“We are getting some goodies threw the Burger King Window”

Dining with dogs isn’t full blown reviews on restaurants and is only just a fluff story about taking my dogs out to eat. I usually go  to most of the same local favorites but every now and then we do find a new place that’s good for dogs. You must be aware that there are some rules for dining with dogs. First of all dogs must be well behaved. You also must note that not all restaurant patios are dog friendly and it’s always a good idea to call the restaurant first to make sure the restaurant can accept you and your furry friend on the patio and doesn’t have it rented out for a party. You usually do best on certified dog friendly restaurants. Restaurants that are certified usually post a certification in the window and are fully licensed to accept your pet as a guest. Once you pick your restaurant destination and get seated at a patio table you need to follow good pet guest behavior. Dogs are NOT to eat off of restaurant plates, sit on restaurant chairs and must be by your side at all times. Most of the food any restaurant serves can do harmful or possibly toxic to your dog. You should review a list of dog safe foods. Only a very few of the foods to avoid are anything made from grapes, chocolate, avocado, alcohol, bread, onions, garlic and much more. Usually the safest thing thing to feed your dog is to just pinch off some plain meat for dogs and wipe off any sauces.

October is cooling down but we are still having some hot days. The first week of October started out great but heated up by the weekend so we took the dogs out to a Burger King Drive Threw for a Sausage and Egg Breakfast Croissant Sandwich. For some reason the 15 1/2 year old dog really enjoys them and the younger dog likes them too.

Due to the high temperatures we had to mostly only dine in with dogs.

The 15 1/2 year old loves Chicken that I cook more than anything. Maybe that helps keep him going.

He squeaks right in when I’m trying to cook. He seems to be doing slightly better. He walking slightly better and isn’t falling as often. I put more carpet runners in the house and that helps a lot. One of his doctors figured out that he walked jerky because he was sore from falling. If he was a person he’d be using a walker but he is a dog so he has to just do the best he can. The younger dog gives me my space when I cook.

Thankfully October was much cooler than the last few months but almost all of October we were having record breaking heat of mostly 90 degrees F or higher so October was a wash for dining out with dogs.

We Finally started getting some cooler temperatures in the first week of November so we dined out at……….

“Were’re off to Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery in Phoenix AZ”

Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery that doesn’t serve Pho. Their specialty are Banh Mi Sandwiches but they also offer many tasty appetizers, salads and MORE! Today we ordered Banh Mi Sandwiches.

I forgot to photo today’s food but I’ll insert a past picture here of one the Banh Mi Sandwiches we got here. I got the same Banh mi as in this picture. It was a Grilled Chicken Banh Mi. Possibly with xtra chicken for only $1. more. (I plan ahead for the dogs) The Banh mi is very tasty with lightly picked carrots and radish. Thin slices of jalapeño for a little heat.  Fresh cilantro and cucumber brightens it up! House made aioli is a nice touch but it’s really the roll that makes this big sandwich easy to eat. The roll has a crisp exterior and a light soft interior. It’s made with rice flour and seems much lighter and not heavy like a regular roll. The white meat chicken is tasty too.

The dogs are interested in both sandwiches.

One dog was breathing hot air on my leg the whole time.

My husband had the BBQ Pork Banh Mi. It’s one of his favorites and he gets that one often.

“Yum yum De-lish……I’m ready for more!

“I see some chicken that fell out with my name on it!”

For more information on Banh Mi Bistro Vietnamese Eatery in Phoenix AZ please visit BanhMiBistroAZ.com

“We’re hitting a new place today called Pita Kitchen in Glendale AZ”

I knew Pita Kitchen had patio seating but wasn’t sure if it was ok to bring the dogs so we asked before we sat down. This time I tried a Salmon Platter that came with rice, hummus, garlic sauce and pita bread.

My husband got another Two Meat Platter of Shawarma and a Chicken Kabob.

His plate came with Greek Salad, Pita Bread, Rice and Cucumber Sauce.

All was tasty!

