The dog days of summer

I’ve focused far too often in recent posts on problems with our San Diego trip: the logistics of getting there, the illogistics of forgetting my camera, the public humiliation of pee collection… For the most part Sirius, the dog star —  believed by the Romans to give off excessive heat in mid-summer, thus the negative associations — was smiling down on us, as these snapshots from the trip attest.

Sallying forth

When I’m not writing about dogs, I’m writing about dining (for Tucson Guide and Zagat, among other places), and nothing makes me happier than being able to combine my favorite two topics. Sally’s Seafood on the Water,  near the entrance to Seaport Village, fit the bill. The restaurant not only welcomes dogs on its bay view patio but serves some of the best sushi I’ve had anywhere.  If you don’t believe me — even in these days of flash freezing and express jetting, I find my credibility is undermined by having an address in the desert Southwest — you can take Clare’s word for it. She lives in Santa Barbara.

Other standouts besides the sushi — we  had the soft shell crab roll and spicy tuna roll — are the crab cakes, made with none of the typical filler; lobster pot pie, rich with boursin cheese; and fish and chips, a simple but delicious rendition of a classic. Good thing it was a nice stroll back to the Omni, where we were staying —  though not good for Archie, tired from a long day and feeling his full 15 years. That’s why he’s not in this  picture.

Sally’s also has Yappy Hour every Thursday from 5 to 7pm on their patio, replete with drink and appetizer specials for humans and treats for the pups.

Omni-media

We spent many happy hours hanging out at our dog friendly digs at the Omni San Diego. Frankie and Archie didn’t interact very much — I’m too embarrassed by Frankie’s rudeness to detail it here —  but I finally managed to capture the guys in the same frame, standing parallel to each other.

Here’s Archie the lounge lizard on his comfy Omni dog bed:

And here’s Frankie, guarding his favorite squeaky toy and looking rather smug.