ILONA & RICHARD'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE - the Dog House

ILONA & RICHARD'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE -

the Dog House  

It all started last fall when we left Ojai and drove to Sacramento to meet up with my brother and sister-in-law, Bob and Nguyen.  You remember them, I'm sure, from some of my other travel and food adventures...  Anyway, after resting overnight at their house, we hit the Pacific Coast Highway (a/k/a PCH or just "the 1") and headed north toward Mendocino County.  As the scenery became more beautiful...

..we decided to stop in Bodega Bay for lunch.  This is the little town adjacent to Bodega, famous for being attacked by "The Birds" (thanks, Hitchcock).

Bob and Nguyen, who'd been in the area many times, knew only of a couple of large tourist-y fish restaurants overlooking the water, but none of us wanted that loud, cavernous experience.  But, put me within a mile of a hot dog or cheeseburger stand, shack or diner and my inner antenna will find it.  There on the coast road, my eyes automatically spotted a little sign that said "hot dogs."  Well, hot dog!!!  

We followed the arrows down to the Bay and there, in a small mini mall, we discovered "the Dog House."

 
Nguyen and I found food heaven (she loves hot dogs, too). 

 
Inside the small restaurant, we met the warm and friendly young owner, Shannon, and found out that the Dog House was relatively new and thriving. 

But the Dog House isn't just for dogs we discovered as we read the menu on the wall.
 

There  were burgers and various types of sandwiches to complement the different dogs being offered ...and all you can eat french fries!  A gentlemen sitting at a nearby indoor table was eating a burger.  A rectangular burger in a large, seeded rectangular bun!!  It oozed juicy.  Now if you've been reading my blog for awhile, you know the one thing I love more than hot dogs is cheeseburgers.  And throughout my blog, I've continued to search for the perfect burger so, of course, I had to have one.

Nguyen, on the other hand, loves fish as much, if not more than hot dogs, and the grilled salmon sandwich made her mouth water.  

She'll get the hot dog the next time, because we were definitely going to stop here again on the way home and after our excellent adventure was over.

But Bob and Richard stayed true to the restaurant's name and opted for the hot dogs.  We were in a dog house, after all.

Outside, we took a table in the sun and sat by the dock of the bay.  The day was beautiful.  The blue, blue bay glistened as a seagull perched itself on a piling, musing how good life can be.

My rectangular cheeseburger, big enough to feed a family of four in its soft seeded bun, was so good it was near perfect.  Nguyen loved her salmon and the boys enjoyed their dogs.  Even the french fries were delish.  Crisp on the outside and warm and mushy in the middle.

An excellent way to start our travel adventure.

the Dog House

537 Smith Brothers Rd.

(just off Scenic Hwy 1)

Bodega Bay, CA  94923

707-875-2441

check out the menu at:

http://www.doghousebodegabay.com/