Since its opening in 1994, Lost Dog Café & Lounge has been a staple in Binghamton’s community and restaurant scene. Founded by a former all-female band with a lifelong love of cafes, the establishment blends delicious food with music events and a great atmosphere. Because my photographer, Emzie, and I have only been to the Lost Dog once in our time so far at Binghamton, we jumped at the opportunity to try out their spring Restaurant Week menu.

Upon entering, we immediately took in the the restaurant’s ambience. Its eclectic decor included paper lanterns that provided a warm glow and colorful butterflies hanging from the ceiling. Paintings adorned the walls and ranged from a blue sky with clouds to the multiple iconic chihuahua portraits throughout the space. Pop music blended with chatter from customers ready to end their day with a delicious meal. Emzie and I were quickly seated by our server, Reagan, who led us to a two-person table in the center of the restaurant.

Lost Dog offers a three-course $30 Restaurant Week menu with options that blend classics from their regular options with unique additions like mofo fried shrimp, banana cake and Mexican chocolate tres leches cake. While I had already looked extensively at the menu and decided on what to order beforehand, we were amazed by the delicious array of dishes that we could choose from.

For the first course, I opted for the lemony hummus, while Emzie chose the caprese burrata. Both appetizers looked so good that we decided to split them. The hummus was creamy and flavorful, especially with the lemon juice, which gave it a tangy twist. There were tomatoes, cucumbers and warm pita to go with the dip. Our favorite, however, was the caprese burrata. At the heart of the dish was the burrata cheese with fresh basil pesto and sweet cherry tomatoes, and the crostini bread on the side provided a satisfying crunch. Overall, our first course was light and refreshing — perfect for spring.

Our second courses were both hearty positions of food and beautifully plated. Lost Dog is famous for its rigatoni ala vodka, so I absolutely had to order it for my entree. The vodka sauce was rich and creamy, and because I decided to try the dish “old school” with a pinch of cayenne pepper, there was a hint of spice that made it even more flavorful. Emzie opted for the grilled beef sirloin with demi butter, fondant potatoes and asparagus. They commented that the beef sirloin was juicy and delicious, especially with the added demi butter.

Dessert was by far our favorite course, especially because our waiter was generous enough to let us sample all three menu options: banana cake with salted caramel glaze, Mexican chocolate tres leches cake and black raspberry ice cream.

Emzie ordered the black raspberry ice cream, and I chose the tres leches cake. However, once the banana cake came out, we both dug into it and determined that it was our favorite dessert by far. It was fluffy with a sweet, fruity flavor, and the cream cheese frosting added a richness to it. We ate it quickly and continued discussing how delicious it was as we moved to the desserts we ordered. Emzie commented that Lost Dog had some of the best raspberry ice cream they had ever had, and my tres leches cake was moist and light. The chocolate was very subtle but still added richness to the cake, especially with cocoa powder sprinkled on top of the frosting.

Overall, we were extremely impressed with our experience. With its great food, lively atmosphere and attentive staff, Lost Dog Café & Lounge is the perfect place for a date or a chill night out with friends. While going out to eat can often be pricey for college students, Restaurant Week is a perfect way to see what Binghamton has to offer. A meal here is practically a right of passage for any student — so make sure to take advantage of this week’s menu and visit this Water Street eatery at least once.