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Home » Culinary Connection
Culinary Connection
High Energy at the New Lazy Dog Café
By Gerry Furth-Sides
Tooling around Hillcrest Drive at the Oaks shopping center, even without the many street signs to direct you, it's easy to spot the new Lazy Dog Café's pretty, organic rock and wood free-standing building. Out front is a comfortable little patio with Adirondack chairs and a custom fire-pit.
And it's hard to miss a gaggle of people waiting outside at mealtime. Many of them have their dogs on a leash.
That's one way to know that the Lazy Dog Café would have good substantial food, good prices and be a lot of fun. Another is because the café was created by the same Simms' family responsible for Mimi's Cafés. Lazy Dog Cafes differ in their higher casual dining level, wood oven for pizzas and full bar with a long list of wines and beers (16 draft) plus many specialty drinks.
Restaurant veteran Thomas Simms, founder of Mimi's, and his entrepreneurial son, Chris, joined forces on this venture. Add to this successful mix, Chef-partner, Gabriel Caliendo, from his Executive Sous Chef post at the Laguna Ritz Carlton. It follows the current trend of high-end dining room chefs creating casual food menus.
Chris told us that the Lazy Dog name just "sort of happened. I grew up with dogs and they are so welcoming and loving and happy to see us… and that describes the concept we were aiming for. In other words: Sit. Stay. Play. "
And it's impossible not to laugh at the doggies sizing up each other or knowing on a bone under the table on the outside patio. Lazy dog staffers provide each doggie guest with a box of water and a bone when they have it.
Dogs are not allowed inside. There the spiffy airy, two-story beamed interior has warm colors and ledge-stone fireplaces. Crowds reach the maximum 275 or so on week-ends with everyone ranging from kids and 20-somethings to empty-nesters and seniors.
"We tried to create a good quality family restaurant because there are not a lot of them there now," explains Chris. "We're a very social restaurant but you can still be comfortable coming in shorts and a t-shirt or you can dress up.
"Last week I was so happy to walk through the restaurant and see a senior couple all dressed up celebrating their anniversary, a teen-age get together and a birthday party with a dozen five-year-olds in their little princess tiaras. "
Lazy dog cafés are already known for its great food and reasonable prices for favorites are their tortilla soup, wok dishes, and salads, says Huntington Beach green maven, Victoria Alberty. "We stop there all the time."
One of the chef's own favorites is the Hawaiian Fried Rice, straight from the Gazebo Restaurant in Maui. A mound of fried rice with hickory-smoked bacon, pork sausage, cabbage and veggies is topped with an egg omelette (($7.95). It's on the Brunch menu but perfect for late night eating, too.
So is the Bacon Wrapped Coulotte Steak & Eggs ($12.95) Here the best part of the sirloin is wrapped in a thick slice of hickory-smoked bacon and served with a choice of two fresh eggs, toast and choice of fresh fruit or breakfast potatoes.
Other specialties include Wok-fired Calamari, the award-winning trio of Hummus Dips, Hickory-Hawaiian Ahi Poke and the classic braised lamb shank.
The Togarashi Edamame Beans have become a favorite (and we found even more tasty the next day after being refrigerated). Whole Soy Beans are wok-cooked with traditional Japanese spices. ($3.95). In the Shrimp Ceviche, Citrus-cured shrimp are marinated in a tangy and slightly spicy salsa of sweet bell peppers, red onions, cilantro and honey, and served with tortilla chips and guacamole ($6.95).
Crispy Mediterranean Pizzetti or "Mini Pizzas" are topped with roasted vegetables, caramelized onions, mushrooms, goat cheese, tomatoes, basil and balsamic reduction ($5.95).
New on the menu is a healthy chilled roasted vegetable and baby potato salad with summer squash, red onions, mushrooms and baby potatoes are roasted with sea salt and olive oil. Served chilled in a Charred Red Bell Pepper and Walnut-Pesto dressing atop a bed of baby spinach ($8.25 and $10.25)
"We're serious about food, but we don't take ourselves too seriously," says Chris.
Thus the operative word is fun, and it isn't only for kids and the build-you-own-sundae and pizzas. "Kids of all ages" love to order the banana split dessert - served, wouldn't you know- in a dog bowl.
Lazy Dog Café
172 West Hillcrest Drive
Thousand Oaks CA 91360
(805) 449-5206
www.lazydogcafe.com
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