Campus Living

A lovely pub: Fox and the Fiddle

July 30, 2013

My boyfriend (Rylaan) and I visited Fox and Fiddle on a Friday on the final weekend of Fringe. Alliteration aside, it was a lovely time.

It was about 2:00 pm, just after the lunch rush, and the few people who were lingering after their meal soon left us all alone in the restaurant. The extra space allowed us to fully enjoy the decor.

Fox and Fiddle decor

A typewritter and other funky items on a mantle.

The Fox and Fiddle is gorgeous. The walls are marble, shiny enough to reflect the televised sports programming they were playing. The TVs were a little at odds with the artsy antiques and historical photos that line the walls.

We received excellent service (being the only folks there), and we witnessed some other staff leaving for the day. I felt a little sad that there weren’t more folks enjoying the beautiful space.

To start, we ordered a Long Island Fox to split. The drink was so tasty that I had to stop myself from downing it all on an empty stomach, for fear that I might get tipsy before heading off to my next shoot.

Long Island Fox

Long Island Fox – yummy!

Our stomachs had shrunk from not eating all day, but we eagerly ordered an appetizer (lobster/shrimp dip) and two meals (a chicken stir-fry for him, and a veggie burger for me). Fox and Fiddle’s vegetarian burgers can be prepared in the fashion of any of their regular burgers, which I thought was a lovely way to handle the alternative (I am so tired of restaurants only offering one way to serve a veggie burger).

I opted for “Tex Mex” style – cheese, salsa, jalapeños, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions – with a side garden salad. The burger was delicious, juicy, slightly messy, with just enough kick to keep me biting down.

The dip (with pita) was fantastic. My concerns that it might be overly fishy were set aside when I tasted the cheese. I ate almost all of it… which is why I struggled to finish my burger.

Rylaan kept his attention on the stir-fry, which featured tender vegetables covered in teriyaki sauce. The noodles seemed dry at first, but once the stir-fry had been, well, stirred, it was more balanced.

Fox and Fiddle food

A lovely late lunch, Fox and Fiddle food. Alliteration abounds.

Interestingly enough, a discussion about the meal led us to questions of, “What is the perfect portion size?” These were large plates of food. If we hadn’t ordered an appetizer, we would have been perfectly fed with a bit of food to spare. And because we hadn’t eaten in a while, we walked out of Fox and Fiddle with boxes of extras – a late-night snack after much Fringing.

On the last night of Fringe, I wandered back to Fox and Fiddle, because the restaurant was the house of choice for local dance troupes involved in performances at the Festival. The place was so alive. Laughter filled the tall restaurant, and the drinks were flowing. There was even a live DJ!

We discovered that we preferred the spacious patio. One discussion with a friend revealed a collective attitude that the TV screens take away from the beauty of the place. But we, dancers, may not be the group that they are trying to attract at Fox and Fiddle. I imagine that their game nights bring in business that we can’t compete with, so they are a sports bar out of necessity.

I look forward to being there on game nights to really see experience the best of Fox and Fiddle. And I know I have to try their wings – people rave about them.

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