Dining Out: Fox & Goose

I’ve been to Fox & Goose many times—but almost always for going-away parties for departing journalists. So I had associations with Winston Churchill scowling down on us as another ink-stained wretch involuntarily left for state service or blogging. I’d never actually eaten here.

Which my girlfriend found hard to believe. She grew up here and has been in Sactown most of her life, and has been eating breakfast here for about two decades.

We arrived around 11 am on a recent Sunday and got on the long waiting list. There seemed to be something missing, given that neither one of us was the slightest bit hung over, being in our late 30s with our partying days pretty well behind us. I didn’t even have the coffee they thoughtfully provide to the waiting throngs, since I’m trying to cut back. But it was fun to chat with the middle-aged mother/20-something daughter combo who squeezed into a tiny table in the waiting area with us.

When we finally got to sit, we got a reminder of F&G’s status as a Capitol institution. Next to our table was a framed legislative plaque recognizing it for “Twenty years of consistently dependable, friendly and hospitably service to Sacramento.” It was dated “January 15, 1995.”

Joy’s favorite is the scones with Devonshire cream. It seemed kind of an odd combination with our tofu scrambles, sort of like having a diet Pepsi with a triple-cheeseburger, but it worked. I got the berry scone, and she got the traditional. The combination of the dense, not-too-sweet scones with the heavy, sugary whipped cream was pretty heavenly. Though not so heavenly I couldn’t part with it—when she asked if I was going to finish by cream, I quickly handed over the last third in the interest of domestic peace.

She also knew the best items to order. My pesto scramble was good enough. Nothing with pesto in it can be that bad, after all. I was kind of hoping for a little more pesto. But Joy’s curry scramble was amazing. I quickly got back my cream’s worth and more snatching bites from her plate.

They even made it authentic by including real Indian chutney. Not that the waiters knew the word “chutney,” but by saying “the sauce that comes with the curry scramble” we were able to get them to bring more. Chutney, by the way, is a spicy combination of fruits and intense spices. And whenever I go back, I’m having some.