John D.
Yelp
Outside the Fox
The brainchild of a brewer and a superfoods chef, Fox Tale seeks to bring small pub-style bites made with housemade lacto-fermented foods, such as sauerkraut, kimchi, and miso plate.
To round out one's meal they offer up a bevy of fermented drinks made from not the usual list of suspects one would think of for making beers, kombucha and the like, such as beets, mushrooms, and even black rice.
The Good:
*Entire menu is mostly vegan, with a few vegetarian items sprinkled in.
*Great selection of beers that all sounded super interesting, but I only had time for one and chose to see what their Hazy IPA (Sonic Bloom) had in store, and it was a good one. Nice notes of grapefruit to go with the inherent funkiness of hops made this a fine choice if you're into IPAs.
*On the non-alcoholic side, Carissa enjoyed her Green Retreat Tea as it was perfectly sweetened and refreshing.
*Small outdoor pet-friendly patio
*Fast-casual dining where you order and pay at the counter and the food is brought to your table.
*The Funk Bowl was just that, especially when paired with their red kimchi, which gave this bowl a great funky earthiness.
*The Polenta and Morels might be the very definition of Ugly-Delicious as it wasn't much to look at, but boy, oh boy, I couldn't stop stealing bites from my beloved's bowl. (: It's been a few weeks, so I can't recall the flavor exactly, but it was just very moreish in its deep, creamy umami flavors.
*You can purchase bottles of their beers to take home, as well as their housemade fermented goodies. I highly recommend the previously mentioned spicy red kimchi, but their jalapeño-garlic sauerkraut was also superlative.
The Meh:
*Location is very small, and the indoor seating is just high-tops, which I'm not a fan of.
*Service was iffy, at best. Tried to engage the gentleman taking orders, and he was just not having it. He wasn't friendly, had almost zero knowledge of the menu, and just seemed to hate life in general. But on the plus side, at least he wasn't an asshole, just full of ennui--which I've been accused of being on a part-time basis, so I get it. Life sucks.
The Ugly:
*It's in the heart of DTSJ, so parking will always be an issue here. However, it's not DTSF, so it's not gonna be impossible. Pro Tip: Sundays and holidays are free street parking in DTSJ.
Conclusion: Tasty vegan eats, homebrewed suds, and all the fermented goods you can handle.