Meet me at the corner of Best Burger Ever

For months (cripes, maybe it’s been a year) my Uncle Bob has been telling me to get myself to the Corner Club Tavern for what he swears is “the best burger in town.”

His words stewed around in my melon, but every time I drove past the place on the corner of Park & Trent, I just sort of thought, “Meh. Next time.”

Shame on me for not listening to my elders. And for depriving myself of what is quite possibly “the best burger in town” for so long.

My pal, Michelle, and I decided it was time to put Uncle Bob’s words to the test, so we dropped in one night after work. I’ll warn you up front – the place isn’t much to look at from the outside … typical Spokane Valley working-class joint, within earshot of the train tracks. The inside? It’s dark and a little dated. But the friendly crowd of blue collar dudes and the ladies who love doesn’t seem to mind.

In fact, this kind of place is, quite possibly, my favorite kind of place. There’s nothing bright and shiny to blur your vision of what really matters – the people, the food and the refreshing beverages set before you at regular intervals.  OK, wait, that’s not entirely true – there are a few large flatscreens here that cause momentary flashes of distraction. Other than that, all attention is focused on the task at hand – eating, drinking and chatting up whoever happens to sit down next to you.

We gave the menu a perfunctory once-over, but we both knew why we’d come — the infamous Cheeseburger, with bacon on top for good measure.  Mike, the friendly guy holding down the fort the night we stopped in, cooked up a perfect burger – a tidge pink in the center and juicy enough to justify an extra napkin. The soft fresh bun was serious enough to hold all this goodness without taking up too much space in my belly. Which was a blessing, because, the plate was absolutely smothered by a heap of golden crinkle cuts. I ate every single one. Yes, yes, I did.

So maybe you’re sick of taking my word for it, because, let’s face it, I play favorites quite fickle-ly (how can I not with all the delectable offerings to be had in our fair city?!?). But Uncle Bob’s tastes are not so capricious as mine. And this guy’s got a whole extra generation of eating under his belt – so just this once, take his word for it.    

You'll find the Corner Club at the corner of Trent & Park, in Spokane Valley.