Restaurant Review: Fixins Soul Kitchen offers delicious fix for fried chicken lovers

In my last column, I wrote about the prevalence of ramen in Sacramento. Now it’s time to acknowledge the other huge (literally and figuratively) food juggernaut of 2019, here and nationwide: fried chicken, specifically the fried chicken sandwich. The appetite for fried chicken sandwiches, from what I can tell, is insatiable. And no wonder, since good ones hit just about all the food pleasure centers: crispy, juicy, often spicy, salty, with the acidic balance of pickles or slaw.

That’s an apt descriptor of the two fried chicken sandwiches on the menu at Fixins Soul Kitchen, which opened last summer in the 40 Acres complex in Oak Park, founded and partially funded by former mayor and neighborhood native Kevin Johnson. (The Bee’s Benjy Egel reported on the restaurant’s story and the Oak Park food scene in a July article.) Fixins, a warm-hearted tribute to soul food traditions and black art and culture, functions as a living rebuttal of sorts to the neighborhood’s ongoing gentrification by drawing on family and neighborhood recipes. Fixins hires locals to work there (and, per the website, serves as a “second-chance employer to assist with re-entry into the workforce”), and partners with Edible Sac High.

The restaurant, which fronts Broadway (the address is technically on Third Avenue), is surprisingly big inside — though that didn’t stop long lines and near-legendary wait times when it first opened. The crowds have calmed down, but Fixins still feels lively and buzzy, with a diverse crowd and staff. At a recent Sunday brunch service, Johnson was there greeting every table.

The crowds seemed happy to see the onetime mayor, but maybe even happier to dig into big plates of honey-colored fried chicken and waffles. Or am I only speaking for myself? My daughter ordered the wings as a side for the “pancake sandwich” — two fluffy, cinnamon-scented, plate-size pancakes, eggs, and a meat of choice. (Despite the name “sandwich,” it’s served deconstructed.)

I kept reaching over to steal a nibble of the enormous wings (I’ve never seen such huge chicken wings), crunchy and savory outside, with slippery-tender meat within. I’m typically a dark meat lover when it comes to fried chicken, but the breast pieces at Fixins were also moist and well fried, with a breading that was crunchy, lacy, and light.

All the fried chicken was consistently strong, including the boneless pieces in the two kinds of fried chicken sandwich: regular, with honey mustard and pickles, and the hot, which is a bomb of excellent tangy hot sauce, spicy breading, a light slaw and a soft bun.

One quibble: the sandwiches portion of the menu is called “handheld,” but nothing I tried from that part of the menu, including an over-the-top but delicious burger oozing pimiento cheese, was actually small or neat enough to pick up more than once. Requiring a knife and fork is hardly the worst sin a sandwich can commit, though.

Don’t be fooled by all this chicken; the menu at Fixins is much more than the from-the-fryer options, though I do recommend the cornmeal-dusted, almost airy catfish. Breakfast is served all day, and it’s strong on the classics: a three-egg combo, biscuits and gravy, French toast, those pancakes and waffles that also have a warm hint of cinnamon. The spice doubled up with cinnamon butter, which I liked at breakfast but found distractingly sweet at a dinner visit, where it also came with the flaky biscuits.

Omelets at breakfast gave a less-carby option: one, a vegetable omelet with collard greens, mushrooms and cheddar was unusual and excellent. The breakfast potatoes, which included sweet potato chunks and peppers, were also unusually interesting.

Most of the cocktail menu at Fixins is sweeter than my cocktail taste (including a smile-inducing lineup of Kool-Aid cocktails and a bourbon-and-sweet tea combo). An exception is the strong, spicy Bloody Mary, with housemade mix and a huge veggie garnish of pickled cauliflower, the housemade bright-red Kool-Aid pickles (yes, there’s a Kool-Aid theme going), and okra.

Okra also shines on the lunch and dinner menu, where charred okra is one of the choices for sides. It’s fantastic; don’t miss it or the tender, savory collard greens. As befits a restaurant named Fixins, however, there’s a lot of choice in those namesake sides: red beans and rice, black-eyed peas, grits, corn, strong coleslaw and potato salad, French fries — the latter serviceable but the least interesting of the lot.

Fried chicken might grab the headlines, like the bombshell it is, but I’d go back to Fixins for either the shrimp and grits or the oxtails, two deeply savory dishes that are much less-often seen on area menus. The latter in particular, with its fall-off-the-bone meat and dark brown gravy served over rice, had a long-simmered, hearty flavor that could warm up any winter day. Likewise the zippy but not overly hot gumbo.

There’s a full complement of homey desserts, too, though the meal portions are big enough that it might be hard to fit in red velvet cake, peach cobbler, rum raisin bread pudding, or an excellent buttermilk pie. Save room. That slice of pie, with flaky crust and a gently sweet-tart, silky-dense custard, was good enough to start a conversation with a neighboring table, when they asked what it was and we compared our impressions of dessert. They’d had peach cobbler, which got two thumbs up as well.

Like that couple and my table, it seemed like just about everyone leaving Fixins was leaving a little happier — maybe a consequence of all that fried chicken, or maybe a natural result of a thoughtfully planned, well-executed restaurant that’s an ideal fit for its community.

Fixins feels comfortable and welcoming, both fresh and like it’s been there for years — a solid, enjoyable addition to the area’s restaurant scene. So far, it’s offering a resounding “no” to the burning question of whether a city can ever have too much fried chicken— but watch this space for more.

Email Kate Washington: beediningcritic@gmail.com. Follow her on Twitter: @washingtonkate. For an archive of all her reviews: kwsacdiningreviews.com

Fixins Soul Kitchen

3428 3rd Ave. 916.999.7685. fixinssoulkitchen.com

Hours: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

Cuisine type: Soul food.

Price range: Appetizers and salads $8 to $16, breakfast dishes $9 to $14, sandwiches and entrees $13 to $18

Rating: ☆☆☆1/2

Food: Crowdpleasing, well-executed soul food classics, including crispy and juicy fried chicken (a standout); tender, rich oxtails; shrimp and grits; standout sides such as biscuits, collards, and don’t-miss charred okra; and more. Breakfast, offered all day, includes plate-size cinnamon-spiked pancakes and waffles, omelets and plenty of meats.

Service: Enthusiastic, warm, and generally swift.

Ambiance: Welcoming and comfortable, with exposed brick walls, cushy booths, and art cleverly referencing African-American food traditions and history. The big central bar has TVs playing sports, but they don’t dominate the feel of the room..

Accessibility considerations: Neighborhood offers ample parking. Booths are comfortable but may not accommodate all bodies; however, there are plenty of regular tables as well.

Noise levels: Fairly loud, especially when the restaurant is full.

Drinks: Full bar with original cocktails (Kool-Aid lovers, rejoice; there are mixed drinks for you here) and beer. Nonalcoholic options include sweet tea, lemonade and Kool-Aid in lavish pours, and strong coffee at breakfast.

Vegetarian options: The main menu leans toward meat and especially chicken, but in addition to salads, breakfast dishes and several meatless sides on the regular menu, a full vegan menu with choices like black-eyed pea fritters and blackened tofu with succotash is available on request and on the website.

Allergy and dietary considerations: Those with sensitivities should inquire; gluten free and choices are not called out on the menu, nor are other common allergens.

This story was originally published December 12, 2019 at 5:00 AM.