An awesome evening at Jak's in Issaquah

Everyone knows my favorite restaurant in the Seattle area is Jak's Grill in downtown Issaquah. Steaks that would make the Midwest proud.

Amy and I treated our neighbors Jon and Noelle to a night out last night. They will be moving to Germany in a couple of months, and after getting to know them the last three years we are going to miss them dearly. They have very similar values, personalities, and backgrounds as Amy and I, which is why we get along so well. So, before Jon ships out to Germany in three weeks we decided to take them out.

We got to Jak's at 5:30, and put our names in for an 1:45-2hr wait. As usual, we migrated two doors down to Room 38, and we able to enjoy a couple rounds before our table was ready at 7:15. No hockey on the big screen though, which is not unusual for Seattle.

We all partook in Jak's signature Saturday night special - Filet Oscar. A perfectly grilled-to-order Filet Mignon topped with fresh King Crab meat and an amazing Biarnaise sauce. It is what Amy usually orders, and, not wanting to trade in my man card just yet, I stick to a basic steak. Never disappointed in doing that, but this time wanted to give the Filet Oscar a whirl. So glad I did.

We all also opted for the UFO potatoes - a scoop of garlic mashed potatoes topped with a crispy, pan-fried, potato pancake. It's not even on the menu, but they'll serve it up if you ask for it. So ask for it.

Jak's even makes veggies taste good - last night I finished off my carrots and broccoli, much to Amy's surprise.

All that paired with a fine bottle of Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon made for a terrific meal. And better yet, great stories, tons of laughs, and I even helped some polluted drunk guy to his feet in the bathroom (no it wasn't Jon).

Afterward, Jon and I reluctantly opted for a slice of their homemade cheesecake, and weren't disappointed. The ladies opted for some after-dinner drink, but I wasn't paying too much attention (worried about my cheesecake dammit). No wonder I'm having trouble losing pounds even though I am exercising more.

So we ended up back home at 9:30 and relieved the babysitter, and spent the next two and half hours playing Rockband. Had to call it a night after our singer called it quits. :)

To top it all off they had Spencer spend the night with their kids, and the kids had fun. Garrett was invited to spend the night as well, but when he saw where he would be sleeping he turned to Amy and said "I seep in my bed mom?"

I am going to really miss our neighbors. Hopefully we can squeeze some more fun and memories in before they leave.