Big dogs and little pups dig Lazy Dog

John Volo

On a recent Sunday, our family headed to the Lazy Dog Cafe for an

early lunch. We’ve been big fans of the Lazy Dog since it opened,

based on its ability to combine great adult fare with kid-pleasing

cuisine. We settled into a booth and the kids began drawing with the

crayons and paper provided.

The Lazy Dog has a wide-open floor plan accentuated by high

ceilings and colorful lighting. The chefs peer out at diners from

behind the exhibition kitchen. Lest we forget this is the Lazy Dog,

there’s a huge mural of a beagle staring out at you, left of the

kitchen.

After receiving our lemonades (the sugar-rimmed adult glasses are

a nice touch) we requested more time to survey the 60-item-plus menu.

On previous visits, we’ve enjoyed Mom’s chicken pot pie, Bahama

chicken, fettuccine Alfredo, even their grilled cheese sandwich. The

Lazy Dog offers everything from pizza and pasta to steak and seafood,

not to mention a choice of nine salads.

Children 8 and younger can order from the “Puppy Dog” menu. For

only $3.95, your meal includes a drink (in a plastic cup with lid)

and special dessert. My youngest son went for the chicken fingers

with fries. Three big chicken tenders come in a basket with salted,

skin-on fries. Just add ketchup and he’s in heaven. Parents whose

kids are not fruit-averse (as mine are) can substitute a

pineapple-orange-strawberry medley for fries. Other offerings include

such kids staples as grilled cheese, macaroni n’ cheese, and

spaghetti.

My oldest son decided on the build-your-own pizza from the “Big

Dog” (12 and younger) menu. This is a cool concept: child stays busy

at table making pizza. Adults converse uninterrupted. Verrrry cool!

The dough is thinly rolled out and lightly dusted with tomato sauce.

Kids get to cover it with cheese and top it with pepperoni,

pineapple, or cherry (go figure) as they wish. The pizza returned to

the table, fully cooked, with our other entrees. My son wasted no

time devouring his tasty creation.

Much like children can customize their pizza, adults can customize

their own Wok platter. Wok platters are an innovative menu item that

let you first choose your protein, be it chicken, calamari, beef,

shrimp, or tofu. Next, you choose your sauce: kung pao (spicy),

orange peel, teriyaki, or sweet and spicy (mostly spicy). All dishes

are served with steamed white rice. I opted for the kung pao chicken

sans peppers and onions. When the food expediters (funny how

“expediters” serve, while “servers” supervise) placed our food on the

table, I realized my plate mistakenly contained peppers and onions.

When I looked up to inform the expediters, they were gone. Somehow

they had vanished, ninja-like. There was never an “is everything OK?”

conversation. No “will you be needing anything else?”. Poof. Gone.

Anyway, I located our server, who apologized for the snafu.

Minutes later the manager delivered a new plate. The Hershey

Kiss-size pieces of chicken come sprinkled with peanut crumbs and are

spicy hot without being overpowering. The rice was perfectly steamed.

Fantastic meal.

My wife’s entree was fabulous. J.R.’s smothered chicken is a

grilled boneless breast of chicken smothered in melted mozzarella and

topped with mushrooms. The mozzarella subdues the smoky flavor of the

grilled chicken while perfectly complementing the mushrooms. A great

combination. It’s served with mashed potatoes that are smooth and

light (we, however, prefer lots of lumps in our mashed potatoes).

Confetti veggies round out the plate. Good stuff -- thinly sliced

carrots, zucchini and yellow squash masquerading as angel hair pasta.

The kids’ special dessert is a long licorice string and a cup of

fruit loops. While the boys were busy simultaneously making/eating a

fruit loop necklace, my wife and I were thoroughly enjoying a warm

apple crisp with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Four people could

easily share this three-inch deep dessert served in a crock . On the

way out, the boys grabbed a handful of the doggy bone-shaped mints.

As we walked to the car, all of us completely satisfied, I was

thankful there’s a restaurant, without a drive-through, that the boys

look forward to visiting.