - if you live in Boston, Chicago or San Francisco, you can come on out and nab a handful for yourself. Dates are listed here.


Seed the Day

Michael Phelps' 12,000 calories a day notwithstanding, I'm dubious that the US Olympic teams are marching en masse to the Beijing Mickey D's for their pre-event chowdown. Still, that shouldn't stop you from pole vaulting on over to Facetheglory.com to download a coupon for a free Southern Style Biscuit or Sandwich today. Come armed with a hearty appetite and a color cartridge, 'cause the coupon is valid from August 15th through September 1st, and only if it's printed in color.

Yeah, I know that the analagous Chick-Fil-A sandwich tends to be the crowd favorite 'round these parts, but really, are you gonna look a gift chicken in the mouth?

*A reader just brought to my attention that a medium or large drink must be purchased to receive the freebie. I highly recommend the Sweet Tea.

Facetheglory.com

Southern Style Biscuit Review

We might start feeling the squeeze on savings accounts, but we all know that there's an entirely separate account for ice cream!

Even still, Baskin Robbins is reducing the price on its single scoop tonight from 5-10 PM from whatever $1+ price it is (it's probably different everywhere) to a mere $0.31!

The 31 Cent Scoop Night is to honor America's firefighters, so grab your change purse, hurry over to your nearest Baskin-Robbins, and order a scoop of Jamocha Almond Fudge (that's what I like, but you order what you want).

If there's heat wave where you are like there's a heat wave where I am, (it was over 90 degrees in some parts of southern California), then you'll appreciate the perfect timing of Ben & Jerry's annual Free Cone Day, which takes place tomorrow, Tuesday April 29, 2008. If you're not sure where there is a Ben & Jerry's shop near you, head over to their website and look one up!

If I have it me, I'll definitely making my way over for a free cone, though I do recall that last year, lines at some stores were circling blocks.

Are you a fan of Starbucks? What about Bravo's Project Runway? The coffee giant teamed up with season 3 finalist Mychael Knight to produce some limited edition, customizable coffee t-shirts that are being given away at MyStarbucksShirt.com. The site has an application that allows you to put your favorite drink combination onto a shirt, providing everyone with something that is both very Starbucks and very you.

Before you get too excited, there are a couple of restrictions on this promotion. The giveaway began on February 15th and only lasts until February 28th. A total of only 10,000 t-shirts will be given out, meaning that there is a limited number available every day and they sell out quickly! The best strategy for acquisition is to try to get online as close to 10am PST (1pm eastern) as possible, as that is when the promo "refreshes" every day with a new batch of shirts.

The combo I came up with (pictured) isn't something that I would necessarily order when I go out for coffee, but it makes for a pretty interesting shirt. What will your Starbucks shirt - assuming you are lucky enough to get one - say?

Our pancake roundup this morning only included eight delicious recipes that were sure to tempt just about everyone to get out their frying pan and make up a batch. But as tempting as they may have been, most of the recipes presented there would not be good choices for gluten-free eaters because they were almost all flour-based. In fact, most pancake recipes are. Fortunately, there happen to be a lot of equally delicious gluten-free pancake options out there that ensure everyone who wants to can celebrate Fat Tuesday (a.k.a. National Pancake Day).

The easiest GF option is a pancake mix. Jay used Kinnikinnick Pancake Mix to make the lovely stack pictured above. There are many mixes out there to choose from, including Bob's Red Mill, which is widely available at Whole Foods Stores.

If you want to make your own, try using an alternative flour, as was done in these Rice Flour Crepes or Almond Flour Pancakes. You can find several more GF pancake recipes here, which use buckwheat, quinoa, potato flour and other gluten-free bases.

[Thanks for the reminder, Jay!]

Do you have any plans for breakfast tomorrow? Since Tuesday, February 20th is National Pancake Day - also known as Shrove Tuesday or Fat Tuesday - you might want to think about heading to IHOP. Not only is the restaurant chain famous for their pancakes, but they're actually giving them away for free all day tomorrow! From 7 am - 10 pm at participating stores nationwide, all guests can get a short stack of classic buttermilk pancakes for free.

The point of the giveaway, in addition to the simple celebration of pancakes, is to raise money for charity. Diners are encouraged to donate the money that they would otherwise have spent on the pancakes (or as much as they'd like ) to support the Children's Miracle Network, a nonprofit group that raises money for children's hospitals across the country.

This is the third year that IHOP has held the pancake giveaway.

From February 8-14, diners eating at the Anaheim White House in Anaheim, California will have a chance at getting more than just a good meal. Restaurateur Bruno Serato decided that a good way to celebrate Valentine's Day was by giving away diamond and sapphire necklaces to one diner each night of that week. The winners will be chosen at random from each night's reservation list. Six of the necklaces are valued at around $1,000 each, but the necklace that will be given out on February 14th will be one-of-a-kind and is worth $10,000. All of the necklaces were designed by J. Mac Jewelers. The most expensive features a pinwheel of stones (pictured) set in white and yellow gold. The six others have white gold hearts with a large pink sapphire outlined in small diamonds.

