Mad About Mitchell's

I recently had the joy of visiting one of my favorite dessert places in San Francisco: Mitchell's Ice Cream. This ice cream absolutely is worth the 20-minute-plus wait you're sure to encounter when visiting this San Francisco staple.

Mitchell's has a nice variety of decadent flavors -- White Pistachio, Mexican Chocolate, Kahlua Mocha Cream, Lemon Chiffon -- and tropical -- avocado, halo halo, buko, mango. It also has sorbets and a bigger selection of Pepperidge Farm cookies than I've seen at any supermarket.

One of the flavors I got on my recent trip is a flavor that I always get when going to Mitchell's: ube (top picture, bottom scoop). Ube is a purple yam that is a popular ingredient for desserts in the Philippines. The closest food it tastes like is probably coconut but without the gritty texture. Ube ice cream at Mitchell's is incredibly creamy, like eating a French vanilla ice cream with a twist. Plus the vibrant purple is pleasing to the eye.

The second flavor I got was Grasshopper Pie (top picture, top scoop). Fans of mint chocolate chip will likely love this flavor -- mint ice cream swirled with fudge and Oreo cookies.

My ice cream companion, Alnette (bottom picture), loves Mitchell's ice cream so much that she decided to buy a half gallon of lucuma -- a Peruvian fruit -- and a box of waffle cones and eat it on a bench outside the store. Although we looked crazy by hugging the tub in order to soften the ice cream so she could scoop it into her cone, I liked her excuse that she actually saves money by getting the tub instead of going back to the store to get a scoop or two every time!

For Mitchell's website, click here.

$25 for $50 at Gap

I was browsing some deals online and through my coupon phone apps and was amazed at this deal from Groupon: Buy a $25 Groupon for $50 worth of merchandise at Gap stores. The math is so easy, I don't need a calculator to tell you that it's a 50% savings!

A few catches:

• The Groupon is only good at stores (not outlets or online).


• You have to use your Groupon in one visit.


• You must spend a minimum of $50.

The Groupon expires Nov. 19, just in time to buy some fall/winter clothes or get a head start on Christmas shopping.

To become a member of Groupon for free, click here. For more information or to purchase the Groupon, click here.

Note: The above link will direct you to the deal, which is featured in New York, however you don't have live there to get the Groupon (or to spend it). You may start receiving daily e-mails for Groupon deals in Dallas. To stop these e-mails, just click on the "Unsubscribe" link on the top right of one of the e-mails.

Thrifty Thursday

If you usually get an energy boost when ordering a smoothie at Jamba Juice, then you should take advantage of the cheap, pick-me-up offering this Thursday, Aug. 19. Jamba Juice will have a sale on its coffee and tea smoothies (16 ounces) for just $1! Flavors are green tea, coffee, chai and mocha -- which has chocolate, so you know which flavor I'll be trying! For more information, click here.

If you're in Sunnyvale the same day, you might as well get wired on a coffee smoothie then run over to the grand opening of Rubio's, the Mexican eatery famous for its yummy fish tacos. The first 100 customers who present its flier from its e-mail club or Facebook event posting via printout or smart phone will receive a FREE entrée: any Rubio’s burrito, two-taco plate, salad or "Wrapsalada." Sale starts at 10 a.m., so get there super early to ensure your free meal. Rubio's is at 108 E. El Camino Real.

Smoothie War Weekend

If you'll be near a Boston Market on Aug. 14, stop in and take advantage of its Free Smoothie Saturday campaign. The eatery will offer orange and raspberry smoothies to help promote its latest product. California and 12 other states will participate. To see a full list, click here.

If Jamba Juice is your smoothie preference, then you'll appreciate its targeted nemesis in the smoothie market: McDonald's. Through Sunday, Aug. 15, Jamba Juice will accept any McDonald's smoothie coupon even if it's for a free drink.

For a list of areas that Jamba Juice will accept coupons at, or to get a $1 OFF coupon, click here.

FREE Entertainment This Weekend

As I scrolled through Travelzoo's Top 20 newsletter today, I came across a price point that I have never seen before: FREE. Of course I had to click through to find a list of FREE events in San Francisco this weekend.

One deal in particular caught my eye: a FREE bowling coupon, good to use this Saturday, Aug. 7. The goal is to set a world record of bowling participants on that day. Even better, you don't have to live in San Francisco to take advantage of this coupon. Now only if Haagen-Dazs would declare a day where it would want to set a world record for ice cream eating!

For Travelzoo's tips for FREE events this weekend, and to get the bowling coupon, click here.

Hi-Life, Low Price

Meat lovers should take advantage of this rare opportunity on Aug. 10 and 11: In honor of its 50th anniversary, Henry's Hi-Life, the "world-famous" San Jose eatery, will offer 1960s pricing on menu items that were offered in that decade. I'd say that's well done.

The Hi-Life was featured on the Travel Channel's "Man vs. Food" for its popular ribs.

For more information about the event, check out the Mercury News' story by clicking here. To learn more about the restaurant, including hours and address, click here.

Cheesecake Celebration

There's not much better in life than a "holiday" dedicated to a dessert and a restaurant that offers a deep discount on that particular dessert. That's why July 30 -- aka, National Cheesecake Day -- is now one of my favorite dates to visit The Cheesecake Factory (actually, any date is fine to visit the eatery).

A friend and I went there on Friday to pay homage to those who have sacrificed their lives for the sake of cheescake. Simply by dining at the restaurant that day, we received half off the price of our slices of cheesecake. No coupon, secret saying or special favors required.

I encouraged my friend to get the Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake (top image). As I sampled her slice, one bite caused me to sit back, roll my eyes to the back of my head and breathe a decadent sigh of ecstasy. The cheesecake is like one huge chocolate truffle with -- surprise -- a chocolate crust. It's served with the restaurant's typical huge dollops of whipped cream and -- in case you didn't get enough chocolate -- a Godiva chocolate square.

Meanwhile, I tried the newest offering: Reese’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Cheesecake (bottom image), which also was quite good, although it didn't evoke the same reaction as the Godiva dessert. Layers of chocolate cake, peanut butter and peanuts sandwich a layer of cheesecake and is topped with a chocolate mousse and a dollop of peanut butter whipped cream plus regular whipped cream on the side. Chocolate shavings supported the back of the slice. I don't recall any peanut butter cups in the slice, so if the candies are what you're craving then you should go with Adam's Peanut Butter Cup Fudge Ripple Cheesecake.

Both slices cost $3.87 each, which included the 50% discount.