Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar’s menu focuses on seasonal ingredients
The spring and fall menus at Lazy Dog look significantly different. In the spring, cocktails feature everything from fresh peaches to elderflower. Crushed sweet peaches are included in dishes such as burrata with roasted beet salad and in desserts, such as the peach raspberry hand pie. The spring menu also brings to table a generous amount of the in-season veggies. For example, their house-made veggie burger bowl includes avocado, baby kale, carrots and red peppers among other ingredients.
In the fall, you can order butternut squash soup, which is made with coconut cream and candied pumpkin seeds. Fall also brings with it sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, and other seasonal vegetables. Oh, and dont forget about the pie thats made with wild huckleberries and cinnamon apples for dessert.
According to The Orange County Register, Lazy Dog changes its menu heavily twice a year, adding about 15 new items each time. The restaurant also introduces new dishes through the year, such as the “roasted winter veggies,” which uses the juice of the popular winter fruit pomegranate, and vinegar as dressing.
P.F. Chang’s had a role to play in the founding of Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar
Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar founder Chris Simms revealed to KFI AM 640 that he is “a fourth-generation restaurateur.” His great-grandfather was in the restaurant business in Chicago, his grandfather was into the coffee shop business in Los Angeles, and his dad founded the Mimis Cafe chain.
After graduating from Cornell Universitys hospitality school, Simms considered moving to New York for a job in finance, but switched gears to the restaurant biz. He decided he wanted to start his own restaurant, but he needed to get some experience first. Although he couldve worked at Mimis, he felt his “co-workers might be afraid to correct his mistakes,” the Baltimore Sun explained. So instead, he went to work for P.F. Changs.
During his experience managing the La Jolla, San Diego location of the chain, he learned several key lessons in managing a restaurant. When speaking with KFI AM 640, Simms recounted getting an offer from Paul Fleming, who developed P.F. Changs, to be the first operating partner in a new venture (Pei Wei) in Scottsdale, Arizona. When Simms told his dad that they were willing to trust him with the brand new concept, his dad had replied, “Chris, if they are willing to do that, why arent you willing to take the chance?” Thats when Chris realized that he was ready to start his own restaurant concept.
A real “lazy dog” inspired the restaurant and bar’s name
In the early 2000s, Chris Simms and his father opened their first restaurant, which they named Lazy Dog Café (the name changed to Lazy Dog Bar & Restaurant in 2012). Simms came up with the “Lazy Dog” name when on a skiing trip in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He had just returned to his lodge to find their family dog, a black Labrador retriever named Mattie, resting in front of the fireplace, the Los Angeles Times revealed.
At that point, he thought to himself, “I wish there was a place where everyone could enjoy life as much as that lazy dog,” he recalled in an interview with the Chicago Tribune. At the 2019 Texas Restaurant Association (TRA) Marketplace, an annual restaurant and food service show, Simms said people initially thought the restaurant was anything from a pet supply store to a hot dog joint, but ultimately the name was a good fit.
While one might think that the idea behind calling the restaurant Lazy Dog was to highlight that it is a dog-friendly one, it was actually to appear “easy going and approachable”, Simms explained. Otherwise, with a sophisticated menu, full bar, wide craft beer selection, and big windows like in a rocky mountain lodge, they were concerned that it would give an impression of a serious family restaurant, he added. Plus, the restaurant was eventually able to allow dogs onto their patio, feed them, and even start a dog club.
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A signature dish at Lazy Dog is the Durham Ranch grass-raised Wyoming bison meatloaf thats wrapped in bacon and served over red skin potato mash with sautéed spinach and haystack onions. (Lazy Dog Restaurant and Bar)
Lazy Dog Restaurant and Bar, located on Route 59 near Aurora Avenue, opened its doors on Jan. 29, making it the second Illinois location for the California-based chain that delights diners in California, Nevada, Colorado, Texas and Georgia.Advertisement
“Before we open any location we always have a lengthy pre-opening period where we train our team, invite the community in for meals, and discuss the Lazy Dog culture,” said Nikky Breijak, Naperville Lazy Dog general manager. “Our Naperville pre-opening was particularly memorable; you can tell that the community is eager to try our expansive, handcrafted menu, and our new teammates are excited to welcome them.”
Lazy Dog was founded in 2003 by Chris Simms, a third-generation restaurateur. Inspired by his memories of spending time at his family’s ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, he founded Lazy Dog as a rustic social setting that serves elevated comfort food around a roaring fireplace. Advertisement
“I want folks to leave everything at the door, come on in, relax, and connect with family and friends,” Simms said. “I want people to come and feel like a lazy dog and let us take care of everything.”
Here’s the scoop on this new hot spot that includes a dog friendly patio that’s heated and open year-round.
What’s on the menu: Lazy Dog’s menu focuses on elevated comfort dishes that highlight seasonal ingredients alongside handcrafted cocktails and select beers from local breweries. Year-round favorites include barbecue bison meatloaf, campfire pot roast, calamari, seared ahi tuna salad and their house made butter cake as well as a large array of burgers, sandwiches, salads, shareable plates and more.
About the owners: Lazy Dog Restaurant and Bar was founded in 2003. “I came up with the name while skiing in Jackson Hole,” Simms said. “I came back to the warm lodge, saw a dog in front of the fireplace and thought: I wish there was a place where everyone could enjoy life as much as that lazy dog.”
Décor: Designed to feel like a Rocky Mountain escape, Lazy Dog’s interior is warm and welcoming. They have lodge-inspired furnishings like cozy fireplaces, ledge stone, a chandelier crafted from Aspen logs and artwork reminiscent of the Cowboy State. Flat-screen televisions have been installed throughout the bar and patio areas so guests can cheer on their favorite sports teams. There is also a dog-friendly patio (open year-round) to enjoy made-from-scratch meals and specialty beverages along with your canine companion.
Food specialties: It’s hard to play favorites with this menu but the burgers really stand out at Lazy Dog. Try the traditional all-American burger or get adventurous with the PB&J burger (featuring house made jelly, bacon and peanut butter). The bison meatloaf is comfort food at its best, featuring meatloaf wrapped in bacon that’s topped with haystack onions and served over red skin potato mash with sautéed spinach. Popular picks are starters like the cowgirl cheese dip and pretzels, entrees such as wild boar chili with indigo cornbread fries, the Nashville hot Portobello (a vegetarian take on the spicy southern favorite) and lamb barbacoa tacos.
Extras: Lazy Dog has a popular weekend brunch (9 a.m.- 2 p.m.) with specials on brunch cocktails and unique dishes (like the hangover burrito and wild huckleberry pancakes). They also have a happy hour with $3 food items 3-6 p.m. Mondays-Fridays and 9 p.m.-close Sundays-Thursdays.
Delivery: Delivery available through the website, GrubHub and DoorDash or pickup. Starting March 18, Lazy Dog is also offering family meals for $25 that will feed four-five people. These include options like fettucine Alfredo with Caesar salad, grilled lemon chicken with mashed potatoes and garlic green beans and other favorites. For each family meal ordered, Lazy Dog will donate a meal to a local family in need through community organizations.
Logistics: Lazy Dog Restaurant and Bar is located at 436 S. Route 59 in Naperville. They are open from 11 a.m.-12 a.m. Mondays-Fridays; 9 a.m.-12 a.m. Saturdays-Sundays. They have a weekend brunch from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays. Call 630-481-7301. There is also a location at 1115 N. Milwaukee Ave., Vernon Hills. Call 847-780-7977. Go to lazydogrestaurants.com.