Free is not always better

Blasphemy you say! Time is money, yada yada yada, there is no such thing as a free lunch, etc. Ok, ok, I hear you. Although I do gain much joy out of finding a good and especially free deal, some of them are a risk. I was bitten by a trip to the Shedd Aquarium, my favorite museum, when on a free day the wait just to get inside was several hours (no, I did not wait). It was a good lesson and reminds me to think a little bit harder when I see the word FREE.

On the brighter side, I had a wonderful free lunch last week at the all you can eat Brazilian steak house Fogo De Chao. A salad bar that alone I could have made 5 different meals from plus unlimited amounts of 16 cuts of meat. I believe I sampled every cut with my favorite being picanha, the best part of the sirloin. Other notable mentions were beef ancho and bacon wrapped filet mignon. Even though the food is great, I give a mild recommendation since the price is steep and it would be difficult to eat your money's worth.

Colombia is a neighbor to Brazil and also boasts delicioso meat dishes. We recently hosted a birthday party for a friend at a very festive Colombian restaurant Pueblocito Viejo. The fact that you have to make a reservation in Spanish speaks to the authenticity of the place. Not

only do you get many authentic dishes like carne asada, arepas, and platanos, but the jungle like atmosphere will place you on a house patio in Bogotá. Salsa and dance music kicks in around 9 and you can dance your meal off till 3 am.

Wyatt and I love Ethiopian food and have found many people aren't exposed to this unique cuisine. Chicago has several options for Ethiopian, but we have declared the creme de la creme to go to Ethiopian Diamond after many thorough tastings. We love to sit at traditional or basket tables and split a platter of several meats and veggie stew-like dishes. The unique part of the meal is your utensil, injera. This crepe-like bread is quite sour if made right since it is fermented for 4 days. If its your first time definitely get the spice tea and a sample platter of several dishes.

To end this eclectic blog I want to share a tip I found out by accident this week. I recently discovered that the special weekend rate for Avis kicks in at 9 am on Thurs. So by booking 30 min later than I wanted I went from a rate of $161 for the weekend to $90. Play around with the hours when you book cars and flights and you just might get a super deal. This will come in handy as we plan several upcoming adventures to Seattle, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon and Iowa!

Thought for the day: A free lunch is only found in mousetraps?