I can be judgmental and I think admitting it is the first step to fixing it.

My judgmental behavior doesn’t pertain to people like you would think, but cities. To be specific, when it comes to restaurants, I often judge them based on their location. Yep, I’m that person who would do a song and dance like I’m Beyonce to eat at an restaurant in Beverly Hills, and wouldn’t even mumble Rick Astley’s greatest hit to eat at one in Santa Fe Springs. I’ll say what you’re thinking, I’m an occasional asshole, but I am honestly working on it. I had to stop myself recently when I was invited to Lazy Dog Restaurant in Downey and I could feel my initial thought creeping in. “Um, Downey, why bother?” While I did say that I had to come to the reality that the least I could do was give the restaurant an honest try. And who knows, it could be such a beautiful surprise for me to eat my own words.

It didn’t take long for me to do just that.

In the outdoor seating area of the restaurant was where Lazy Dog would make me realize just how wrong I was. It didn’t take long whatsoever as I started with the drinks and the food which arrived shortly after. I kicked it all off with the Jamaican Lemonade ($3.75). A beautifully layered drink was comprised of fresh orange juice, pineapple juice, pomegranate juice, agave, soda, a lime slice, and a tiny baster filled with coconut milk. I wanted to try this out of pure bias in that the first word of the drink is the island of my people. Does that make me easy to please, sure but I’m fine with that. Reading all the ingredients made me eager to discover whether it would be a hit or miss. A swirl of the straw mixing it all together and it was clear it was a home run. While there were a ton of flavors that could aggressively compete with one another, the drink was the complete opposite. It was like they were high school friends coming together after being away for so long: “Oh my gosh, Sharon, is that you??” At least that’s how it felt when I drank it. Not too sweet, and free from being too tart it was easily a favorite of mine on the first try. The pineapple sparked through as the coconut milk added a bit of tranquility that made it all taste so refreshing that I couldn’t help but look at the near empty glass and wish for just a bit more. It was ok though, I had a beer nearby to take its place.

The Huckleberry Haze IPA ($6.25 for 16oz, 8.25 for 22oz) was a limited time Lazy Dog and Golden Road Brewing collaboration. The pairing brought forth a simple India pale ale with sprightly notes of strawberry, huckleberry, tropical fruit, and citrus. Sip after sip, I adored how this beer flowed with such a calm smoothness in the beginning with bits of citrus flavors to follow. The fruity notes altogether were something like a dance at a family reunion. But the kind of reunion where everyone knows the choreography and is on beat. Yeah, it’s smooth and perfect like that.

In between the drinks came a few items from the restaurant’s “Beer and Bites” seasonal menu. The first of three plates to the table were the Chili Peanut Wings ($12.95). A handful of delightful wings were caramelized in pineapple juice along with fish sauce, lime, jalapeños, garlic ginger, chili flakes, sesame seeds, crushed peanuts, and cilantro. I loved just how smooth the wings were and that they came with a causal level of spice that kicked in throughout. Even more, they weren’t overly fried and obnoxiously crispy that an otolaryngologist would suggest ear plugs. To prevent you from googling like I did, it’s an ear doctor. Instead the quiet wings came with a gentle flavor and a low degree of stickiness that would linger across your taste buds even after you clean the bone. If you’re like me and you didn’t get enough off of the first bite, don’t worry you have seven more in the plate. Dive in mouth first.

Putting the wings to the side, I then jumped to the Mini Corn Dogs ($6.95). They were Nathan’s natural all beef hot dogs, dipped in corn batter, fried to order and served with the Lazy Dog Liquid Blanket IPA mustard and ketchup. I assumed these would be ordinary and something that could be easily forgotten, but I was pleasantly surprised to find out they weren’t. The tepee presentation of the quaint dogs were nicely battered and not overdone while the plump meat enveloped within it was juicy and flavored so well. Oscar Mayer? Nope not here guys it’s Nathan’s — the cooler friend you’ll soon fall in love with. My bad, Oscar.

