Sometimes, this $20 date night budget is hard to do.
Usually, we have plenty of choices for discounts, but we didn’t last week in the University District, Seattle.
I spent a few hours combing through places, checking menu prices, reading Yelp reviews. Finally, I called Hubby and we picked a spot.
Agua Verde Cafe & Paddle Club is situated right on the edge of the University of Washington campus on the Ship Canal.
When we pulled into the gravel parking lot across the street, I was a little unsure if this place was going to work for us. It looked small, kind of like a beach shack.
But as we walked in, spicy aromas and festive Mexican colors welcomed us, and table after table showed us there was plenty of room. I was hypnotized.
A smiling young Hispanic woman welcomed us, and took us a to a table immediately. Hubby asked for a spot on the balcony outside. She gave us a private corner looking out toward Portage Bay. We had a full view of the water, anchored yachts and rows and rows of kayaks (Agua Verde rents them by the hour).
The outdoor seating area was full with groups of people feasting on huge plates of Mexican food and having a good time. We were thankful for the opportunity to grab the last bit of the day’s sunshine.
“We gotta come back here and rent a kayak!” Hubby was energized looking out at the kayaks, just waiting for someone to try them out.
After surveying our surroundings, we scoured the menu for options that would fill us up, but not put us over our $20 budget. We had to be careful, because we did not have a coupon for this place. We didn’t want another $45 disaster like we had a few months ago in Mukilteo.
I wanted to get a taco salad, or burrito, but Hubby convinced me to split a plate of nachos with him. I was worried it wouldn’t be enough, but Hubby is very persuasive. So, I agreed.
We ordered the nachos Agua Verde plate on the appetizer menu, with chicken added (an extra few dollars) and two unsweetened black iced teas ($1.75 each!).
Hubby ended up being right on the money, literally. The nachos platter was huge and piled high with organic corn tortilla chips, cheese, tons of jalapeno, spicy chicken and cactus. I had never had cactus before, but it was fun to try and I would definitely eat it again.
By the time our plate was cleared, we both were full.
As we sat and waited for the bill, a mid-sized yacht, followed a by a huge riverboat, meandered by on the waterway in front of us.
Hubby jumped up and snapped a picture. Domingo, our waiter, came by and stood next to Hubby and watched it roll by along with him. The riverboat looked just like the old Mississippi Riverboats and said “Queen of Seattle” on the front.
“How often does that boat come by?” Hubby asked Domingo.
“Like, only once a year.” He said.
We also noticed the yacht had a wedding party on it.
