Name: Lost Dog Café
Food type: American, healthy and vegetarian-friendly
Price: Moderate
Restaurant Week: Lunch and Dinner
You’ve heard your friends raving about the Lost Dog Café. Unless it’s the weekend, the wait isn’t long, the service is generally quick and my favorite dessert, “Good PMS,” which stands for Perfect Mexican Sunday, is way more than just good. But if you haven’t already eaten there, or even if you have, there’s no better time to go than this week.
As if the Lost Dog Café wasn’t already one of the most popular restaurants for Binghamton students, Restaurant Week has made it that much more busy.
On Wednesday night, I ordered the Avocado Goat Cheese Dip, Dog’s House Salad, Rigatoni a la Vodka and Pumpkin Cheesecake. I usually get the Spinach Artichoke Dip for an appetizer, but decided to try something new. While the dip wasn’t awful, I’m probably just going to stick to my usual.
As for the Rigatoni, I have found it can never be anything less than delicious. Because I get chicken with mine, it was an additional $3, but I think it’s worth it.
The only reason I didn’t get the aforementioned Good PMS is because it isn’t included in the Restaurant Week menu. Since I love pumpkin and the restaurant changes its food seasonally, I decided on the Pumpkin Cheesecake. I would definitely get it again, but nothing compares to the Good PMS.
On a typical Wednesday night, my bill would’ve come out to about $40. This week’s price — $20.
If the foods mentioned above don’t make your mouth water, surely the Greek Chicken topped with feta cheese, Applewood Smoked Salmon or the Nicaraguan Tres Leche Cake will. And those aren’t even half of the options included in Restaurant Week.
For lunch, the deal is $10 for a house soup or salad, one of four entrée options (one of which is the amazing Rigatoni a la Vodka) and one of four dessert options. Each meal has a GF, GFO, V or VO next to it, indicating that it can be prepared to the needs of those who have gluten-free or vegan diets.
With its dim lighting and casual atmosphere, it’s the perfect place to go on a date or out with friends. Either way, you’re likely to bump into people you know, so going alone would probably result in inevitable awkwardness that nobody wants.
It isn’t fancy, so jeans and a top will suffice. Because of its laid-back environment, it’s the kind of place where, if you decide to go after class one day, you won’t feel out of place because of your wardrobe. The restaurant doesn’t take reservations, but if you are on your way, you can call ahead so your name can be added if there is a waiting list.