Teacher love at Kidd Valley

It's hard to be a non-meat-eater in a meat-loving family, so I'm always looking for options that we'll all like. Since I also try not to eat fried foods (i.e., the fish sandwich is usually not a good option for me), it can be difficult in an on-the-run situation to find anything that I want to eat. My favorite fast-food place in Wallingford is Kidd Valley for one reason: It serves genuine, original-style Garden Burger-brand garden burgers, which I find infinitely superior to the dreaded Boca burgers, and most other veggie or black bean burgers. Kidd Valley's hamburgers, fries, and onion rings are also Oscar- and Chris-approved, and their shakes -- hand-mixed with seasonal fruit, chocolate, or vanilla -- are reknowned.

Since it's spring break week here in Seattle, it's an excellent time to visit Kidd Valley with the kids, and while you're there, make sure you have them nominate their favorite Washington teacher for Kidd Valley Teacher of the Year. (Entries must be received by May 20, and you can also enter online, mail them in, or submit them at any Kidd Valley restaurant.) The winning teacher will get a $500 gift card for school supplies, and the student who nominated him or her will get a Kidd Valley Burger Party. My kid hates to write, and especially hates essays, but evidently he really loves his Japanese teacher because he immediately took an entry form -- unprompted -- and filled it out, including specific examples of why his teacher is the best. Good luck, Ms. McDonald!

Le Rêve Bakery & Cafe

My lovely friend Christina read my post about Cafe Besalu and urged me to try her favorite pastry shop in Queen Anne, Le Rêve Bakery & Cafe. Well, you don't exactly have to twist my arm to get me to try a new eating spot, so we went together today! The cafe's name translates as "The Dream," and it's super cute, with a glass case full of tempting baked goods. But it was lunchtime, so we held off on the sweets and opted for soup. I had a mug of cream of broccoli and it was absolutely delicious, with flavorful florets and little squares of potato. I also had a caprese sandwich, but next time I'll just get a big bowl of soup. Plus, when you get the bowl of soup (as opposed to the mug) it comes with monkey bread -- not the kind with cinnamon, but a fluffy roll laced with a savory cheese.

I was totally full after that, but left with a huge, buttery twice-baked almond croissant, which I think is Le Rêve's most popular pastry. I ate more of it than I intended to -- but to my credit, I gave at least half of it to Oscar. Dangerous!

Online reviews lead me to believe that Le Rêve gets packed on the weekends, but we had no trouble getting a seat. I noticed some thoughtful touches, like both glasses and plastic cups for the kiddies near the water carafes. There's even outdoor seating. As a matter of fact, the whole Queen Anne neighborhood looks charming, so I definitely need to do more exploring here. Until next time, I'll be dreaming of the coconut cake that I didn't get to taste. Yet.