“It’s forking time to slip me some more grub”

“Old Man we did GOOD at Pita Kitchen”

For more information on Pita Kitchen in Glendale AZ please visit www.PitaKitchen.net

“We’re on out way to Cucina Tagliani in Glendale AZ”

(dog on left) #WEeeeeeee Tags” (dog on right) “That dog is so forking yappy and she hogs up too much of the Forking seat”

Cucina Tagliani offers an official licensed Certified Dog Friendly Patio. They serve American/Italian Foods. All the sauces and dressings are made in house. Portions are large and prices are reasonable.

I ordered the Grilled Chicken Parmesan with Spaghetti Squash instead of Pasta.

Instead I received the Fried and Breaded Chicken Parmesan. When the waitress checked on us I told her I would keep it. The Forking Truth is that the Fried Chicken Parmesan is much more delicious and tasty than the grilled Chicken Parmesan. I just usually get the grilled chicken parmesan because it’s a little healthier. I enjoy sliding the cheese off the chicken to the spaghetti squash to make it tastier. My little buddy in the top picture and lower picture to the left also enjoys the spaghetti squash.

My little buddy to the right just has his mind on my plate minus the spaghetti squash.

My husband got the Spicy Rigatoni with added Meatballs.

Dogs enjoyed the aromas and food.

“It’s a good thing that waitress ordered the Fried Chicken Parmesan and not what my human ordered…I Forking enjoyed it!”

For more information on Cucina Tagliani in Glendale AZ please visit www.CucinaTagliani.com

That was Dining with Dogs in Metro Phoenix October-November 2016.

We’ll see you next month!

The Forking Truth

Dining out with dogs isn’t full blown reviews on restaurants. It’s just stories about taking my dogs out to eat. Many restaurants in the metro phoenix area do have patios but not all restaurant patios are dog friendly. I do recommend to call the restaurant and make sure that they are still dog friendly without restrictions before you dine out with your furry friends because I have come across one restaurant that went from dog friendly to not dog friendly. There also are some rules to dining with dogs. Your dog is not to eat off the plates or sit on the chair. Your dog is to be by your side and must be well behaved. The other rule is for you and you are to make sure your up on dog friendly foods. Most food that you eat is not good for your dog. Dogs need to stay away from onions, garlic, anything made from grapes, chocolate, avocado and more. Basically just feed your dog a small piece of meat from your meal and wipe off any sauce that’s on the meat. Please get a food safe list from your veterinarian or look it up on the web.

My older dog the 15 1/2 year old on the right was diagnosed with cancer one year ago and was given 6 months to a year by our veterinarian. I thought the nicest thing I could do for him is not to travel so I could take care of him and to take him out to eat once a week if I could. He seems to enjoy it and maybe it helps to keep him going.

It has been a brutal hot summer around Phoenix AZ 2016 and was close to record breaking with 30 days in a row of 110 degrees F. The pavements were flaming hot to burn paws so most of the summer we weren’t able to dine out with dogs. The first week of September actually seemed almost refreshing and was seasonably low in temperature at around 100 degrees F. Although it seems so much cooler it is still too hot to dine out with dogs so we took the dogs to a Burger King Drive Threw before the temperature shot up to 100 degrees a few hours latter.

The dogs were happy to see food come out the window. They love the breakfast croissant sandwich. I never ate one but my husband says they are really tasty too. September stayed hot until the last week went a monsoon blew threw. We had this one really awesome day where the high was only 85 without any humidity. At the time it seemed cool and refreshing. We decided to take the dogs out to Cucina Tagliani in Glendale AZ. It’s a local family friendly American Italian Style full service restaurant with a certified comfortable dog friendly patio.

“We’re off to Tags!”

We tried to beat the crowd and came for an early dinner but it seemed almost everyone in town got the same idea we had and the patio soon filled up.

“Oh boy, it’s getting mighty crowded.”

The regular help are nowhere in sight and the bartender runs out to serve on the patio.

We ordered and soon I receive the salmon platter.

