Me On The Today Show

Aired Saturday, July 4, 2009.

Family Guy Free Samples

Behind the Scenes: Today Show Shoot

I spent the bulk of today running around Manhattan and New Jersey with Today Show producers for a segment on Free Eats! Made a stop at Costco in Clifton, NJ where a whopping eighteen sample stations were awaiting us, then on to the Union Square Farmers Market and Whole Foods and finally to 5 Ninth for some piggies.To see my full Free Eats segment, tune in to the Today Show on NBC this Saturday, the 4th of July. In the meantime, here are some behind the scenes moments from the shoot:

Today Show producers, Tim and Mollie. having some Italian sausages on Ciabatta bread, prepared with love by Maria and Enza, two of Costco's darling samplers.

Spoke Italian with these three adorable samplers in between shots. They couldn't be sweeter!

Eat Free Fight Hunger

I love City Harvest's annual Skip Lunch Fight Hunger fundraiser in New York City. It's been all over the blogs, but if you haven't heard about it, it's not too late to participate.

Since it's such a worthy cause and because some old habits die hard, I'm reinstating a mini Free Eats campaign this week aptly titled, Eat Free Fight Hunger. I'll be skipping lunch all week (hitting up some of my favorite free sampling spots instead) and donating $5 per meal to City Harvest. I've got plans to visit the Chelsea Whole Foods today (free sample day) for lunch and Thursday it looks like free tater tots and piggies with the girls at 5Ninth. Will have to do some more research to see what new free eating spots have emerged since March!

If you'd like to join my Eat Free Fight Hunger team email me!

Skip Lunch Fight Hunger -- Details
When: Tomorrow, May 6, donate the amount of money you would spend on your lunch to help feed a hungry child.

How: Visit the official site to register and donate. You can start a team or register as an individual.

What: The goal is to reach $600,000
$127,240 has been raised so far but there's still $472,759 to go.

Free Eats: Battery Park!!!

Drum roll please...

I've discovered the first and I think the only free eats in Battery Park. They hail from Inatteso, the brand new Italian cafe on the ground floor of the Millennium Tower (3o West Street). The Casano family [of Adrienne's Pizzabar, Harry's Steakhouse and Ulysses] owns and operates both the cafe and the recently opened Inatteso Pizzabar Casano, where I once devoured an entire Grandma style brick-oven pie topped with broccoli rabe and sausage (in my fatter, paying days).

So what's for free? Well since the cafe is still new, they've been sampling a variety of stuff to familiarize their neighbors with the local goods...like Italian cheeses imported from Brooklyn, and homemade signature desserts that have that "straight out of Sicily" deliciousness. While the Nutella cake will cost you $5 a slice, it's rich and worth a try. For something more budget-friendly, ask for their chocolate chip cookie. It's quickly becoming one of the most-talked-about cookies in Battery Park and I can attest, it's got more chocolate chunks per square inch than any cookies I've seen South of the border (Canal Street). I recommend having all of the Inatteso sweets (free or purchased) with a strong cup of Lavazza espresso, served fresh in adorable espresso-sized takeaway cups. A small detail I always take issue with at Starbucks where I'm usually served [burnt] espresso in a grande cup. So unsatisfying.

Free Eats: Wiener Winks

Going on a "free eats" date not only makes for quality blog content, but also eliminates the dreaded dutch date scenario. The wallet standoff, the awkward bill division ("well, you only had an appetizer and I ordered two steaks so just give me $15..."), or the ever-so-fun double credit card drop. Nothing like splitting the bill to make you feel like a real lady.
But I digress. Back to the free date. I took my own advice and set it up at 5Ninth, the charming three-story townhouse with fireplaces and exposed beams. It's the perfect escape from the club-ridden streets of the MPD.


5Ninth had all the key elements...romance, candlelight, red wine, and free wiener winks. For those of you who aren't already migrating to Wikipedia, that's jive talk for pigs in a blanket.

