Divine Deals: Lots of options

Good day, and happy Friday! What a happy Friday, indeed. Not only am I typing hardly able to contain myself because my gorgeous, sweet little daughter is turning one tomorrow (!) but there's so many deals around town that I just want to start shopping. Eek, don't tell the hubs!

Here's a few deals that you should know about:

APPAREL
For those that live near a Nordstrom Rack, get excited: spend just $25 for $50 worth of shoes, apparel and more at this totally fabulous designer discount store. The deal is available for purchase through Groupon until Monday, and you can use the gift certificate until Dec. 31. Perfect for holiday shopping (for you or someone else; don't worry, we don't judge!).

Another Groupon perk? They've extended another national deal where you can get a $50 gift certificate to American Apparel for just $25. Perfect spot for basics (think layering pieces) and I hear their thigh-high socks are out-of-this world. Wear under high boots, with short skirts or for a lazy night on the couch. The Groupon certificate expires Feb. 19, 2011.

New to Groupon? Click here. Already a member and want get today's deal, click here!

SHOES

One of my favorite online discount shoe retailers, 6pm.com has some swoon-worthy sales this weekend. Boutique 9 is up to 75 percent off. There's adorable flats as low as $30 and check out these heels for just under $60? Tell me you wouldn't get a million compliments on these puppies and wear them for years? Great purchase, I'm kind of obsessed.

6pm also has boots Under $50 and Under $100, depending on your price point. Shop early for the widest selection of sizes and styles.

EAT
If you don't buy restaurant gift certificates online for yourself, you're missing the boat. I'm frequently eating at my favorite restaurants for 50-80 percent less than the peeps sitting next to me. Many cities have local options -- for example, I'm always taking advantage of South Florida Dines (use promo code FOOD for an extra 20 percent off this weekend!) -- but Restaurant.com is one of the best options for a discounts at restaurants around the country. Right now, get certificates for hot spots in your area for  80 percent off, just use GOBBLE at checkout. Yes, that's $2 for a $25 gift certificate!!!!

OK... last but not least, just check out your favorite store, and visit our holiday shopping tips for more ways to save.

Why spend full price when you get exactly what you want for less?! -- the average gal. xo

Divine Deal: Restaurant.com just $1!

WOW! What are you waiting for? Restaurant.com is offering up a phenomenal 90 whopping percent off $25 gift certificates to tons of fantastic restaurants. That's $1 people! Just use the code WOW at check-out. Believe it's been at least a year since they've offered this promotion.

While some places have restrictions, who cares?! You're saving $24 each time you dine! Totally worth stocking up, or giving these as gifts to friends and family. Give this as a gift for no-reason to a girlfriend who's been super sweet lately or your gram for just being her. Remember, it's nationwide!

Head to restaurant.com now! You'll be glad you did.

Mmm? McCormick & Schmicks

Date night! The hubs and I headed to McCormick & Schmicks at CityPlace in West Palm Beach, Fla. for a belated anniversary celebration. A national chain with nearly 90 locations in more than 20 states, we had pretty high expectations for this popular seafood restaurant. With a $100 gift card to use from my birthday back in March, we were ready for a good meal. And, what we had was...alright. Not spectacular or delish, but just alright. Fortunately, we had such a nice time out, people watching, chatting about who knows what and relishing about our adorable little girl, that the night was just wonderful. But, of course you're here to read about what we ate, so here goes... (and read to the end for a TAGG tip!)

First up was the fried calamari ($7.95). While it was flavorful, it was also slightly soggy, not offering a crispy bite like you'd expect. Can't say we left it over though... we were hun-gry!

We also ordered the flash-fried lobster roll. We love sushi and lobster, so what's not to like? Again, we were slightly disappointed. They should have taken note from Lemongrass in Delray. Now that's a lobster roll! At M&S, the lobster meat was chopped and put side-by-side with julienned vegetables. We decided the lobster could have easily been crab. It didn't have much taste, even when pulled out of the roll to sample. Oh, and random rant: the soy sauce was in a dish smaller than the pieces... pet peeve! What does the chef expect me to do??

Moving on to the main course, the hubs ordered the Chilean sea bass with udon noodles and vegetables. Nice presentation when they poured the sauce at the table. Love that. His dish was really good; fish was soft and buttery yet seared nicely on the outside and the noodles were al dente. We recommend!

I got the corvina (a mild white fish) with a sweet potato shrimp hash and corn chowder that the waitress referred to as "a sleeper hit" on the menu. I went for it! While the fish had a nice, mild flavor some of the sweet potato pieces weren't fully cooked! We couldn't even get our forks in them. Bad news. And, while the corn chowder (which can be ordered separately as a soup) had a nice, bold corn flavor, it was lacking some corn kernel pieces that I enjoy. Personal preference. The leading disappointment though was that two-thirds through I noticed what looked like a few small pieces of bacon under my fish. Eek. I don't eat bacon! (another story: don't ask how I made it through three cities in Italy without eating pork!). While the waitress first tried to convince me it was red onion, she quickly came back, took my plate, apologized and brought us a complimentary dessert. Oops!

I'm glad she did though. While we were too full to order a dessert, who can turn away a complimentary one? Not these two. Mmm. We had a decadent chocolate-constructed cup filled with white chocolate mousse and a few berries. M&S is smart: end the meal well!

While I wouldn't rush back there, I would go back. The fish was fresh and they have great, affordable lunch dishes; there's a 10 for $10 menu. If I lived closer, I'd certainly check them out.

REVIEW
Food: B-/C+
Service: B

TAGG TIP: If you go, it's totally worth getting the M&S preferred member card. It costs $25 but they credit you $25, give you $30 credit on your birthday, plus a whole smorgasbord of other perks that make it totally worthwhile. Right now, I have a $55 credit waiting to be used!

Divine Deals: Dine for Less!

Love eating but don't love getting the bill? Ditto! Check out restaurant.com! Buy $25 gift certificates for just $2 each, through Sept. 13. Just use the code TOUCHDOWN for the discount at checkout. Voila!
These deals are the best; find your favorite restaurants or use this as a crazy cheap way to try a new place. Worse case, you're out $2. That's not even a latte these days! And, while restaurant.com used to have a limited number of places, it has quite a few now. Worth revisiting if it's been a while. I just bought three for $7.50 total!

I'm ALWAYS buying these certificates here and locally on southfloridadines.com. You need to check restrictions (some are dine-in only, have minimum bill requirements or exclude certain specials) but it's such a value and it enables us to eat out more often. What's not to like?!