FIG

 

The restaurant FIG
The restaurant FIG
Chef Ray Garcia
Chef Ray Garcia

FIG is located in the Fairmont Hotel at Wilshire Boulevard and Ocean Avenue in beautiful Santa Monica, California. Fig is a top Los Angeles destination that serves gourmet seasonal food created by Chef Ray Garcia. Chef Ray has created traditional Bistro faire with high quality ingredients. When we arrived to sample the lunch menu, the open-air restaurant was nice and breezy. We sat on the balcony that overlooked the pool. Jackie Kerns, assistant PR manager, joined us. She went over the seasonal lunch menu and made a few recommendations. Jackie told us about the restaurant, the food, and a little history of Santa Monica. She is a delight as a lunch guest.
For Starters, Jackie recommended the Roasted Tomato Soup. Made fresh each day, the soup had a light and crisp flavor. The presentation was first class. The tiny piece of buttered bread was perfect. Another Starter that comes highly recommend is the Warm Quinoa Salad. This has chard, roasted carrots, apples and Marcona almonds. We also tried the Young Beets and Pistachio. This was light, fresh and balanced perfectly. These Starters are a great way to begin lunch.
Vegetable Curry is on the top of the list for Entrees. Made with cauliflower, eggplant and Jasmine rice. This entrée comes highly recommended by the staff. The other two entrees that jumped out from the lunch menu are the Fish Tacos and the Alaskan Halibut. For the fish tacos, Chef Ray mixes mango salsa and cilantro crema. It was hard to resist the Halibut. This features endamame, zucchini, green garlic, fregola, and brussel sprouts. The Chef does a tasty job of mixing the taste of the spices and vegetables with the fish. It was moist, flakey and full of flavor.
From the sandwiches side of the lunch menu, Jackie recommended the BBQ Chicken Sandwich. She said its FIG’s most popular sandwich. It’s prepared with pulled organic chicken, coleslaw and goat cheddar. I was really interested in the Grilled Cheese sandwich and the Veggie Burger. Grilled Cheese sandwiches are becoming very popular in Los Angeles. We tried the Veggie Burger. The patty is made with corn and kale. There are house made pickles, cheddar and harrisa. This is topped with an heirloom tomato and a fresh bun. What a great sandwich! I thoroughly enjoyed it. The veggie burger comes with a pile of seasoned fries. It was a real treat.
The bar at FIG is fully stocked. For drinks, we tried the Riesling. It was Louis Guntrum 2002. It’s a German wine that has a sweet and buttery flavor. It was a little too sweet for my taste. But the Sauvignon Blanc was perfect. It was a Honig “Reserve” from Napa Valley. Its great to drink California wine while sitting near the beach on a sunny day in California.
The location of FIG in the Fairmont Hotel is just extraordinary. It’s just a block from the bustling Third Street Promenade. It is elegant and welcoming. The staff here is very accommodating and helpful. There is a lounge near FIG that is a great place to enjoy the ocean breeze. The balcony of FIG is popular for lunch. It’s got an indoor/outdoor feeling. On Friday nights, they project a movie in the pool area. It can be viewed from many locations.
We really enjoyed our lunch at FIG. Jackie was the perfect host and very knowledgeable about the food and its preparation. If you get the chance to stop by for lunch, we highly recommend FIG.

Fig
101 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 319-3111

http://www.figsantamonica.com/mobile.html

About Dustin Brown

Dustin Brown is a writer and editor for the Experience at EEWorldNews.com.

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