Xitomate

Xitomate: 

So this is a new place for me.  I’ve been spending nice days out at Xitomate.  For those who don’t know, Xitomate is known for its house margaritas and freshly made guacamole.  But the best part is their outdoor seating where I’m allowed to sit and eat with my humans.  They start with fresh tortilla chips (first serving is free but there is a charge each additional serving).  They have a vegan fajita that will satisfy the most discriminating palate.  They also have burritos, tacos, enchilada, and all the traditional Mexican fare.  The portions are generous, the service is fantastic, and prices are reasonable.  Their secret is the house made Xitomate sauce.  The steak for the burrito is cooked to your liking.  On weekends they serve a brunch menu with mimosas.  Because of their location in an office park at the corner of Snowden River Parkway and Waterloo Rd, there is not much foot traffic on the weekends so it’s a quiet place for a meal.  There is also not much of a football crowd.  Overall, I give Xitomate 4 paws UP!

Black Flag Brewery

Its COLD outside, so I can’t eat at anymore outdoor restaurants til next spring.  I'll be spending a lot of time at the Black Flag Brewery on Snowden River Parkway in Columbia.  Since I’m not 21, I’m not allowed to have any beer but, my human has sampled quite a few.  They have stouts, IPA, Belgian, German, ales, and seasonal specials.  They have booths, high-tops, and a bar top.  Its not a restaurant, but most nights they have a food truck, you can also have food delivered, or you can bring your own.  They have board games available to borrow, and flat screen tv’s to watch the game.  Everyone is ridiculously nice, and it’s a great atmosphere.  They make it a point to make sure I feel welcome.  I love it.  Friday and Saturday nights are busy.  Sunday afternoons during football can be pretty busy too.  The good news is there are plenty of seats.  The Black Flag Brewing Co definitely gets four paws up!

Jailbreak Brewing

So this was my first time attending Jailbreak Brewing’s Ales and Tails event at their brewery in Jessup.  For us dogs, until it gets warm outside, its very tough to find a place for us to enjoy a dinner out with our humans.  Jailbreak is not a restaurant, but a taproom, for you to sample their craft beers.  At night, a food truck is outside so you can get dinner outside, bring it inside, and have a beer in the taproom.  Once a month, the taproom is open to dogs.  As soon as I arrived, I was greeted by five noses in a row.  Now I’m a little guy, so it was kinda scary, but the smell of the food kept me interested.  Last night’s food truck offering was grilled pizza.  I must say, the grilled pizza was terrific.  It is a bit pricey but, the pizza is hot, fresh, and tasted great.  Since I’m under 21, I wasn’t able to have any of the beers, but my human sampled Jailbreak’s Amber Ale and American Stout.  He said both were outstanding.  The best part of Ales and Tails is that it raised money for Operation Paws for Homes, a great rescue group for dogs in need, who brought some of their adoptable dogs.  So if anyone is looking for a new friend, you might check out next month’s Ales and Tails. 

     Overall, despite being very crowded (it was Friday night), Jailbreak is a great local spot for food and beer.  They deserve tons of credit for providing an opportunity for dogs and their people to come in from the cold, and have dinner and drinks.  I will certainly be back next month.  In the meantime, my schedule is packed tight.  Next week is Yappy Hour at the Wine Bin in Ellicott City, followed by Mutt Monday with the Bowie Baysox, and the annual March for the Animals in Druid Hill Park.  Stay tunes for more reviews.

Sonoma's

I have recently become quite a fan of Sonoma's in the Village of Owen Brown.  Sonoma's is one of only a few restaurants in Columbia that allow dogs.  Dogs are permitted to sit at tables outside the restaurant that open to the rest of the shopping center.  Almost as soon as I sat down with my folks, a waitress came out bringing me some water.  My folks got drinks as well.  Sonoma's has a full bar and plenty of beers that I wasn't allowed to drink.  But my humans were quite satisfied with the beer options.  With that in mind, the outside seating is also where bar patrons come out to smoke, so please keep that in mind.

My meal began with the crab dip, fused with some cheddar cheese.  I must say, I was quite a fan, plenty of flavor.  Humans get their choice of french bread or pita chips to accompany the dip.  Next the entrees came out.  I sampled the Smokehouse Sampler, brisket, pulled pork, and turkey.  The portions were huge.  While the brisket wasn't quite what I'm used to, the pulled pork and turkey were excellent.  The menu also featured assorted tacos and fajitas, with your choice of meat or vegetarian, which my human said was terrific.  There are also weekly specials featuring seafood and sides.

I'm not allowed to eat dessert, but my humans told me that the fresh-baked monkey bread was excellent. There are also a Reese's pie which my humans loved.

During football season, Sonoma's is packed on game days/nights.  Its not always the best place for a nice meal with family.  Because the seating opens to the shopping center, there is sometimes heavy traffic coming from Lake Elkhorn or other stores in the center.  However, on non-game times, its a great location for good times for dogs and humans alike.  The outside seating has plenty of shade and can be very peaceful, and a walk around the lake after dinner is a great way to end the day.   I recommend taking your dog to Sonoma's.

La Paz, Frederick, MD

Today, my folks took me to La Paz Mexican Restaurant in Frederick, MD.  Its so hard to find sit down restaurants where I am allowed to eat so it was worth the drive.  First, let me just say that Frederick is one of the most dog-friendly towns around, I was welcome almost everywhere up and down Market Street.  The outdoor seating at La Paz is great, if you can get a table with an umbrella, as you overlook a small creek across from the restaurant.  La Paz welcomes dogs and there were water bowls all around the outdoor eating area.  We got there on a perfect Sunday afternoon so it was pretty crowded, but it only took 10 minutes to get a table.  Chips and salsa were waiting.  It turns out I'm a fan of salsa.  Next the burritos, enchilada, and tacos came.  The food was great.  The portions were huge so my folks let me have a small taste of everything and even got a few licks of the plate.  The beef and chicken  were seasoned just the way I liked it.  The refried beans were pretty good too, although I didn't care for them much, my folks told me they were great.  Because it was crowded, the service was a little slow but overall, the food and atmosphere were great.  The best part was that I was allowed.  So I recommend La Paz.  Stay tuned!  Next I'll review Yappy Hour in Ellicot City, the Bowie Baysox, and Baltimore's Greekfest.