Westside Reader June 16

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26 • THE Reader
June 2016
restaurant revieW
Lazy Dog Café: Sit, Stay, Play
Casual, fresh food with
consistent quality and
excellent service
By Michele E. Buttelman
Features and Entertainment Editor
Lazy Dog Café opened on the Patios at
the Westfield Valencia Town Center in
2009. While other restaurants have
come and gone throughout the Santa Clarita
Valley during the ensuing years, Lazy Dog remains
one of the most popular eateries in the
SCV.
The small chain, with only four locations
when it opened in the SCV, now has nearly 20
restaurants, not only in Southern California,
but also in Las Vegas and Texas.
Lazy Dog was founded by Chris Simms
whose father and grandfather founded
Mimi's Café. Simms grew up in SoCal but
spent many summers in the area around
Jackson Hole, Wy.
"I learned how to fly fish, ride horses and
most importantly, wait tables and cook," he
Try this starter: A trio of hummus dips, walnut-pesto,
sundried tomato and traditional hummus served
with garlic flatbread, sliced cucumbers and tomatoes
($9.25) with the Strawberry Citrus Soda ($3.25)
which is a refreshing non-alcoholic drink made with
strawberries, fresh squeezed lemon, orange and lime
juices with mint leaves and soda water.
said. "While washing dishes and cleaning
calamari weren’t the most glamorous jobs in
town, they gave me the opportunity to be
around my two loves, food and people."
As Simms worked his way up the ladder in
various restaurants he said he "learned the
value of small-town hospitality; actually caring
about your guest and their experience,
and then doing everything possible to make
them happy."
In the nearly seven years that Lazy Dog has
been serving great food in the SCV, and the
dozens of times I have eaten at the restaurant,
I can honestly say I've never been disappointed
by the food or the service.
Every restaurant has "down days" but I've
been impressed with the consistency evident
at Lazy Dog.
Perhaps my biggest complaint about Lazy
Dog is that they've replaced the lovely iceberg
lettuce wraps on the Chicken Lettuce Wraps
starter ($10.25) with Romaine lettuce. The
wraps, made with ground chicken breast,
water chestnuts, peanuts, carrots and green
onions and served with sweet sesame soy
sauce and Japanese cucumber salad was always
my favorite meal at Lazy Dog, even
though it is on the "starter" menu. But Ro-
Lazy Dog Café on the Patios at Westfield Valencia
Town Center is great place to "sit, stay, play."
maine lettuce just doesn't work for me, so
that menu item is no longer on my list of
"must haves."
However, showing what a classy operation
Lazy Dog truly is, when I was presented with
the offending Romaine my server was able to
convince the chef to scrounge up some iceberg
lettuce for me. I was warned, however,
that they could not guarantee the substitution
would be available in the future.
Burgers
What I really admire about Lazy Dog is the
extensive menu that offers a little something
for everyone.
I also really like the reasonable prices.
Want burgers? Lazy Dog has a burger for
every palate.
Are you a purist? Try the All-American
Burger with two charbroiled quarter-pound
beef patties layered with melted American
cheese and topped with shredded lettuce,
tomato, red onion, pickles and housemade
Bark + Bite sauce ($11.25) or the Cheeseburger
with a charbroiled half-pound beef
patty topped with your choice of cheese, lettuce,
tomato, pickle and red onion on a
brioche-style bun ($10.25).
If you like a "fancy" burger try one of these:
Avocado & Swiss Turkey Burger with a handformed
lean ground turkey patty, Swiss
cheese, avocado, mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato,
pickle, red onion and Dijon mustard on a
grilled multigrain whole wheat bun ($10.75);
Black & Bleu Burger with a charbroiled halfpound
beef patty seasoned with Cajun spices,
topped with bleu cheese, hickory-smoked
bacon, lettuce, tomato, pickle, red onion and
bleu cheese dressing on a brioche-style bun
($11.50); BBQ Ranch Bacon Cheeseburger
with a charbroiled half-pound beef patty
topped with hickory-smoked bacon, cheddar
cheese, chipotle ranch, lettuce, tomato, pickle
and red onion on a brioche-style bun
($11.25); Asian Ahi Tuna Burger with seared
Ahi Tuna, served medium-rare with Asian
slaw and wasabi dressing on a brioche-style
bun ($11.95) or the Baja California Burger
with a charbroiled half-pound beef patty
topped with guacamole, mild hatch chilies,
Maggie's Snake River is a sinful salad with hickory-smoked bacon, Laura Chenel goat cheese, dried cranberries,
tomatoes, candied walnuts and balsamic vinaigrette ($9.75).
jack cheese, a roasted jalapeno-lime aioli, lettuce,
tomato, pickle and red onion on a
brioche-style bun ($11.50).
