The folks at Fred's Diner work hard to be customers' best friend

Describe Fred's Diner as fit for dogs and it's a good bet the Newton family would beam with pride. The Newtons own and run the place that's named for Fred, the well-fed Chihuahua who lives with Tony and Kathy Newton.

The doggy theme is fairly prominent here. An image of a Rubenesque Chihuahua figures prominently in the restaurant logo. Petite paw prints scamper across the menus. T-shirts and other goodies bearing Fred's likeness are available for purchase. And there's a wall of photos of patrons and their dogs, plus a dog-friendly patio. Are you getting the picture?

However, that's not the whole picture. Venture into the bright and well-appointed main dining room for a meal, and the friendly service and gastro-diner food will get your attention.

The owners tout Fred's as "'Your' Finer Diner," in an effort to convey that the food isn't strictly traditional diner fare and that they cater to their clientele. While breakfast is available all day and there are items such as omelets, gyros, burgers, fries and meatloaf in the lineup, there are also choices such as seared ahi tuna, steak au poivre, chicken Marsala and shrimp and crab fra diavalo. Food is made fresh daily and, according to the restaurant's Web site, is neither frozen nor microwaved.

Bada bing shrimp have a crunchy coating a spicy-sweet sauce. Fred's is a family affair for chefs and brothers Tony and Michael Newton and Tony's wife, Kathy, who runs the front of the house. They work hard at making the rest of us feel like family, too, with friendly, attentive service and special deals designed to help stretch entertainment dollars.

Thursday, for example, is allyou can-eat prime rib night for $19.95, which includes mashed potatoes, vegetable, soup or salad. The Friday special is all-you-caneat snow crab legs for $20.95.

From 5 to 7 p.m. every day it's Yappy Hour at Fred's, when people who accompany their dogs receive 20 percent off a food item (one discount per dog). Right now, the diner also has a daily special — $6 for any breakfast item, $8 for lunch and $14 (plus the purchase of a drink from the bar) for dinner.

On Saturday nights this month, Fred's patrons can avail themselves of a threecourse dinner and the live comedy show "Assisted Living" for $29.95.

Muko the bulldog and owner Amy Lademann enjoy each other's company on Fred's dog-friendly patio. Clearly, the management thinks about what budget-conscious customers might

want and then sets out to offer it. Foodwise, they do pretty well. When we went for dinner, I was tempted to order the mile-high stuffed French toast (three slices of battered wheat berry bread stuffed with strawberries, bananas, whipped cream, powdered sugar and maple syrup). Figuring that the one breakfast dish would likely preclude my wanting anything else, I opted for the more traditional dinner order. We started with the bada bing shrimp and the soup du jour. The shrimp were breaded and tossed with a sweet and spicy sauce, all served on a bed of lettuce. The medium-sized shrimp were just

right for eating whole, and had a good flavor and crunch.

The lobster bisque was less successful, with a faint lobster flavor but woefully thin consistency and a pale yellow hue. Salads were fresh, and both dressings — blue cheese and cucumber-ranch — tasted homemade.

I can't recall ever seeing seared ahi tuna on a diner menu before, but Fred's offers it as an appetizer or entrée. The latter comes pepper-crusted and rare, with basmati rice, veggies, a soy mirin reduction, wakame, wasabi and pickled ginger. The tuna did arrive rare, with a light pepper crust and all the accoutrements. While it wasn't as buttery in texture or rich in flavor as some tuna I've tasted, it was a large portion and the contrasting flavors of the pepper, wasabi, ginger and sauce made it a satisfying dish. The tender-crisp sautéed zucchini, summer squash and red bell peppers added more color to the plate.

The chicken piccata was a fairly traditional rendition, the free-range chicken pounded thin, oh-so-lightly dusted in flour and pan seared, served with a tangy sauce made with generous portions of lemon, wine, capers and mushrooms. It was served over a bed of linguine, creating another hearty entrée.

We split a large slice of house-made chocand olate cake that resembled a bundt cake. It was dense and chocolatey, with a sweet syrupy chocolate frosting, real whipped cream and a big fresh strawberry. Despite its size, we had no trouble finishing it.

As advertised, Ms. Newton charged us $14 each for the entrees, which normally sell for $18.95 (tuna) and $15.95 (chicken), since we'd purchased glasses of wine. (The wine list includes about 18 selections, available by glass or bottle.)

After dinner, we wandered out to the patio, where five dogs and five people were dining at two tables. The dogs had bowls of water and were comporting themselves better than many children I've seen dining out with parents.

All the way around, Fred's is fun. I'm planning a return visit to sample that French toast. I'll be the one accompanying a regal, 105-pound black greyhound to the patio.