Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar, a leading innovator in the upscale casual dining sector, debuted new Mexican-inspired dishes on May 2nd featuring fresh twists on comforting classics. From Chicken Poblano to Carne Asada, the new items bring some SoCal flavor to the plate and pay tribute to the community where the family-run restaurant was born and raised.
Executive Chef Gabriel (Gabe) Caliendo, a Southern California native, aspired to create unique offerings that showcase the bold flavors of the Mexican cuisine he grew up with, while still honoring the sense of tradition behind those dishes. To start their meal, diners can scoop up Caliendo’s take on Ceviche, a refreshing combination of shrimp, white fish, citrus juices, peppers, onions, tomatoes, and micro cilantro from Fresh Origins Farm in San Marcos, served with freshly fried, hand-cut tortilla chips ($7.50).
Entrees include comforting classics that, like the ceviche, are made in each restaurant’s scratch-kitchen with housemade sauces and premium ingredients. A Roasted Pork Torta Sandwich features in-house roasted pork loin, housemade chipotle orange mustard served on a toasted Dutch Crunch roll with Swiss cheese and house pickled onions, carrots and oranges ($9.95). Chicken Poblano blends chicken breast with sweet white corn, peppers and onions in a housemade poblano cream sauce, and is served with crispy tamale cakes, a fusion of Mexican tamales and Italian polenta cakes inspired by Caliendo’s Italian heritage ($12.95).
Rounding out the new offerings is a Carne Asada with hand-butchered premium Gold Angus skirt steak marinated in a traditional asada marinade, charbroiled and served with Spanish rice, black beans, salsa and tortillas ($14.95). The dishes find the perfect complement in the extensive selection of beers on tap, including drafts from local Orange County breweries, Cismontane Brewing Company and Bootlegger’s Brewery. Imbibers can also sip one of Lazy Dog’s signature housemade sangrias, the seasonal special Watermelon Tequila Fresca available during the month of May, or a margarita, like the Mamacita with Patron Silver Tequila, housemade organic sweet & sour, Cointreau, and orange juice, served up.
Posted by Paula Votendahl
05/09/13
