Valentine's Day at the White Castle: tea, tablecloths, and sliders by candlelight

After spending the first week of February visiting Denver, highlighted by a trip to the Brown Palace, we continued on our royal theme by spending the next week, Valentine's Day, at a castle - the White Castle, home of the Slider.

According to its website, White Castle is America's first hamburger fast food chain. It came onto the scene almost twenty years after the Brown Palace, opening its first diner in 1921. But, it too is rich in history and, although not typically singled out for it's lavish decor, that all changes on February 14th.

For the last 21 years, White Castle has gone all out for the night of romance with reserved seating, wait staff, candlelight, flowers and tablecloths.

I told my husband I had made reservations for Tuesday's 6:00 seating. He accepted, and with barely any trepidation.

I will readily admit, we had a great time, and I plan to go back next year. The staff was courteous and attentive and I was truly impressed with how shiny clean the dining room was. Tablecloths were on every table with Valentine's Day decorations throughout the room. We were quickly seated and given a "goodie bag" filled with candy, pink fortune cookies and a souvenir clear plastic heart inscribed with "White Castle, February 14, 2012" as commemorative of this special evening.

Reverse sticker shock came when our menus, specially printed for the day, were presented. Nothing listed on the left side of the menu was over $3.00 and on the left, even the snack meals were barely double that. The only two high ticket items were the exclusive Valentine's offers: the "Sweetheart Special" for $14.98 and the "Group Hug" for $23.88, which are meant to feed up to three to four people, respectively. So, even at those prices, they are a heartwarming bargain.

A complimentary dessert was served after our sliders, fries and iced-tea. Already packaged and clearly labeled, we finished our meal with a fudge dipped cheesecake . . . on a stick! It was short, sweet and tasty - like our romantic evening at the self-proclaimed "Love Castle".

Just before we left, the hostess took our picture which will be posted in a few weeks on the "Hot and Steamy" Valentine's Day promotion page of White Castle's website. It will provide yet another opportunity to relive the magic of the majestic fortress just minutes from home.

I think a new Valentine's Day tradition has begun!