bouquets and baguettes

    I have to share one of my favorite restaurants with you. No joke, FIG & OLIVE is in my top ten. Every time I get the miraculous opportunity to dine at this restaurant, I find myself on foodie cloud nine. You need to check out one of their locations, like Newport Beach and WeHo here in Cali, or for you jet-setters, NYC has four locations. Lucky East coasters.

I thought I’d share a few of the dishes I’ve tried. Their menu is incredible, and it is a goal of mine to try everything on it. (It’s gonna take a while, and it will be worth every bite.) I love the philosophy on their website. It’s all about making use of incredible olive oils, instead of butter in their cooking. Now that gets my future dietitian stamp of approval. The founder, Laurent Halasz, says, “FIG & OLIVE is about passion for the best olive oils, flavors and cuisine from the Riviera & Coastal regions of the South of France, Italy and Spain.” Basically this translates to exceptionally yummy, fresh food. There is nothing better than that.

Jardin de Fraises:  a lovely little “mocktail” made from strawberries, honey, mint, fig, and a hint of balsamic. Sweet, and fruity, with a refreshing flavor.

 Salmon Crudo: dressed with orange, grapefruit, dill, lemon, scallions, and a drizzle of olive oil. So simple, clean, and we all know how much I love getting my salmon fix.

 Lobster bisque with pimenton chive mascarpone. Indulgent, rich, and smooth.

   Beef Carpaccio with balsamic, tomato, parmesan, micro arugula, and white truffle oil. The tomatoes, micro greens, and white truffle oil elevate this dish beyond comprehension. White truffle oil, people! White. Truffle. Oil.

My personal favorite, the Riviera shrimp and salmon salad, complete with shaved fennel, arugula, avocado, tomato, and a toast with ricotta, all dressed with a citrus and cilantro olive oil dressing. Ahhhh, heaven. I love that it is simple enough that I can copy it at home, because, you know, I can’t eat at FIG & OLIVE everyday. This is the dish that makes it hard for me to branch out and order something else. It’s just too perfect.

Crab cakes with bell pepper, shallot, horseradish, lemon, cilantro, and a sweet pimenton aioli. Fresh take on a crab cake with a zesty, sip kick.

Add FIG & OLIVE to your list of must-try restaurants. They serve up fresh, creative, completely inspirational food. Your tastebuds will dance and sing. I hope you are all having an awesome November. Stay tuned for a little something Thanksgiving-y that I’ve got in the works. 🙂

Xo, Alexandra