Thanks to Random.org for helping us determine the winner (you all had great odds!) – the winner of a $20 American Express giftcard from iDine is Jill from Jill Will Run (Jill – look for an email from us shortly!)
If you missed our review of iDine, check it out here
**CONTEST HAS ENDED – Congrats to Jill from Jill Will Run!**
In late September, we were contacted by idine, a new dining benefits program which was right up our alley. From our point of contact, as well as from their easy navigable website, we learned that idine is a free rewards program for dining out and reviewing restaurants. When you register with the program, you register whatever credit cards you might use while dining out, check out what restaurants participate in your area, and then dine at one of the restaurants. We registered and then went on our whirlwind western roadtrip before heading east for our friends’ beach wedding. We planned to look more into the restaurants participating when we got back. A quick email while at the beach, however, let me know how easy this program is!
As routine readers know, we dined at Sticky Rice in Richmond, VA before heading out to the Outer Banks and we were pleasantly surprised when idine emailed us asking us to review them. When we got home to Las Vegas, we had lunch one day at Pasta Shop Ristorante (one of our favorite local pasta restaurants) and received an email a few days later from idine about our experience. Last but not least, on a recent trip to Virginia, some friends and I met up at a Macaroni Grill for dinner and again I received an email asking for my review. In each of these experiences, I was just living my normal dining out life and I was rewarded for it.
At first I thought using idine might be cumbersome, trying to remember when I dined out and log into the website to review the restaurants. However, between receiving emails (and reminders after a few weeks if I’m slow to get on the site) and having the restaurant on my homepage to review when I log in, as well as a relatively short survey to share my experience with other idiners, I’ve been impressed with the program.
The benefit to its users is that idiners earn back 5% of their credit card bill for each review they write. The more frequently they dine out at idine restaurants, the level of membership increases with a maximum of earning 15% during the year. Once an idiner earns $20 in reward points, idine sends them an American Express giftcard.
When idine contacted us, they offered us a $50 American Express giftcard to dine out and review their program, but we turned that down. You can see how much we dine out anyway and we don’t want our readers to feel we’re swayed in our opinions based on swag. (If we do ever accept swag for ourselves, we will be sure to let you know, and we promise our opinions are always our own.) They did offer, however, a reward for you! A $20 American Express giftcard for you. Not having done a giveaway on Hungry Wanderers before, mostly because none of the offers we received really match out blog genre, we were excited to accept this on behalf of you.
So, what do you have to do to win? The contest will be open until Sunday, November 27th at midnight Pacific time. Entries include the following:
Good luck! We’re excited to share idine with you 
On the way home from North Carolina, the Husband and I flew through Houston International Airport – an airport we’ve come to know well with United’s merge with Continental (i.e. we have a lot of connects through IAH nowadays). We had a 3 hour layover around dinner time so I requested that we try to have a sit-down dinner while in the airport. IAH has a lot of great looking options, better than a lot of airports we fly through, so we had our pick of where to go. Each layover, though, the Pappadeaux sign has caught my eye so I suggested we go there and the Husband agreed. We headed over to Terminal E and took the stairs up to the restaurant (elevator also available, especially for that rolling carry-on luggage).
When we entered the lobby and checked in with the hostess, we were told it was a 5 minute way and were asked if that was ok. Only in the airport would that be a concern! With how long our layover was, we were willing to wait much longer and happy for the quick seating. Once seated, we were presented with many mouth watering menu items, but we found the prices to be a bit steeper than we expected. Most of the entrees were in the $20-$30 range and while we are used to prices like that in Las Vegas, we didn’t expect that in an airport. Truthfully, the prices affected what we decided to order – after being on vacation for two weeks, we just weren’t interested in spending a lot of money on an airport dinner.
The Husband started with a beer – a Houston local, ZeigenBock. It came in a nicely frosted glass which was appreciated and was a reasonable price for the large size (about $8).
For his entrée, the Husband ordered the Seafood Cobb Salad which was jumbo lump crabmeat & shrimp over an iceberg & spinach mix with applewood bacon, bleu cheese, avocado & tomato with a vinaigrette on the side. He went with the medium size instead of large, due to the price and was content with the size. The shrimp and crab were good, but there was nearly all iceberg and just a splash of spinach.
