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June 06, 2006
Where a Dog Has Its Day and a Night Out, Too
New Haven CT.
CHOW is one of the few bars where "You're a dog" is less a rebuke than a mere statement of fact.
That's because of Yappy Hour, held each Wednesday evening in the warmer months, when dogs are invited to frolic, sniff and loll on the terrace at this alley-tucked downtown restaurant off Chapel Street while their owners sip sangria and swap veterinary and chew-toy stories.
"I love him," said Ali Parmelee, a graphic designer whose husband sat across the courtyard from her, nibbling on a dumpling. Ms. Parmelee was actually referring to Simon, a boxer-pit bull mix who was straining at his leash. "He's my little baby. I bring him everywhere just to help socialize him."
But the dogs socialize their owners, too — bringing your dog out for dinner or a drink provides an instant ice breaker or, depending on your need, a cuddly diversion from an unwanted suitor...
Anna Drejer-Teel, a Yale graduate student in genetics, brought along Lucy, a placid 4-month-old English cocker spaniel, because she can't bear to be apart from her.
"She also goes to Puppy Social in North Haven," Ms. Drejer-Teel told Gabriela Tejada, who owns a miniature pinscher named Chiquita. "It's where you let your puppies off leash and they can learn how to get along. We pretty much look for places we can bring the dog."
That was the inspiration for a dog night out at the aptly named Chow, a dim sum and wine bar with a view of a parking garage with a Guggenheim-like spiral exterior behind the Shubert Theater, said Donna Curran, the restaurant owner.
"Everyone I know has pets, and they take their pets everywhere they go," said Ms. Curran, who also owns Zinc, a restaurant behind Chow that in its previous incarnation was — gasp — a fur vault.
On this particular Wednesday, there was a raffle of rubber bones and squeaky balls, eliciting a cacophony of barks and giggles.
On the terrace, a couple whispered to each other, touching fingertips tenderly across the table, while all around them dogs yelped and squirmed. Did the dogless couple mind the canine interruption?
"The dogs remind us of our baby," Alana Rosenberg said. "We miss her."
"It's our first night out in a long time," added her husband, Solin Florez.
Across the terrace, Chiquita quivered between Ms. Tejada's knees as the bigger dogs frolicked.
Even for a dog, it's a jungle out there.
Posted by sue at June 6, 2006 02:24 PM
Comments
Unfortunately the Health Dept. got wind of this and gave Yappy Hour the boot.
Posted by: Susan at August 24, 2006 05:17 AM