They gave me linguini with oil and lemon instead of the spaghetti squash I asked for…. but I’m happy because the fish  taste fine and isn’t over-cooked. Believe it or not I’ve recently dined at some of the higher end restaurants in the metro Phoenix Area that didn’t do as well preparing higher quality fish.

Atlantic Salmon Overcooked by a lovely resort restaurant in Scottsdale AZ (arrived slightly warm most likely was over-cooked previously, stored and slightly reheated) You will read about this one soon.

Over Cooked and Over Salted by one of our highest end restaurants in Phoenix AZ (needed a forking steak knife to saw threw) (I already wrote about this one).

My husband got the enormous Papa’s Platter.

It’s made of two flavorful spinach and cheese manicottis, a big sausage lasagna and real veal parmesan.

Dogs got plenty to eat here…

For more information please visit www.CucinaTagliani.com

The 15 1/2 year old is showing signs of slowing down and it is a fact that he will not get better. He was walking very  jerky after this dining out and happens to be is a little pickier about eating and seems slightly weaker losing his balance from time to time. He also is losing clumps or hair like he’s never done before. Everyday  it looks like someone dumped a grocery bag full of fur in my house. I’m very surprised my dog isn’t bald.

He drops about this much or more fur every few hours

I’m told that his medication can’t be increased. At this time I don’t know if his cancer has spread or if it’s the old age and arthritis that’s happening. He’s lasted much longer than his Oncology Doctor expected (the doctor that studies x-rays and blood and prescribes low-dose chemotherapy pills). When she met him last fall she predicted his last May birthday for the best goal letting me know that he might not make that. His Met Rate was very high. A melanoma in a dog rates at something like a number 3 and his Met Rate was recorded at 40 so she suspected a very quick aggressive cancer. We made it well past the May goal so every day since has been a celebration of life. The good news is that he still has good days and still enjoys things like food, walks and Hot Air Balloons that fly over the house. I think my roasted chicken is his favorite food.

This is the look I got just last week when I was roasting chicken. I don’t know how many more times I will get this look…..but I do hope for many more.

It’s possible that if just taking him out to dine is too straining now because of the very jerky walking he did after dining out and it’s very hard now getting him in and out of the car. I hope this wasn’t the last of dining out with both dogs but it might be…..

Well that was September 2016 Dining with Dogs.

The Forking Truth

Where’re on our way to Bahn Mi Bistro in Phoenix AZ I’ll have to have a chat with the youngster about something  forking important.

Dining with DOGS is not full blown reviews on restaurants. This is a fluff story about taking my dogs out to eat.

Many restaurants around Phoenix have outdoor patios but not all patios are dog friendly. I also recently found out that some restaurants start out dog friendly and suddenly change and are not dog friendly any longer….so it’s a good idea to call the restaurant before you arrive with your furry friend..There are some rules with dining with dogs.

1-Dogs must not sit on chairs or eat off the restaurant’s plates and you must keep your dog near you.

2-Most of the food you eat isn’t safe for dogs to eat and can do harm to a dog. You must review a dog-food-friendly-list that is easily found online or from your veterinarian.

We went back to a local favorite Bahn Mi Bistro. This is a small casual Vietnamese Eatery that doesn’t serve Pho. The specialty of the house might be the Bahn Mi Sandwich. The rolls for the sandwich are Vietnamese Style Baguettes. They are made with rice flour in addition to wheat flour and have a crunchy exterior and a soft center. The inside is filled with cucumber, cilantro, pickled carrot & daikon radish, jalapeño, house made aioli and your choice of about a half dozen fillings.

BBQ Pork Banh Mi

My husband had the BBQ Pork Banh Mi. I enjoy the banh mi sandwiches because they have that savory, sour, sweet and spicy thing going on and are also a much lighter easier to eat sandwich because of the light rice flour bread.

This is the second time I ordered the chicken and rice plate.