Sandwiches
Want a sandwich? All sandwiches and
burgers come with your choice of coleslaw,
sweet corn salad or French fries.
My favorite is the Walnut Chicken Salad
Sandwich made with chopped chicken
breast, walnuts, dried cranberries, red onion,
lettuce, tomato, celery and light curry mayo
on multigrain whole wheat bread ($9.95).
Also on the sandwich menu are: Veggie
Lavash Sandwich with soft lavash filled with
layers of havarti cheese, sundried tomato
hummus, fresh cucumbers, tomatoes,
spinach, red onions, avocado and sliced
radish, drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette
($9.50) and the new Roasted Chicken &
Havarti sandwich with in-house roasted
chicken breast, sliced and layered with
havarti cheese, field greens, tomato, red
onion and mayo between warm focaccia,
drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette ($11.25).
Another of my sandwich favorites is the
Pot Roast Beef Dip with tender braised,
shredded pot roast served on a toasted
French baguette with melted mozzarella,
caramelized onions, horseradish cream sauce
and au jus on the side for dipping ($11.25)
and a decadent Grilled Cheese made with
Cheddar, Swiss, mozzarella and jack cheeses
melted between Parmesan sourdough
($9.50).
Also new on the menu is The House Club
with in-house roasted chicken breast, sliced
and stacked with smoked bacon, avocado, lettuce,
tomato and mayo between toasted sourdough
($11.50).
Two other sandwich favorites are the Carolina
Pulled Pork Sandwich with house
braised pork shoulder, tossed in housemade
BBQ sauce topped with bleu cheese coleslaw
and Cajun onion straws on a brioche-style
bun ($10.95) and the Sriracha Chicken Sandwich
which is a Lazy Dog version of a banh
mi sandwich that features grilled chicken
breast, crispy bacon, sriracha herb aioli sauce
and a cooling cucumber salad on a toasted
French baguette ($9.95).
Pizza and Pasta
Do you feel like pizza? Or do you prefer
pasta?
The "Pizza Oven" offers the new seasonal
Roasted Asparagus and Bacon Pizza ($14.25)
with roasted asparagus, bacon, creamy
housemade pesto, pine nuts, sweety drop
peppers, caramelized onions, feta and moz-
A decadent Grilled Cheese made with Cheddar, Swiss,
mozzarella and jack cheeses melted between Parmesan
sourdough ($9.50).
zarella cheeses joins the regular pizza menu
that includes: Margherita & Wild Arugula
Foldover ($12.95), housemade Pomodoro
tomato sauce, mozzarella and fresh basil,
baked in a brick oven and topped with a pile
of Wild Baby Arugula tossed in a light olive
oil and lemon vinaigrette; Housemade Fennel
Sausage ($12.95), housemade Pomodoro
tomato sauce, mozzarella, fennel sausage,
mushrooms, roasted red peppers, goat
cheese and fresh basil; Pepperoni, Red Onion
& Black Olives ($12.75), housemade Pomodoro
tomato sauce, topped with mozzarella,
cup and char pepperonis, black olives
and red onions; Three Cheese & Basil
($10.75, add pepperoni for an additional $2),
Parmesan, Romano and mozzarella cheeses,
housemade Pomodoro tomato sauce and
basil and Black And Bleu ($13.25) with Cajun
chicken breast, hickory-smoked bacon, mozzarella
cheese, caramelized onions, blue
cheese crumbles, fresh tomatoes and green
onions.
Pasta offerings include Spiral Pasta & Meat
Sauce ($13.95) with housemade meat sauce
with a touch of alfredo sauce; Fettuccine Alfredo
($10.75) tossed in parmesan cream
sauce, topped with parsley, add sautéed
chicken for $3.95 or add sautéed shrimp for
$4.50; Lemon-Caper Chicken ($11.75) features
sautéed chicken breast, vegetable ratatouille,
fresh spinach and spiral pasta all
tossed in our lemon-caper sauce, topped with
Romano cheese; Carbonara, ($14.25) pasta
tossed with bacon, sweet peas, garlic, Romano
cheese with chardonnay cream sauce,
topped with a poached egg and Sundried
Tomato Pesto Pasta ($14.25) with chicken
breast, mushrooms, broccoli and onions
tossed with spiral pasta in a sundried tomato
walnut-pesto cream sauce.
Comfort Food
Check out the Meat, Chicken, Fish Menu for