In fact, the only missing element was...err...the date, actually. No, I didn't get stood up, and I guess I did have a date, she just happened to be my best friend, Kelli. (I've yet to find a guy who will entertain my Whole Foods date idea. I think when I do find him I'll marry him.)
Now I know some of you might be planning your next romantic date around National Pigs in a Blanket Day (April 24th) but I say there's no time like the present to share free sausage-wrapped finger foods with friends and loved ones at 5Ninth. They're being dished out every Sunday-Wednesday from 5pm-9pm at 5Ninth.

Word has it tator tots are also on the loose.

Talk amongst yourselves...I'll give you a topic...Free Eats

See who's chatting about free eats:

Andrew Zimmern (Bizarre Foods)
NBC
The Lost Girls
Metro News
Eater
Midtown Lunch
Lemon Drop
Buzzfeed
Mediabom

Free Eats Reminder: Tasting Hours Tonight @ Whole Foods

Save your appetite...

Today and every hump day there are tasting hours at Whole Foods Union Square.
5pm-7pm
Union Square South

Free Eats San Fran: Meet Johanna

Some people think tennis is fun. I think cheese is fun. And free cheese is even funner. In fact finding free cheese is, hands down, the funnest part of free eating.

But coming in at a close second, is the fun of connecting with other free eats enthusiasts from around the world--like Johanna, from San Francisco. For Johanna, old habits die hard.

Her first round of free eating was back in her college hay-day. Johanna's savvy scavenging narrowed her total food spending to only $200 over the course of six months. Impressive! It also pissed off her parents, helped fend off the Freshman 15 and earned her the title of "stingy friend." That's when she called it quits.

But only two weeks ago, Johanna joined the ever-growing population of unemployed 20-somethings after being unexpectedly laid off from her job. With her $1300 rent looming, Johanna can't resist the allure of free food and from what she's told me, San Francisco is definitely in the running to compete with NYC's free sample scene. Last week she got free chocolate from Ghirardelli Square, a smorgasbord of stuff from Trader Joe's, and a caffeine boost at World Market. But her biggest goldmine has been the San Francisco Farmer's Market.

"You have NEVER seen anything like the Farmer's market," she says. "It's literally an entire block of vendors forcing their free samples of goodies on you. The best part: it happens every single Saturday. Smaller versions of the market happen every Tuesday and Thursday."

That's Johanna pictured above, snacking on some juicy orange slices and FRESH LOX. Note she's not even wearing a jacket...so jealous.

Check back for more updates from Johanna, my resident San Francisco Free Eats Correspondent. And wish her luck on the job [and food] hunt.

Free Eats: Buy Wine, Get Pasta

West Eight Street between 5th and 6th Ave.--the block I once called home.

My modest digs were nestled amongst cozy rows of [stripper] boutiques, [bong] shops and the Salvation Army. Along the sidewalk you'd find your mix of rock n' roll tourists looking for Jimi Hendrick's old apartment (it was number 55), rappers just finishing an all night recording session at Electric Lady Studios (Jimi's old studio), and shoe-obsessed out-of-towners looking for deals on patent leather platforms and go-go boots. A colorful city block, to say the least.

But in the last two years, with additions like 8th Street Wine Cellar, Elleteria and my favorite Greenwich Village wine shop, IS-Wine, there is some much-needed new energy on 8th street that has me wishing I was still in the 'hood. Especially after I learned about IS-Wine's new "Pasta Days" giveaway starting TODAY. I stopped in at about 6pm to take advantage of a free dinner, and pick up a bottle of the 2003 Cotoval that I had tasted during Free Eats Week 1. Here are the deets:

IS-WINE 24 West 8th Street (between Macdougal & 6th)

Free Eats: Free freshly-prepared pasta with the purchase of ANY bottle of wine on Mondays and Tuesday from 5pm-9pm (or until pasta runs out). Monday's special: Penne Bolognese

Normal Price: Pasta is prepared by sister Tribeca restaurant, Duane Park, where the Roasted Yam & Brown Butter Ravioli costs $19.