The last item from the seasonal menu was the Grilled Artichokes ($9.95). Four artichoke halves were steamed with lemon and fresh herbs then charred on the grill and paired with a roasted garlic tahini sauce. Unassuming, quiet, and patient, the artichokes were the ones who waited in their tray as I devoured the plates that preceded it. But although they weren’t as captivating as the two before them, they were still beautiful and charming in their presentation. Not to be outshined by the other dishes that surrounded them, the artichokes were delicious from start to finish and held their own without regard for being overlooked. A squeeze of the fresh lemon, spread of butter, a dip into the creamy sauce, and continued scrapes across my teeth gave way to a series of artichokes that were delightful yet underplayed. These are ideal for the person who has the energy to repeat the aforementioned steps over and over, but I on the other hand wanted to dip an entire half in at once to enjoy it altogether and quickly. I didn’t because I knew that would look bad, but I definitely thought the hell out of it.

Twice.

At this point, day became night and the main plates arrived. The Bison Burger ($14.95, with your choice of a side) was an all-natural Durham Ranch grass-raised Wyoming bison, harvarti, caramelized onions, bacon jam, field greens, tomatoes, and mayonnaise. I was excited to try this burger based on the restaurants own Chef Shane’s recommendation. It seemed like a perfect hybrid of components that would make a traditional burger jealous. Biting into and I thought, “Yeah you other burgers on the menu should be shaking in your buns.” I’m not even going to ask if that was corny because I know it was. My havarti cheesiness aside, I thought this was such a creative burger for Lazy Dog to include on the list of burger options. The patty was tender and rich in flavor, the bun was soft and pillow-like, and the addition of bacon and cheese pulled it all in to a way that made it hard for me to take my hands away from it all. At a point I had to because I had bison juice all over my face, but until the napkin grazed my lips, cheeks, and sure part of my nose it was all hands on deck.

Ok and forehead too but only a little tiny bit!

The side I went with were the Umami French Fries ($1 extra for the umami style). Although I liked the nicely seasoned fries, I wasn’t the biggest cheerleader for the umami sauce drizzled over them. The sauce was a tad too heavy in its mayo base. Instead I made my way under the top layer for those not touched by the sauce and enjoyed them better than their counterparts.

The final plate to the epic dinner was the BBQ Bison Meatloaf ($17.95). The dish took all natural Durham Ranch grass-raised Wyoming bison, wrapped it in smoked bacon and served it with a red skin potato mash, sautéed spinach, and haystack onions. By the name alone I wouldn’t have ordered this because a meatloaf isn’t something I would give a second thought. However, based on the narrative the waitress Kirsten gave when gushing about it made me raise my eyebrows. “It’s better than my mother’s!” she exclaimed. Maybe I wasn’t supposed to include that sentence on the off shot that Kirsten’s mother is reading this, but once I tried it for myself I had to agree, it was pretty great. Sorry Kirsten’s mom.

Routing it to something in particular I want to say it’s the mashed potatoes are so thick they could be stuffing in my pillows. That may sound odd, but when you have a late night craving in bed, pull some of that potato pillow stuffing and you can thank me now. I really enjoyed the well-cooked veggies that don’t feel like you’re actually eating vegetables because they’re swimming in a pool of creamy sauce. But if I’m being honest what made the meatloaf so memorable is the fact that it was wrapped in bacon and topped with a sweet BBQ sauce. Yeah that had to be it because each time I went in for another forkful, that was the part that made my eyes roll with elation. Kirsten, you did great with this suggestion and chef Shane you made it perfect.

Plate after plate and the two drinks in between made me really regret how judgmental I was prior to visiting Lazy Dog in Downey. I already knew it was bad to have a preconceived notion of a city based on its location, but I did it anyway. I can honestly say that after visiting Lazy Dog, the restaurant might be the number one reason I continue to visit the city time and time again. Why? Because they made me eat my words and it tasted pretty good.

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Address: 8800 Apollo Way, Downey, CA 90242
Phone: (562) 354-4910
Hours: Sunday – 9:00am to Midnight, Monday to Friday – 11:00am to Midnight, and Saturday – 10:00am to Midnight.
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