This is a newer item on the  Banh Mi Bistro menu. It’s just so tasty. The dark meat chicken is caramelized and so tender and so flavorful with lemongrass. It’s just delicious. The salad is light and crunchy and nicely seasoned.

Some of the other items you can get at Banh Mi Vietnamese  Eatery are-Lotus Root Salad, Green Papaya Salad, Pot Stickers and Noodle Bowls.

For More information on Banh Mi Vietnamese Eatery please visit www.BanhMiBistroAZ.com

We noticed in the parking lot that LaMar’s Donuts are in the same lot with an outdoor patio so we walk across the lot and I purchased two donuts.

The dogs decided that the donuts smell good.

So they get to forking eat some donuts. LaMar’s Donuts have 27 locations in 6 states For more information on LaMar’s Donuts please visit www.Lamars.com

We’re on the way to AJ’s Patio but had to leave and Went to Leo’s Island BBQ

AJ’s Fine Foods Outside BBQ in Glendale AZ Patio has been closed for winter and recently re-opened so we were planning on dining there but to our surprise they weren’t ready to open yet and were running late. So we’ll go back another day and re-routed ourselves to Leo’s Island BBQ. It’s one of the few non-chain restaurants in the area that specializes in the Hawaiian Plate Lunch. They offer around thirty choices that come with steamed vegetables, a double scoop of rice and macaroni salad for around $8.00 served in a styrofoam container.

We sat at a table in the shade and my husband got the Spam Loco Moto that’s two eggs, slices of Spam, over steamed cabbage, two scoops of rice and some creamy macaroni salad.

I went non plate lunch and got the Island BBQ Chicken Salad. It was somewhere around $6.00 and is much better than any fast food you can get anywhere.

The Dogs enjoyed the chicken very much.

For more information on Leo’s Island BBQ in Peoria AZ Please visit www.LeosIslandBBQ.com

The following week with filled with…rare …for…. Phoenix… rain so we just took the dogs through the fast food Jack in the Box drive through.

“What are they giving us through the window?”

They weren’t very enthusiastic about the new butter burger. I reckon that some humans might be less picky.  I won’t get that for them again.

We are on our way to SEE FOOD at Oscar’s Pier 83 in Glendale AZ

Oscar’s Pier 83 is a small casual seafood restaurant that specializes in fried fish. You order at the counter and someone runs the food to you.

I had the combo with cod and salmon and picked mixed vegetables as my side. My husband also ordered salads for us.

Both dogs thought the fish was very tasty.

The fish was nicely battered and seemed oil free. Both fish seemed fresh tasting.

My husband ordered the Cod and Shrimp Combo with fries.

It seems very small compared to my Cod and Salmon Combo…????

The dogs didn’t get any of that.

For more information on Oscar’s Pier 83 in Glendale AZ please visit www.op83.com

“I hate to tell you this Kiddo but someday this back seat is going to be all yours.” In a few days I’ll be fifteen years old.” “The Doc says that I have some sort of doggy Alzheimers.” “You know like when I bark to myself sometimes and I’m good now but back in September they gave me six months to a year because of the cancer.”” Don’t get me wrong, I’m not going anywhere yet!”  “Maybe I’ll fool them all.””I still have a FORKING Bunch of Eating to do!

“I’m going to forking see you next month!”

The Forking Truth

*************Dining with Dogs EXTRA****************

I recently purchased a cute dog toy from Big Lots and it a Licensed Mr. Bubble Stuffed Doll that made bubble noises when you squeezed it. They sell many licensed cute Dog Toys that have Voice Boxes. Other Toys I saw were Gumby, Rocky and Bullwinkle. I’m certain there’s more. DON’T BUY THIS KIND OF TOY FOR YOUR DOG!

My dog bit a small hole in the toy and small watch batteries fell out. I am so lucky she didn’t swallow a battery. But another dog might not be so lucky. Don’t purchase this kind of toy for a dog. It’s not safe. I contacted the store where I purchased this toy and asked them not to sell this toy because of what happened. They told me that they will sell the toy with a warning.

Forking Truth