Feast of Freebies: Indulging in Birthday Month Delights!

Many places will give you something for your birthday if you sign up for their newsletter/club membership, etc. I'm a big fan of free stuff, so here's what happened during January.

The Serenitee group will give you a free entree and dessert for the whole month, with no limitations.

Maggie's Farm had a Seafood Casserole on the specials menu. "Lobster, shrimp, scallops and haddock. Served with roasted potatoes and asparagus". This was delicious, even if the lobster was mainly the claws and the scallops were the small bay scallops, but it was tasty. The thin asparagus was delightful. I even liked the roasted potatoes and ate the skins since they were different from the soggy skins you usually get.

Chocolate Torte Cake is also from the specials menu. I was going to take this home, but when I started on the cake, I couldn't stop, it was so good. All gone.

Fogo de Chao Gives you a $25 gift card good for two weeks around your birthday for lunch or dinner Churrasco experience. I had to contact them this year to get it. I'll pass on this this year. The lunch is now up to 45.50, so even after the discount, it's a $30 lunch with a good tip. I also am very selective with what I pick, so it's really a pain in a** to get the cuts I want. Hanger steak comes around frequently and is one of the best meats around. Lamb, rare, the same. Tenderloin and lamb chops, and rib eye, rarely. I must admit that when they figure out what I want, I'll get it, it's just a hassle to get there. I much prefer the Market Table, even if it's up to $18. Any place that gives me unlimited smoked salmon and prosciutto I'm happy with.

Millers Tavern $20 off during your birthday month. This year, I picked the Seafood Alfredo. "Made from scratch! Locally made fettuccine pasta and our rich house-made Alfredo sauce, tossed with scallops and shrimp". This was excellent, with plenty of big scallops and big shrimps. The Alfredo could have been a lot cheesier. The grilled bread was excellent and very fresh. A delightful dish.

Not Your Average Joe's $15 off. I visited the Peabody location since the Burlington location could be better.

Chef Bryan's Jambalaya. "Packed with flavor! Chicken, shrimp, andouille sausage and veggies simmered in a cajun broth with seasoned rice". The broth was seasoned nicely but was very tomatoey. I could have used more broth. Lots of protein. All good, but the chicken was dry, as was the sliced sausage. The rice was very nice. The base for a Jambalaya is onion, celery, and green bell peppers, simmered down. There was no celery but bits of peppers and onions and lots of tomatoes. The warm cold focaccia and the dipping oil were on point. My server was excellent and friendly.

Tavern In the Square gives you a free appetizer during your birthday month. Appetizer BBQ Chicken Pizza. "BBQ sauce, sharp provolone, fire roasted corn, bacon, caramelized onions." This was a pleasant pizza with a nice thin crust and appetizing toppings. The pizza was tasty, with an excellent crust. Putting BBQ sauce on chicken doesn't really make it BBQ, does it?

Buffalo Wild Wings gives you 6 free wings. If you want all flats, it is +$1; if you want all drums, it is also +$1. Here is my mixed lot with Jamaican Jerk sauce, which is excellent. You get carrots and celery and blue cheese dressing. The dressing seriously lacks blue cheese. The drums were really dry, and the flats were marginally dry. The BYGO deal is now buy one and get one half off. They have threatened to do this for years.

Fiorella's Free Entre. Good for a month. HADDOCK PICCATA. "Haddock filet seared in a lemony-caper sauce, served with roasted potatoes and broccolini". Since the roasted potatoes had the skin (thick) left on, I got some linguini instead. The pasta was cooked well but was unsalted. The haddock was cooked really nicely but was unseasoned. The promised sauce was just a smidgen on the bottom.

Rosa Mexicana gives you $25 Off, which is good for your birthday month. I picked the LAS CAZUELAS with DUCK LEG CARNITAS. "Cast Iron Cazuela filled with your choice of our slow-cooked fillings for our housemade tortillas. Served with Mexican rice, black beans, guacamole, crema, pico de gallo and salsa verde cruda". I managed to get flour tortillas instead of corn. They are homemade and delicious, even if they are a tad thick and smallish. There was a heap of tender duck carnitas. The salsa verde was excellent. Refills of the tortillas were not a problem. Sorry for the potato-quality picture, I forgot my phone and had to use the tablet. And now they are permanently closed. Too bad, I would have paid full price for this dish.

Newtowne $5 Off. Good for January. They have an excellent M&C, and the $2 upcharge for adding Buffalo Chicken is the best deal ever. You get so much crispy chicken that you wouldn't believe it until you have experienced it. Who can resist Garlic Bread‽ Takeout because it started snowing like crazy.

Code 1 BBQ $5 Off. Good for January. M&C with brisket (L). I asked for extra Cheese sauce, and I think they went slightly overboard with that. On my last dine-in, I just got a small container with extra cheese sauce, and that was enough. The pasta doesn't travel well. Their brisket is excellent and stands up well against the other real BBQ places. Carolina Gold sauce since that is simply the best. I could eat it with a spoon.

Texas Road House gives you a free app with an entree. Good for two weeks. Rattlesnake Bites this time. "Diced jalapenos and jack cheese, lightly fried and served with Cajun sauce for dipping". These were really enjoyable. A little bit of heat, a lot of cheese, and some crunch. Delicious! Visiting here is also a good reason for having the twin pork chops since they are one of the few places that will cook them medium. The success rate of getting them medium varies. They also have one of the best loaded baked potatoes around.

That's it for this year!

Jersey Mike's 72 Points added for a free small sub. I'll pass on this for now. I'm was not impressed with my previous visit.

Red Heat Tavern Free Dessert Pass
Chick-fil-A Free Cookie Good for a month Pass
Blaze Free Dessert Pass
Burtons Appetizer with an entree. Pass. No lunch menu, and too expensive.

Did I miss anyone?

Is not life a hundred times too short for us to bore ourselves?

-- Friedrich Nietzsche