The Anaheim White House is considered one of Southern California's most romantic restaurants, according to Serato. It is located in an almost century old building and serves Northern Italian food, with an emphasis on fresh seafood and the local specialties of Verona, Italy, which is where Serato himself is from. The restaurant is quite large, and with 7 nights to choose from you should still be able to make a reservation by calling the restaurant. If you live in Southern California, like Italian food and were planning on going out to dinner for Valentine's Day, a little extra incentive doesn't hurt, right?

Traveling on SuperBowl Sunday? There are few worse places to be than in an airplane at 35,000-ft when you would much rather be at home, at someone else's home or at the local pub watching the fame with friends, family and lots of food. If you must fly, you might want to think about using JetBlue. The discount airline offers live DIRECTV, so you'll be able to see the game, and you won't even have to miss out on beer and munchies because the airline will be giving out free beer and cocktails to travelers during game-time flights. They will also offer plenty of snacks (no hot wings, unfortunately), such as Doritos Munchies Mix, Terra Blues Potato Chips, Nuts Jumbo Cashew Halves and Nabisco 100 Calorie Pack crackers.

The selection doesn't compare to what you'll find at most SuperBowl parties, but you have to given them credit for trying. After all, they could do a lot worse than free beer, snacks and football!

Shauna, the Gluten-free Girl has been living with Celiac disease her entire life, but has only been eating gluten free for just over a year and a half. In that time, she has felt better than she ever did before and she has definitely learned more about gluten-free cooking and baking than she ever thought she would know. By her own admission, she does not make gluten free baked goods all that often, in large part because it is more complicated than a standard muffin and the pre-made mixes are usually just as good. This particular batch of Gluten Free Blueberry Muffins, however, she made completely from scratch. In her post, Shauna explains how she developed a feel for using gluten free flours - sweet white sorghum flour, white rice flour and tapioca flour in this case - to achieve the familiar consistency of a muffin made with wheat. To the inexperienced, gluten free baking sounds like a challenge, but as with anything else, familiarity makes things easier and Shauna's successful muffins prove that point.

Don't get too excited from the headline.

Bars and restaurants in California aren't going to be giving away all their beer, but this year, for the first time, they will be permitted to give out free samples of beer, much in the same way that free samples of wine and spirits are sometimes given out to promote new brands or new products from those industries.

Previously, beer companies could only offer tastings at their own plants or breweries, but the new law allows for up to 8-ounces per person per day, to be given away promotionally, provided that it is served in a glass at an establishment that already serves beer or spirits. The tastings can last no more than one hour and can only feature one type of beer, which effectively prevents consumers from having more than those 8-oz (without paying for more, anyway). St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch was the driving force behind the new law, pushing the issue on the grounds that existing law excluded a major portion of the beverage industry. They plan to offer tastings of some of their seasonal products in the future.

The primary objectors to the legislation were the religious groups behind the California Council on Alcohol Problems, which basically tried to say that all beer tasted the same (unlike wine, in their opinions) and that this would cause drinking problems. Clearly, legislators did not agree with their thinking and neither would any of the many beer lovers out there, all of whom can attest to the fact that beer does vary from brand to brand and even batch to batch.

We're not jetsetters who flit around the world dropping in on one pricey, critically acclaimed restaurant after another. Not that we wouldn't like to, mind you. This is probably why we enjoy seeing photo sets from and reading the experiences of other bloggers who are lucky enough to stop in to these establishments from time to time. One of our very favorite wine bloggers, Dr Vino, recently had the opportunity to eat at Homaru Cantu's Moto, in Chicago.

The opportunity arose from the fact that, after a discussion of Cantu's "caramelaserized" wine between the chef and the blogger, Dr Vino wrote to Cantu to tell him that he would have the opportunity to stop by the restaurant in November and would like to try the "lazerized" wine. Cantu, very generously, sent him a note back saying "you will be my guest" for dinner. So Dr Vino went and enjoyed a meal chosen by the chef, a wine tasting and a visit to the kitchen to experience the caramelaserization technique - wine flavored with smoke produced by firing a laser at some other element, like vanilla or orange - first hand. The meal is recounted great detail and it sounds as though the food really was excellent.

But a bill was presented at the end of the night and, at over $100 per person, it was a bit of a shock to a diner who had the impression (based on the "you will be my guest" comment and the fact that the menu was chosen for them) that the diner, excluding tip, would be covered for them. Was this too much to expect, given the circumstances? Knowing that he would have had to pay for everything, Dr Vino probably would have gone only for a taste of the special wine that he wanted to sample.

[Thanks, Matt]