She Eats Lazy Dog

Lazy Dog has officially debuted their new Spring/Summer 2017 menu, and we enjoyed sampling many of the new menu items. We love original cocktails and naturally had to begin there.  After we got there, Dustin, one of the managers there, asked “are you drinking today?”  Without missing a beat, we replied “well, we sure want to be!”

We were excited to try the Peaches & Moonshine cocktail, because it sounded like a fun summer cocktail and you don’t se. It’s made with still house moonshine, sweet peaches, cranberry juice, Dekuyper Peach Schnapps, housemade ginger beer, mint.  Their is minimal moonshine flavor that stands out, but the cocktail finishes with a nice peach taste.

Next up was the Simms’ Cup, made with aviation American gin, Aperol, housemade ginger beer, lemon-ginger syrup, cucumber, soda, single ice cub, and lemon peel.  We got nice hints of lemon in this drink, and the ingredients worked well together.

We also tried the Strawberry Bourbon Shrub. I’m not typically a Bourbon fan, but why not. It’s made with Maker’s Mark, housemade summer shrub, mint, strawberries, peach nectar, and soda.  We both really enjoyed this drink.  While I would consider it moderately strong from a flavor perspective, the strawberry and mint notes really balanced out the Maker’s Mark.

I must say that my favorite of all of the cocktails was the new Watermelon Margarita. It’s the perfect Summer drink, not too sweet. It’s made with Milagro Silver Tequila, fresh muddled watermelon, and a salt rim.

We also sampled several of the new appetizer items, starting with the Grizzly fries. While seemingly simple potato wedges, these babies are kicked up with the house-made secret sauce, crispy bacon, fried sweets drop peppers, smoked paprika.  The secret sauce is what really makes this dish for me. It’s got Asian flavors to it that really give the fries an interesting and delicious flavor.

We demolished the Street Corn Wheels. I love good elote, and these were fantastic. The cobs are topped with a sweet cream fresco blend, baby cilantro, lime, and Tajin. They were fabulous.

We also tried the Queso Dip. It’s more than just a regular cup of queso, made with jack cheddar, queso blanco, pickled jalapeños, pimentos, cilantro, and black beans, and it’s served with hand-cut tortilla chips.  This was a unique and delicious queso, with a bit of a spicy kick.

We needed to balance out all of the carbs we were consuming, so we also tried the Ancient Grains & Roasted Veggie Salad. It’s a very refreshing and light blend of baby kale, feta, blasted heirloom tomatoes, charred sweet corn, topped with a lemon vinaigrette. This would pair nicely with a cocktail on the patio if you’re looking for a healthier option.

There are three new pizza options on the Spring/Summer menu, and we decided on trying the Blistered Heirloom Tomato Crisp. It’s essentially a large flat bread, with fresh blistered tomatoes, feta cheese, and fresh basil on top. It was light and crispy, and it’s a nice option for sharing with a group.

We sampled a few entrée options, starting with the new Bison Burger. Lazy Dog sources the fresh buns locally, and the Bison is sourced from Wyoming.  The burger is topped with baby greens, tomatoes, sautéed onions, homemade bacon jam. The bacon jam made this dish for me. Fantastic!

We also sampled the Slow-Braised Pork Shoulder. The pork is flash fried, giving the exterior a nice bit of crunch, and it’s plated on a bed of fresh roasted tomato salsa. The salsa really balances the pork. This dish comes with  cilantro black beans, Spanish rice, and stone ground corn tortillas on the side.

We got to sample to of the new dessert items as well. We started with the Warm Chocolate Pretzel Cheesecake, which was served in a pool of caramel with pretzel sticks. The dessert is topped with  house made white chocolate, sea salt pretzel bark, and whipped cream.  It’s both rich and sweet, but very tasty. We suggest finding a friend to share it with, as it’s a large portion.

Finally, we sampled the new Banana Pudding. The pudding is homemade with banana liquor and topped with fresh made whipped cream and Nila Wafers. I loved how light this dessert was.  Simple, classic, and satisfying.

We had a wonderful time at Lazy Dog.  The staff was great, and Dustin was very helpful in giving us the details of each dish and the backstory of not just the food but the story of the restaurant.  If you’re in the mood for a Wisconsin-rooted place, this is your spot.