Date Night: Burgers and Fries on the Kirkland Waterfront

It seems like a rule that our date nights get spun on their head every so often. We plan to go somewhere and it ends up a.) the place is closed or relocated b.) The discount is not what we thought it was or c.) The restaurant is just...gone.

That's what happened last Saturday. We had planned to go to a sandwich shop and bring our meals down by the waterfront to enjoy. Hubby was following Waze, (this GPS program he loves on his iPhone) and we ended up in a parking lot in Kirkland.

"Where did it go?" He hates an unsolved problem. I grabbed my phone and googled the restaurant.

"Uh-oh. It says it's closed."

"Ah man!" Hubby was disappointed and we were stuck in a parking lot in Kirkland, not where we wanted to be on date night.

So, we took a few minutes and looked at our options. Both of us wanted something casual and affordable enough to allow for a tip for both dinner and dessert, since Hubby bought a $10 Living Social voucher for $5 at Chilly Wave in Juanita.

"Hey, what about Kidd Valley Burgers?"

"Perfect, let's do it." I said.

Just a few minutes drive down Lake Washington Boulevard and we were there.

A long time ago, in Portland, I had been in a Kidd Valley, but it's been awhile. We walked in to a busy place, though there was only one person in line ahead of us. We were glad because that gave us a few minutes to decide what to order.

Stuart, the Assistant Manager, was behind the register. I noticed his name-tag was crooked and told him. He looked up at both of us with a serious face, flashed a smile and re-positioned his name-tag. I was impressed that he asked what we wanted with our burgers, and that he even offered to sub the usual sauce on my veggie burger for ketchup and mustard. Both of us usually remove fatty sauces and cheese from the menu to cut on calories. (We don't want all our hard work in the gym to be for nothing.) Stuart reviewed our orders and was quick and focused, even as a dozen people trickled in behind us in line.

"This seems like a fun place to work," Hubby said.

"You can't beat the view," Stuart smiled again and thanked us for coming. I liked him; he put a friendly face on the Kidd Valley name.

We grabbed one of the few seats left, right across from the wall of awards. Check them out. I guess these guys know their burgers.

Hubby was amused that someone in line had a ukulele, and tried to get him in the picture.

Our food was ready in five minutes. Just as I reached to grab my neatly wrapped-in-foil burger, and sweet potato fries Hubby blocked my hand.

(to read the rest of this post, go to http://20dollardatenight.net/giant-burgers-and-chilly-dessert-on-the-kirkland-waterfront/)