The Barkside of Clearfork

reviews

You still have to be at least 21 years old, or three in dog years, to drink a beer at Mutts.

Photo by Crystal Wise

The Barkside of Clearfork

Mutts Canine Cantina is Fort Worth’s first dog park/bar/restaurant.

By ANNA CAPLAN

Luna and Frank Caplan had died and gone to heaven.

My two Great Pyrenees, whose only job seem to be regularly stealing hot dogs from my daughter’s dinner plate, had just arrived at Mutts Canine Cantina, a veritable free-for-all for dogs, their sometimes insufferably proud owners, and people who like fried pickles.

After an unusually rainy and cold week that kept the shaggy duo cooped up (yet still scratching at the back door to wade onto the shores of Lake Caplan), Luna and Frank, fur askew and paws corroded with mud, were looking a little ragged. What better time to attend a Halloween costume contest for dogs?

There’s no shortage of IG-friendly backdrops in Mutt’s spacious outdoor area.

Photo by Crystal Wise

The new restaurant and bar — the second outpost of a wildly successful concept that opened in Uptown Dallas in 2013 –– is positioned on the banks of the Trinity and discordantly adjacent to the refined apartments at the Shops in Clearfork. The cantina portion features a sunny-yellow theme, and is surrounded by dog runs, big and small. You pay a membership fee (daily or monthly) to gain access to the areas. If my dogs actually made any money, perhaps we would have checked it out. (Great Pyrenees are well known for doing actual work on farms, like herding sheep and protecting other livestock.)

Instead, we zeroed in on the restaurant’s open-air patio, where a pack of dogs and their owners were queued up for cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches, and boozy shakes. The crowd was also there, we soon learned, to hear the results of the costume contest. Our money was on a Dalmatian dressed as Bozo the Clown, but there was also a cute dachshund Ninja Turtle and various and sundry darling bumblebees among the smalldog set.

Bacon ratcheted up the unctuous flavor of the double burger with cheese.

Photo by Crystal Wise

We were just focused on corralling our pups and eating some grub. Because of the place’s order-at-the-counter model, simply waiting for food in a sea of canines posed a challenge. And seeing as the patio was packed, the kitchen took its sweet time cranking out our lunch.

You can clip your dog’s leash to a post underneath the picnic-style tables, but my husband knew he would have to remain standing — ourdogs are tall enough to steal virtually anything off the table. He was happy to be holding two leashes in one hand and a burger in the other. My two kids and I tore into lunch. I ordered practically the entire menu, which is small and skews Shake Shack-esque, especially because of the stellar crinkle-cut fries.

There are two chicken sandwich choices — a fried version called the Original Chicken and a grilled one, the Skinny Mutt — as well as two burgers, a single or a double. Another item was intriguing: the Hot Pickles & Cheese sandwich, billed as a grilled cheese with fried pickles.

The skinny all-beef patties were impressively cooked medium rare, rendering them juicy foils to the simple lettuce and tomato accompaniment. A couple of pieces of bacon (which you can add to anything here) ratcheted up the unctuous flavor on my son’s double burger.

Photo by Crystal Wise

Both chicken sandwiches were winners, too. A thick, crunchy batter encased a butterflied breast on the Original chicken, while the Skinny Mutt, with a relatively thin breast, got props for its chicken-to-American-cheese ratio.

Mutt Sauce, a mustardy mayo mix, coats practically everything, as do the slices of American. Theformer offered a welcome acidity that cut through the fried-food haze. (I could have sworn we had paid for two orders of fries, but hardly any were left after a few minutes. Ahem, Frank?)

We took the Harlem Shake, studded with Oreo cookies, to go. It was so thick it needed some time to set up — a first attempt to taste it netted nothing, even with the wide straw.

As I slurped away, I heard a man ask my husband about our furry duo: “Are they working dogs?”

Luna and Frank, perhaps tired of such employment pressure, tugged on their leashes. They were doggone tired and ready for a Sunday afternoon football nap. And, quite Frankly, so was I.

Where: 5317 Clearfork Main St, FW, 817-377-0151, muttscantina.com

VIBE: Dog owners, dog lovers and those who don’t mind slobber with their side of fries.

ENTREE PRICES: $5.95 to $10.95.

Don’t-Miss Dishes: Mutt’s Original Chicken Sandwich, Mutt’s Burger, crinkle-cut fries, Harlem Shake.

When: 3-8pm Mon-Thu, noon-8pm Fri, 11am-8pm Sat-Sun. Kitchen open daily until 8pm.

ZEST 817 December 2018