Tuesday, October 13, 2009

FIG Santa Monica

FIG Restaurant
101 Wilshire Boulevard
Santa Monica CA, 90401
(310) 319-3111

Today, I got my first chance to experience L.A Restaurant Week. My friends D, W, J and I decided on FIG for lunch in Santa Monica. I was super excited as we were driving there in a toasty car with the rain fogging up the windows. The three-course meal was priced at a very reasonable $22 and it was the highlight of an otherwise stormy, overcast day.


FIG takes advantage of the freshness of seasonal produce and they develop their menu around those fresh ingredients. Located in the Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows in Santa Monica, the decor of the restaurant was pleasantly eclectic and welcoming. We had a wonderful table near the window with a view of the hotel pool. The restaurant also had an impressive round table for a private dining room.


Our meal started with a cute little baguette in its own paper bag. While the presentation was creative, the baguette was nothing special if not boring. It was nothing compared to any baguette one could find in Paris. There was no chewy interior or crunchy crust! I suppose I've been spoiled.

However, my chicken liver parfait appetizer exceeded all my expectations. The restaurant redeemed itself when the appetizer came with perfectly toasted slices of baguette with wonderful grill marks. I snuck a slice of bread into my friend J's bowl of roasted tomato soup and got a taste of the best tomato soup I've had in a while. Next time I'm at FIG, I just want a nice big bowl of that amazing soup!


Roasted Tomato Soup
Mascarpone, Basil



Chicken Liver Parfait
Fig Marmalade, Grilled Baguette



Young Beets with Pistachios

Entrees came out and they were hearty portions! My chopped salad was perfectly balanced. I loved the crunchy hazelnuts, sweet GRILLED corn kernels, and tangy cranberries. The meatloaf that J and W had was wonderfully moist and savory while D's torta had tender slices of tongue.


Chopped Salad
Chicken, Avocado, Bacon, Corn, Cranberries, Hazelnuts, Crispy Carrots, Lemon-Oregano Dressing



Torta de Lengua
Braised Tongue, Tomatillo, Breakfast Radish



Short Rib and Pancetta Meat Loaf
Mashed Potatoes, Carrots, Broccoli

Desserts were delicious. The fig dessert was beautifully plated with amazing greek yogurt ice cream. Chocolate pot au creme was too rich to finish. My favorite were the sorbets--they were the perfect consistency of creamy yet icy and the peach flavor was phenomenal. I just want a bowl with a scoop of greek yogurt ice cream and a scoop of peach sorbet!


Chocolate Pot au Creme



Seasonal Sorbet
Raspberry, Peach, Mango



FIG Bars
Greek Yogurt Ice Cream

2 comments:

  1. The sorbet looks like perfection.

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  2. Your photos are so clean and beautiful! Ok, I'll stop scaring you now with all my comments. Thanks for reading my blog. :)

    ReplyDelete