I didn’t think my first review of the new year would have me evaluating a dog bar, but then again, I haven’t even had time to look at my bingo card for 2025. It was Chris Hernandez, the big papi at Papi Smash’d Burger and the big dawg behind BarkHaven’s culinary offerings, who drew me to a patio seat next to an off-leash play area inside this impressive venue.
Yeah, I could’ve chosen a booth inside the dogless dining room, but then I wouldn’t have been privy to all the furry sights, sounds and scents. I saw hounds a-humping, schnauzers a-sniffing and whippets a-whizzing as Frenchies proudly nibbled on pumpkin and broccoli burgers, a selection from Barkhaven’s special dog menu. It’s all part of the experience here, and it’s a whole lot more compelling than watching balls bouncing about on the boob tube.
Plus it’s patio season, and the spectacular sunset on this particular night had us barking at the moon to stay away. When the moon finally hit our eyes, out came a big pizza pie dubbed the “Beirut” ($17) with seasoned kafta, labneh, feta and tomato-onion relish lending all the Levantine vibes.
“Tastes like gyro,” said my dining pal, and indeed the flavors are very much like the Greek handheld. Hernandez crafts his pizza dough from organic “00” flour and lets it ferment for 48 hours before blistering it in a custom-made oak-fired oven. That oven sits in a large trailer that serves as BarkHaven’s kitchen — a kitchen also capable of frying some mighty fine chicken wings with a North African ($16) vibe. The glaze is a match made in Tunis by way of Buffalo, with each drum and flat shellacked in harissa and sprinkled with chickpea crumbles, chives and micro-cilantro. They’re served with a jalapeño-ranch, but we enjoyed them with a whipped feta and smashed cucumber dip ($14) braced with a tahini and Calabrian chili vinaigrette.
If you’re wondering about the noticeable Middle Eastern slant of the menu, it’s intentional. Hernandez had to put his Shawarma Bros. venture with the Pass Kitchen’s William Herrera on hold, so instead, he applied many of those dishes and ideas here, shawarma aside. You will, however, find za’atar-spiced fries ($12), a Lebanese burger ($16) with rosemary-pineapple hot honey and a “Moroccan Blaze” ($17) pizza, weighted with crispy harissa-Buffalo chicken.
When I ask Hernandez his rationale, he tells me about his family’s Lebanese heritage and his desire to pay homage to previous generations migrating to the Americas. There’s a palpable sense of pride when he talks about the menu — a menu that’s equally reflective of his Puerto Rican and Cuban roots.
Two top dogs: Caribbean ribs ($22) “sticky-ickied,” as our server said, with guava-chili, and the “Texas Midnight Cubano” ($18) — wood-fired pizza dough stuffed with smoked brisket, honey ham, pickled jalapeños and mojo mustard. Both display Hernandez’s technical precision (he’s a Citricos alum who’s also worked alongside chef Pascal Sanchez) and his ability to retain the dishes’ comforting aspects.
He’s not perfect though. Onion rings served with those ribs were a bit soggy, while the chili-butter-maple Brussels sprouts ($16) were a bit too wet for another pal’s liking. I didn’t mind them at all, though. In fact, I lapped up that liquid scented with burnt ends, mustard seed and candied pecans like a parched pooch in August. Even put the rest in a doggy bag.
No, my major concern was with the beignets ($10), Barkhaven’s lone dessert offering. Some of the fried treats were overly dense, while the dough in others was still raw. I also found the coffee dulce de leche dip too grainy to enjoy and the berry-peach compote cloying. A sub-woofer of an ending? Perhaps. A doggone shame? Maybe. But don’t let the mishap stop you from popping into BarkHaven for a bite and a martini. Like those dogs in the play area, enjoy yourself and give your canines a workout.
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This article appears in Jan 15-21, 2025.