As a side dish, the Husband ordered the Dirty Rice at the enthusiastic recommendation of the waitress (who was very sweet and personable). It was a sharable size, well priced (less than $3) and the Husband really enjoyed it. He thought it was one of the better dirty rice dishes that he has had.
I settled on the Fried Shrimp and Catfish platter. Both the shrimp and catfish were fresh and cooked to my liking. I really enjoyed the breading used and appreciated that the fried seafood wasn’t greasy at all. I was disappointed in how many fries there were in comparison to the shrimp and catfish – it appeared to be more of a plate of fries with a side of seafood rather than the other way around. All very tasty but not what I want my dinner money to go toward.
Overall, while I’m glad we had some good seafood and good service, I’m not happy with the prices we paid. My fried seafood/french fry dish was nearly $20 and the Husband’s small salad was $12. I wondered if the prices were jacked up due to being in an airport but checking out the menus for the other locations on the website, it appears that they’re consistent across the chain. The next time I’m at IAH and looking for table service, I probably won’t go here again. However, if you’re in the mood for seafood and have time for sit-down service at IAH, I’d recommend Pappadeaux. The food is good and the service is good – just expect to pay a few extra dollars than planned.
Every trip to the Outer Banks for the Husband and I generally requires a trip to the Outer Banks Brewing Station. If you’ve been reading our blog since the beginning, you know it’s one of our favorite spots to go with family and friends while at the beach. We had our rehearsal dinner there (we got married in Manteo) and we’ve had some great meals and beers. At Outer Banks Brewing Station, they brew their own fabulous beers on site and the menu, both beer and food, changes seasonally. While our week sped by at the beach, we were able to pop in for lunch on Saturday with those still left in town. (We actually had tried to stop by earlier in the week but learned that during the offseason they’re open for lunch only on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday).
When driving down Croatan Highway, two things help identify the brewery/restaurant: the red silo near the street and the wind turbine high above. The Outer Banks Brewing Station was the first wind powered brewery in the country, with its installation a few short weeks after the Husband and I were married!
Once seated, we all jumped on the beer menu to see what favorites were still around and what new ones were available to try. The Husband and our friend Jeff ordered (left to right) the Conquest IPA and the Standard Issue Pale Ale. Both were excellent.
I ordered the Dog House Tripel which came in a 9oz sifter and it was fabulous. Smooth, complex and creamy – just as the menu described.
The Husband and I had not had any breakfast since we were busy moving out of the group beach house that morning so we were ravenous when we arrived. We each ordered our favorite appetizer immediately while we continued to look at the menu. He ordered the hushpuppies (as good as ever!)…
… and I ordered the fried okra (I <3 okra).
The lunch menu is limited to appetizers, salads, soups, sandwiches and some steamers so I had a bit of a difficult time trying to decide what to order (there are a lot of entrees I really like but they’re only available for dinner). I settled on the North Carolina Pork BBQ Sandwich from Hardison’s Barbecue in Jamesville. It was served with hushpuppies, sweet baked beans and cole slaw. I thought the baked beans were excellent but wasn’t too impressed with the sandwich this time around.
I had a faint memory of enjoying the side dish of macaroni and cheese and decided to order it as well. Unfortunately, looking back at old posts, they have changed this menu item. Previously it was a thick and creamy truffled mac n cheese. This dish on the other hand was macaroni and very watery yellow sauce that barely tasted like cheese. I’m not sure what went wrong here but I only had a few bites before pushing it away 
The Husband ordered the Yard Bird sandwich which was a fried chicken breast with cilantro lime aioli with potato wedges on the side. The Husband really enjoyed his sandwich and I snuck a few of his potato wedges that were top notch.
The Husband’s father and our friend Jeff each got the Cuban sandwich and appeared to enjoy them.
Overall, we love the OBBS. While my meal was lackluster, everyone else enjoyed their food and the beers are always fabulous. Can’t wait till the next time we’re back in town!
Feel free to check out our other blogging experiences at OBBS!