Food Groups: CARBS "The Free Eats of Champions"

Free Thoughts: Sizable portions, leak-free Tupperware, and innovative ingredients (there's dark chocolate in the bolognese sauce). I can't comment on taste yet, as the pasta is still sitting in my fridge. I plan to apply minimum micro waves tomorrow at lunch, in hopes of salvaging my friendship with my Italian buddy, Al Dente. To be continued...

P.S. Five bottles of wine get you five pastas? Fugghetaboutit. It's one pasta per purchase.

Free Eats: 5Ninth, Prespa, Park Ave. Winter

a random smattering of free eats specials to start your week off right...

5Ninth 5 9th ave Meatpacking District
Happy Hour
Sunday through Wednesday 4pm to 8pm
$3 draft beer
$5 well liquor
$5 selected wine
$9 house champagne
free pigs in a blanket
[via Hieu]

prespa Restaurant 184 Lexington Ave (Btwn 31st & 32nd St)
happy hour
mon-fri 4:30-6:30 and 10-11pm
free hors d’oeuvres served along with wines by the glass and cocktails (which are 50% off)
[via Wined & Dined]


park avenue winter 100 East 63rd Street at Park Avenue
dinner
march 16-20
girls in school uniforms get free dinner. Over 21? Two free rounds on the house, too.
[via Eater]

Free Eats: Rebuild Trust and Eat Free Peanuts

Still two and a half more hours of free peanut products at Grand Central Station. Meet America's peanut farmers, listen to them convince you why it's OK to eat Skippy again, and pick up enough free peanut snacks for your entire Metro North commute home.

I'm stuck working, otherwise I'd be there. At Sanctuary T instead, using free Wi-Fi and overdosing on their free tea samples (and sugar sticks). Anyone who gets to Grand Central, let me know.

Interesting fact for New Yorkers: Our favorite Greenwich Village sandwich shop, Peanut Butter & Co., was not part of the national peanut butter recall, so don't be shy about heading back in for an old school brown-bag lunch. I know my life (and waistline) hasn't been the same since I stopped eating Peanut Butter BLTs!!

Free Eats Weekend: The Last Supper, Or Not

Q: How does a Free Eater benefit from her best friend's 18-girl birthday feast?

A: Two words: Doggy Bags.

Ten Crispo take-away containers to be exact; a record-breaking feat in the art of doggy baggage. Parparadelle with mushrooms, orecchiette with broccoli rabe and sausage, and more spaghetti and meatballs than I knew what to do with. Well, actually I had a plan of what to do with it.

The plan was to deliver it to homeless folks en route to our next party destination. In theory, all the girls were on board with the good Samaritan act, but with temperatures in the single digits, the novelty of searching for hungry homeless wore off quickly for most. Upon arrival at our next destination in the W. Village, I told everyone to head inside and I'd meet them there. After several laps around the local streets, it became very apparent that most homeless people had taken shelter and were not on the street, at least not in the W. Village.

Determined not to waste the food, I walked inside the club and contemplated my options:

1) Check the pasta and run the risk of hungry coat-checker helping himself to my meatballs

2) Keep the pasta with me and use it as a prop on the dance floor

3) Find a less-frequented corner of club and stash it for later

While I entertained option 2 for a solid minute, I found an empty corner too perfect for my leftovers. Or so I thought. That corner filled up with people shortly thereafter; people who I'd venture to say were not that excited about the mysterious, festering smell of garlic and congealing Italian meat sauce. I venture to say that the aroma of Italian cuisine, albeit a few hours old, is much more appealing than beer and stale cigarettes. But I digress.

The party was fun and festive, as expected when 18 girls get together for a birthday. I was a little preoccupied with the status of my free eats, but managed to have a nice boogie on the dance floor to some out-dated Bob Sinclar before taking off.

