Cross the bridge for good times at this beachfront hot spot.

With the weather dominating both sides of Lake Washington, requiring all those living in Seattle proper and abroad to test our sense of humor and backbones in this grey winter, it’s nice to see an eatery like the Beach Café in Kirkland having a bit of fun.

Their mid-winter jest comes in the form of two specialty happy hour specials that they’ll be rolling out through April, and understanding the frustrations of the average commuter, have aptly priced the drink offerings at $5.20 in lament of both past and very present traffic frustrations.

Must-Have Libations: The first savior for the end of day is named the Good to Go Cosmo, founded with the traditional cosmo base of Absolut Mandarin, but then stepped up with muddled basil and lime that is then shaken with Veev (an Acai based spirit), and Pama Pomegranate liquer.

The second is an American favorite, where the Beach Café will supply us with not only drink, but food, in a combination of their tap run and a freshly made pretzel with signature cheese sauce.  The Bumper to Bumper is the utmost in cold weather comfort offerings with beer choices like Mac and Jacks, Mannys, and constantly rotating handles of local IPA’s, Hefeweizen, Stouts, and Porters.

The rest of the menu is no sluff either with three signature cocktails at $8 or less, and the house glass of red or white at $5.

Must-Have Grub: Highlights from the food offerings are house chowder ($6/$4), the mini-burger with bacon-onion jam ($3 each and bacon-anything jam is one of my new favorite toppings), and a caprese salad that is sure to leave you feeling light as an early summer day at $8.

Happy Times:  Daily from 4 to 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. to close.

Beach  Café |1170 Carillon Point, Kirkland | (425) 889-0303