fig restaurant

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.servicewas 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

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 andservicewas 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.

amazing experience!. this year we decided to have our urbanspoon company holiday party at fig. we started off at the bar with a few cocktails and then were sat in the back indoor patio area where we had a decadent dining experience. larry took care of us with a wonderful charcuterie and cheese plate paired with wine. followed by our entrees ranging from meat pie, to curry and delicious scallops. we finished the night off with pumpkin crème brulee which was outstanding and some more wine! theservicewas outstanding and the entire experience was a great ending to 2010.