Back out in the cold, I searched for anyone who resembled a homeless person, again to no avail. So at the end of a long night, I got back home and stuffed the fridge with plate-upon-plate of pasta.

Next morning's breakfast? Microwaved Parparadelle.

Free Eats Weekend: This Just In

Your Saturday Free Eats tips from local urban samplers:

(Sent by Emily via SMS)
2:30pm
Free Turkey Meatballs
Food Emporium
10 Union Square East

(Sent by Chris from The Skint via email)
1:30pm

As I was doing some grocery shopping today, I thought of sending you these places in Park Slope...

Blue Apron Foods, while a tiny shop, has a good cheese and olive selection, and usually something sweet at the front counter to sample. I don't think they have a website, but here's some more info:
http://notfortourists.com/ListingDetails.aspx?city=NY&listingID=788747


Union Market also has olives and pickles, as well as a cheese or two to sample. And on weekends, there's often a representative from some supplier offering samples near the cashiers.
http://www.unionmarket.com/
(one on Union St & 6th Ave and one on 7th Ave & 13th St)

Grab Specialty Foods will let you sample the tapped beers they have for sale, as well as the cheeses & meats behind the counter. They're not always spread out for the taking, so it may require you to ask.
(7th Ave bet 14th & 15th St)http://www.grabspecialtyfoods.com/

Send your free eats tips and photos to CourtneyNYC@gmail.com and be featured on my blog!

Free Eats Weekend: Free Roast

On Friday, I docked three hours of free Wi-Fi usage and a free sample of house blend java at the new-ish West Village coffee roasteria, Roasting Plant Coffee Company. Still only four months old, these roasters are anxious for newcomers to try each of their blends so don't be shy in asking for more than a few samples.

As I see it, there are many cool features about this coffee shop beyond their patented roasting system, which shoots beans from the on-site roasting plant, through overhead tubes (think the bank teller type) into the brewing station and ending in a frothy finish.

Other fun details include ergonomically excellent seating and plugs at every table, perfect for typing on your laptop. Gigantic touch computers screens replace menus, on which there's Greek yogurt sold by the ounce and cookie dough sold by the shot. Genius. Another notable feature is RPCC's proximity to St. Vincent's Hospital. What does that mean to you? Well, two things: if a stray bean happens to escape from the tube, ricochet off the touch screen, and hit you in your eye, you can probably still negotiate your way across 7th Ave with your one good eye and get patched up.

But more importantly, the Roasting Plant is an ideal place to meet New York's most eligible doctors. MDs+long hours=coffee. And during my three hours at the Roasting Plant, I watched a constant flow of scrubbed up cuties mosey in.

Weirdest thing about Roasting Plant? This lady...the travelling perfume saleswoman. She busted in at about 3pm with an insulated lunch bag of Britney Spears Fantasy and D&G's Light Blue knock-offs. Next thing I know, she's stinking up the joint with her "free" perfume samples. So much for the delightful aroma of freshly brewed coffee...

"Eat Me, I'm Free"

Music inspired by my favorite Fresh Prince episode.

Free Eats Day 9: A Tasty Update

I've passed my one week mark, still feeling good, and finding a plethora of diverse snacks to satisfy almost all of my cravings. I'd still love to find a nice fat eel and avocado roll, but hey, Free Eaters can't be choosers! Health-wise, last week's diet ran the gamut. On the nutritious side, I've eaten locally grown apples, organic corn salad, braised fennel, hummus and even freshly pan-seared tilapia.

On the more glutinous side, well, the list is long: Dark chocolate, gelato, pizza, artisinal cheeses, cured meats, chips, brownies, and to-die-for bread pudding. I think my fat intake has even been upped this week, despite the small portions! I haven't bought any groceries, ordered takeout or paid for a restaurant tab in nine days, allowing me to put more money towards my looming college loans.

