I think we may be on to something here.

In an effort to get my husband to own part of the planning process…Okay, that sounds a little intimidating, [I’d settle for him making dinner reservations without a direct commandment from me…] I no longer dream of the trip planned by my husband and given to me as a surprise.  I’d settle for dinner reservations.

My blogging partner and friend, Lee and I, devised a challenge.  Our husbands think it’s about Burgers, but we know better.  It’s really about tricking our husbands into planning something.  So, our Secret training for Husbands:  The Great Burger Challenge was born.

Last Saturday was our first “Burger Challenge”.  Lee’s first “Burger Challenge” will be in May.

The Burger Challenge Review:  Week #1

I have to tell you first, the beauty of planning!  Normally, when we wake up on Saturday morning, the conversation with my husband goes a little like this…”So, what do you want to do today?”  After, what seems like an endless struggle between two people committed to not saying first what they want to do, we eventually come up with something.  Last Saturday was different, we both woke up with a purpose.  Kudos to Eater.com for supplying the list of “must try” burgers!  P.S.  They (Eater.com) are also responsible for next Saturday’s Dinner…but that’s another list and another post.  Would it be too much to say Eater.com are better than couples therapy?  No.

Our first stop for the day was Fresh Market – they have Coconut Coffee Beans there that I absolutely love.  It makes the smoothest coffee I’ve ever tasted – it’s not sweet by any stretch of the imagination….I hate sweet coffee.  The best part?  It’s my favorite coffee, but it was my husbands idea!

After a few necessary errands we were on our way.

The neighborhood this restaurant is in has been on my list of places to check out for two years before we actually moved here to Atlanta, so I’ve been itching to get over there.  It’s an older established part of Atlanta with Beautiful Old Houses that don’t look like they were pressed out of cookie cutters, huge beautiful mature trees, and quirky boutiques.  I loved it the minute we arrived.

Yeah Burger!  This place has great outside seating and even if you get stuck inside, it’s airy, open and great people watching.  Being from the North, the fact that we could enjoy outside seating on the patio in April has nothing to do with Yeah Burger, but it was a huge bonus!  The staff there (as we’re finding within most of Atlanta) was extremely friendly and willing to explain to newbies how the system works.  It wasn’t filled with hipsters, but I must admit to feeling like we were really part of the hip crowd just being there.

This is where we find “The Burger Challenge” to be much more than burgers…it’s truly an experience…An experience both my husband and I can share with equal enthusiasm.

The Menu. Clean and easy to read, but interesting.   I’m sorry, but in my mid life I have grown weary of the “storied menu”….I don’t want to read a novel, I just want to know about what I’ll be eating.

The Burger:  My resolve was to try something other than the same burger I’d normally get every where else.   When I find something I like I tend to stick to that….That’s why I have the same shirt in every color in my closet….Jeans too.  So I got the “Burger of the month”.

Fig Jam with Goat Cheese on an incredibly fresh hamburger and a whole wheat bun that provided not only a great wrapper for a great burger, but a most excellent bun to meat ratio. In short, it was AMAZING….This…THIS is the experience we were both hoping for.

My husband sampled my burger and liked it very much.  Normally, Mr. Vanilla likes what he normally gets too, but we were both out for an adventure….not just a burger.  He got the “Yeah Burger” and I’ve got to tell you that was one of the best burgers I’ve ever had.

Because this was “An Experience” and not just a quick bite with no planning, we had lots to talk about during our dinner….not the usual, “So how’s work?” type of conversation.

The Sides:  Of course we went for the 50/50….That’s half onion rings half french fries.  They were beautifully done…not greasy and not too bready.  My favorite, however, were the Crispy Brussels Sprouts, served with locally made Capra Gia Goat Cheese.  I’d stop at Yeah Burger just for the Sprouts!

We finished off our day with a trip to a little french pastry shop in our own neighborhood and took some fabulous desserts home for our nighttime treat.  My husband looked at me at the end of the day and said, “that was great…We should probably do that more than once a month!”  For me, what a difference it makes to have someone else two people pulling the planning sled!

Scoring:

Trained Husband Planning:  

Menu:  

Burger: …

Gastronomic Adventure:  

Accouterments:  

Staff:  

Likely to Revisit:  ….