I’m a real stickler for correct spelling. I’ve been teaching English to foreign students on and off for many years now and I just cannot help myself from correcting everyone’s spelling – pronunciation and grammar too for that matter.
However, I do take pride in the fact that I am the “go to” person in my family for spelling-related questions.
As we speak, my sister and I are in a heated exchange of words with friends on my iPad. It is now tie score with only 15 tiles left! Really, is “yaw” a word? Enough digressing! So after driving past Couzin’s Cafe on the south side of 85th St. between 128th and 131st Ave., I was both irked and intrigued!
After all, everyone knows that cousin is spelled with an ‘s’ and not a ‘z!’ Don’t get me wrong, the letter ‘z’ does have a place in this world: in a zoo, on a zipper, and when you are checking out your friend’s house on Zillow.
Luckily, this did not deter me from going straight home to search online for Couzin’s Cafe! Four solid stars … 87 reviews … breakfast anytime … AND … within walking distance from my house. This restaurant is a must-try!
So I gathered up family members, my sister included (as we are still on speaking terms) and off we went to Couzin’s Cafe. We were all in breakfast heaven!
I met with Greg Waham, the chef/owner of Couzin’s Cafe at 10 a.m. on a Friday morning. His restaurant was packed but he still graciously took the time to sit down and talk with me.
My first question was, of course, about his choice of restaurant name. Very simply, for Greg, it is all about family. Inside, above the front door, is a plaque that reads, “Family Gathers Here.”
Greg wants his customers to feel like family and he is fortunate enough to have his wonderful children, Danielle, Victoria, George, Will, and various nieces and nephews – his children’s “cousins” – all working at the restaurant at one time or another. Along with his other team members, they all work hard to make the customers feel at home and to give them a true home-cooked meal in a very warm and inviting atmosphere.
The menu is chef-inspired and induces what my husband refers to as “order anxiety.” All the selections are Greg’s favorite recipes and all sound delicious!
His omelettes are fluffy and loaded with fresh ingredients. The eggs over-easy are cooked to perfection. Yelpers already know the hash browns are bronzed and crunchy on the outside and warm and steamy on the inside.
Greg offers a variety of breads, but the honey whole wheat deserves special attention. Greg asked Franz Bakeries to make the old Gai’s recipe for their honey whole wheat bread. Sliced thick and toasted – it is inspiring!
Greg, born and raised in Kirkland, has been in and out of the restaurant business for 25 years – he knows! Fresh squeezed juices and dairy products are locally sourced. His loyal customers keep coming back for his sour cream waffles, crepes, and sweet cream pancakes topped, if you want, with fruit compotes all made from scratch, not to mention the cinnamon rolls made in-house as well.
Definitely worth highlighting are his famous stuffed burgers (1/2 lb ground chuck) for lunch that sound amazing, and his new dinner selections ranging from turkey dinners to 14 oz. steaks to meatloaf, etc.
Eat at Couzin’s Cafe! You’ll find yourself wanting to come back!
Here’s the important stuff:
Go to Yelp.com and type in Couzin’s Cafe to print out a buy one entree get the second entree 50 percent off. Hours are 6 a.m.-3 p.m. Mon-Fri, 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Sat-Sun and dinner is served from 4-9 p.m. Wed-Sat. They are located at 12861 N.E. 85th St., Kirkland. Contact them at 425-822-8803.
Kirkland resident Victoria Martin welcomes reader feedback at martin.victoria917@gmail.com.
