fig restaurant

alli411 was really impressed with fig restaurant at the fairmont miramar hotel in santa monica. sitting down i was greeted with my own mini-baguette in a bread bag, great branding and a wonderful touch. the name comes from the huge fig tree at the entranc

having the gall to tell the chef that his lengua with green tomatillo sauce, served at a santa monica hotel restaurant bistro with french aspirations, is the second best lengua after e. la street taco stand, and with the chef accepting this as a great hon

march 30, 2011 in happy hour , restaurants , santa monica i love fresh figs; my friends who have fig trees always give me their excess bounty. i've been hearing about fig for years but for one reason or another (usually having to do with traffic / parking at the beach), i never got to taste the food here until today. the timing worked out perfectly as i missed the farmer's market morning traffic and got there in the afternoon to watch a movie at the laemmle down the street. the movie was great (the documentary "i am" ) and the movie let out just in time for me to walk the two blocks to the fig for their happy hour from 5-6pm when everything on their menu is 50% off. the hostess asked for my name (fig is in the miramar so some diners are hotel guests) and seated me with a nice view of the small pool. service was excellent, from the waitress to the bus boys, never intrusive but always prepared to meet any need, whether it be for clarification on a menu item or a refill of water. the warm

fig is an exceedingly principled place, an organic-minded restaurant that bows before the open-air temple that is the santa monica farmers market. although the market guides nearly all of the serious kitchens on the westside, fig is a particularly dedicat

ricos desayunos. recomiendo el desayuno mediterráneo, los huecos benedictinos y el rico café. ademán en algunas ocasiones se puede ver a algunas celebridades del cine y la televisión

fig restaurant in santa monica, california, has become well-known for their brunch time bloodys (see dt’s review of fig’s house mary here). from the bacon rimmed bloody maria to the tomato-watermelon mary, one might very well have a difficult time choosing from such an interesting list of variations. but given my love of foie gras, i knew exactly what i would be ordering well before i arrived for brunch: the foie mary, described only as belvedere vodka, foie gras, v8.

a very disappointing dining experience. i used to frequent fig restaurant when it first opened several years ago since i live across the street. i absolutley loved their fresh baguette bread accompanied by their handmade arugula butter along with their chopped salad and beef tongue dish. while we moved to a different la neighborhood, we elected to make a return visit this past weekend resulting in a very disappointing dining experience.
the waitstaff were curt and service was spotty. the food was bland this time around. plus i asked for the bread and flagged down a waiter who rudely explained that i would be charged $7 for the artisnal bread platter. when i inquired about this with the gm, christopher sand, he just shrugged us off acknowleding that changes have been made to the menu. what i wanted to let everyone know is that the fig restaurant is housed within the fairmont hotel which is undergoing management change in the city proposal for zoning both housing and hotel lodging which has put the place in limbo. as such, the attention to detail has been lacking. we will not be returning anytime soon, since there are many other dining establishments in the santa monica proper area that are willing to provide stellar service, food and ambiance.

overall, fig restaurant was an adventure in itself. the restaurant space was very open, airy and comfortable especially the seating area overlooking the pool with ceiling to floor windows. and the food....was absolutely fantastic!!!!!! we looked forward to getting up and going to the restaurant every morning.

what to order --- the breakfast room has a very nice view towards the garden and the swimming pool. on sundays mornings, you will see a lot of people, reading their newspapers and enjoying fresh and sustainable dishes. i ordered the house-smoked salmon with caper berries, lettuce, tomatoes, and fromage blanc. i decided to try the whole wheat bagel (but the flavor is a little overpowering, so it might be better with the plain bagel). the amount of salmon was so small that it was difficult to taste it. the hairloom tomato slices were super sweet and amazingly delicious. the capers are too much, for this size of plate, maybe two-three berries are enough. overall, it is a very elegant breakfast. i ordered coffee and enjoyed its warmth.

i loved the north african touches and spicy kick that the harissa chili sauce and the lamb merguez sausage added. chef garcia's continued theme of serving meat in various ways on one plate really worked well a second time.

the cocktail was pretty well balanced (albeit a bit too much scotch for my taste, but i don't think most would complaint about that) they honey did a nice job at smoothing the punch from the scotch, along with the lemon to add a touch of freshness and acidity and surprisingly the tarragon added a nice herbaceous finish.

can't say enough great things about fig. the staff is helpful, friendly and courteous. the food is delicious! they accommodate children which is helpful when traveling with kids and still wanting to have adult meals. one of the best features is that between 5pm and 6pm (tuesday through friday i think) everything is 50% off - food, liquor, bottles of wine...everything. can't beat that! eric's cheeses are to die for... just loved it all!

fig restaurant at the fairmont hotel in santa monica has a great happy hour; half-off everything. i happened to stop in on the recommendation of a colleague of mine for a pre-dinner snack and drinks with good friends, monica and jackie. lamb meatballs with kale in a tomato sauce and njuda with pickles and toast were the two apps we ordered. the meatballs in sauce were really good, as good as anywhere i've had them up in san francisco, somewhat similar to marzano's in oakland, just without the spicy characteristic. the meatballs were moist, well seasoned and the tomato sauce was solid. the njuda was also good, but i admit, i've never had it with pickles. i've only had njuda at barbacco in san francisco or at my house courtesy of boccalone. i don't think i'll serve it with pickles at my house. i might consider serving it with some form of marmalade or something other than a dill pickle. the fig bar for a light app and a drink during happy hour is a good choice if you're in santa monica.

nice atmosphere and food. ptretencious and slow service

these quesillo and rajas tacos were delicious