Although I began this experiment out of curiosity, I'm saving a heck of a lot of cash-o-la and may not shutting down my Free Eats operation any time soon. Through this week's research I've discovered dozens of free and cheap specials around the city, and will continue to share my tips as the list keeps growing.

As any New Yorker can attest, New York City is a miserable place to save money. Those who choose to reside here often sacrifice savings to pay astronomical expenses, but we do it to experience the magic of the greatest city in the world. Free Eats Week was a reminder to myself that, with a little perseverance, creativity and an open mind, there are alternative ways to save...and have delicious fun in the process!

Free Eats Day 8: Yes, I'm still free eating

Yesterday, Metro NY contacted me at around lunch time to schedule some photo coverage of my experiment. Technically my first week ended on Sunday, but as Day 8 got underway it was clear I'd have no trouble erasing my case of the Mondays with some gourmet freebies.

I met the photographer at Chelsea Market for some bread and Sicilian extra-virgin olive oil at Buon Italia. Their bread basket was the fullest I'd ever seen it and their olive oil prices are moderate for the city. After that nosh, it was on to Chelsea Market Baskets for several pieces of dark chocolate. My camera battery ran out of juice at lunch, but you should be witnessing the photo evidence in print this week if Metro runs the story.

At about 7pm I was tipped off by one of my oldest childhood friends via Facebook:
Westside Market on 15th and 7th (my local grocery store) - Not sure if you are still looking for free food, but they always have little nibbles there, cheese, chips and guac, drinks..etc....You would prob get lucky there! -Lisa

Westside Market 15th St. and 7th Ave. 8:00pm
Free Eats: Too much bread pudding and Magic Pops with roasted pepper hummus
Normal Price: I was so mesmerized by the Magic Pops machine that I forgot all about prices.
Method: Sample, take a lap, sample, sit down in the dining area, sample, exit and re-enter, sample, etc.
Food Groups: Packin' on the carbs
Free Thoughts: The bread pudding is better than sex. If I never ate another Magic Pop, I'd be just dandy, but I want that magic machine for my bedroom. Some people count sheep, I'll count Magic Pops...

Free Eats Day 7: Salsa y Chips

My social life, has been rather non-existent this week. Despite putting several invitations out there, none of my girlfriends are jumping at the chance to have a free sample soirée. And I haven't quite perfected my dating strategy yet...

Date: Hey Courtney, would you like to have dinner this week?
Me: Uhh, sure, Wendesday at 5pm is perfect. Whole Foods...in the produce section...I'll bring the ziplocs, you bring the sporks.

Date: Errr...ummm...(click)


But on my seventh night (Sunday) I had long-standing plans with a dear friend to listen to Chris Washburne's afro-cubano band at my favorite jazz club, Smoke, in Harlem. He was totally open to joining the free eatathon so I hit Deal Feed and other recession special sites in search of a dinner deal a la Dell'Anima. I stumbled upon these threads for free chips and salsa, which led me to Mama Mexico on Broadway and 102nd St.

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/222601
http://www.endlesssimmer.com/2008/02/29/getting-a-chip-off-my-shoulder/

Cheap drinks, NO! Festive free toonage, YES, and what looked like incredible guac, but I'll have to try that on my next visit or maybe never...it's $11 a pop!!

Free Eats Day 7: Pineapples, But No Penne

On Day 7 I hit Balducci's in the afternoon for some pineapple chunks and Rembrant cheese. Next I attempted to free eat my way through a business lunch at Via dei Mille in Soho, where I drank one glass of prosecco that bubbled straight to my unfed brain. Free crusty bread and olive oil took the buzz away but I still hoped for a repeat of last Sunday's free penne pasta.

When the pasta never arrived I asked VDM staff what happened and they admitted that feeding nearly 100 rowdy table-dancing brunchers each a personal plate of pasta was a logistical nightmare for the kitchen. Grrrr