where we eat

They call it "The Dog Restaurant" and I wish they wouldn't. Whenever we tell anybody where we went for dinner, they will look at us, completely appalled, like we stole our meal from a ten year-old street urchin pushing a Chinese rickshaw.

And for the record - I do not feed my kids black lab. At least not on weekdays.

The restaurant is called "Raising Cane's" and it is indeed named after the owner's dog. It's decorated with pictures of a golden retriever - and other famous canines. It is one of Kooka's favorite hang-outs at the dinner hour - and it's not really about the dogs . . . it is all about the dip.

You can only order ONE thing at this place - Chicken Strips. That's it. You can get four strips with fries and cole slaw. You can get two strips with fries and cole slaw. You can get five strips, a box of strips - but all you can get is strips. And it always comes with dipping sauce.

God only knows what is in that sauce - it's pinkish with black specks, and if I had to hazzard a guess, there is ketchup in there somewhere, maybe barbeque sauce, and some sort of ranch something. But it could be mayonaise and floor cleaner for all I know - never tasted anything like it. It's amazing - you'll dip your strips in there, your fries, and when those are gone, your bare fingers - it's that good.