Being on the cusp of lunch, we decided to order items to take with us to the beach that afternoon, and we even got some ice put into our cool pack to keep them fresh. Yvette got a salad of baby organic greens ($7.95), with grape tomatoes, sliced cukes, circles of red onion, grated carrots, candied pecans, and goat cheese, with a red wine vinaigrette. We all found it nicely balanced, with the vinaigrette not too overpowering.
Bill and I split “The Goose,” ($9.95), a sandwich made with Italian tuna, Bel Paese, sweet red peppers, and arugula, on ciabatta, and it was very satisfying. Bill was also curious about the Captain Kirk — once a fan, always a fan — chicken salad with basil and cashews. I was intrigued by Joyce’s egg salad, with bacon and Major Grey’s chutney.
Gabriel was somewhat lured by the veggie burger with tomato chutney, but he gambled on the “nirvana” ($7.50), marinated baked tofu with a honey-ginger dressing, Swiss cheese, and sprouts, on whole wheat. The marinade didn’t come through, but the dressing perked it up.
Many of the sandwiches can be ordered regular or, for $2 more, “overstuffed.” Since the ones we got were quite generous, I can only imagine that the “overstuffed” might feed three people.
The Cooked Goose is a bright and cheery space, with a long deli counter of take-home dinner items, home-baked goodies, and gourmet cheeses. The white wainscoting, the natural wood chairs, the retro black-and-white floor tiles, the corner fireplace, the six-stool soda-fountain-style countertop — all combine to pull you in on your first visit and make you start planning many more.
Johnette Rodriguez can be reached atjohnette.rodriguez@cox.net.
