Lazy Dog Café is enjoyable when it’s quiet

hbi-restaurant09TextPS291B1FRESTAURANT REVIEW

When I told my friends I had found a place we hadn’t eaten before, they were very excited. We dine out frequently and have a solid list of regular spots, but I thought we could try and put one in the rotation.

They are fairly adventurous eaters, but I had eaten at the Lazy Dog Café a month earlier and enjoyed the atmosphere and the food. I felt pretty confident in suggesting the place.

Plus, my friend mentioned having to go to Target, and the restaurant is in the same shopping center that is in an annexed part of Westminster with Huntington Beach surrounding it.

When I first went for lunch it was a Saturday afternoon and another friend and I had just finished working out. It was a great place to talk — quiet and relaxing.

It was shocking when we showed up Friday night, and the noise of the restaurant was extremely loud.

The acoustics bounce sound around the dining room and the connected bar, making table conversation difficult. It didn’t make it any better that we were sandwiched between two large parties at a table that was placed against a jagged rock column.

My guests were shouting and saying “what?” a lot and the evening was rather uncomfortable. It’s a Friday and it’s going to be crowded, but the noise was unbearable.

We ate as quickly as we could and retreated to the outside where the traffic of Beach Boulevard seemed like a whisper.

Though my second visit was not as pleasant as my first, it did not sway my opinion of the food, which is very good.

The menu is quirky with several surprises and the variety of food runs from simple to complex.

One of the simplest choices is the grilled garlic flatbread. The bread’s garlic flavor is apparent but not overpowering. It can be ordered by itself or comes with a trio of hummus dips that also includes vegetables.

An interesting appetizer is the walnut-crusted brie. This combination of rich French brie, candied walnuts and tamarind-mango chutney is outstanding.

The café has pizzas, hot dogs and hamburgers, but I would bypass those and try some of the more interesting entrees, like the breast of chicken marinated in Caribbean jerk seasonings served with an island fruit salsa, which includes mangos. It is easy to make jerk seasoning too spicy, thus killing any other taste with the dish. This was punchy, but didn’t knock you out.

The lamb stroganoff seemed intriguing but was a bit tasteless. It comes with a cream sauce that is rather bland. The lamb is braised, but if garlic and rosemary were added this could be a favorite dish at the restaurant.

My selection for lunch was a chicken focaccia sandwich. The Italian herb bread is perfect with the Gouda cheese, red onion, tomato and slice of red-leaf lettuce. The chicken is moist and the drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette is a nice touch.

There is more than enough on this menu to keep diners coming back. Just make sure it is at a time when conversation won’t get drowned out by the noise.