Fig

Gary treated Sandi for dinner at Fig last night. I was there only once several years ago. The ambiance is quite impressive as the restaurant is located in the Fairmont Hotel in Santa Monica.  They had a happy hour where everything was 50% off, which meant we could eat more! 

It was decided that we would order family style and share everything. For starters, we unanimously picked the Wagyu Beef Tartare. It came with a nice bowl of potato chips, and that was delicious,  and we all loved it. 

We also tried the Crispy Calamari and the Diver Scallops, and both were delectable. We, of course, had to have some carbohydrates, so it was decided to order the Cacio e Pepe made with ricotta cavatelli pasta, and it was aldente and delightful. 

The Steak Frites with rosemary fries was a big disappointment. It was tough! At first, I thought the steak knife was not sharp enough, but when I started chewing, it confirmed my opinion. Both Sandi and Gary struggled in cutting the steak. All three of us were starving before dinner, and it was most unusual for us not to finish the steak. Though we ordered it medium, it was more medium rare, so there is no excuse for it being tough. When our server came, I mentioned that the steak was tough, and his response was it was "Dry Aged Prime Beef." This means it should have been silky and tender. Did he not know what he was trying to convey? I took a picture of the leftover piece, which we could have easily eaten, especially between Gary and me, since we have big appetites! We did enjoy our bottle of Italian wine.

We ordered two desserts which were just okay, but we did finish them since we were really not that full. Another server named Juan, who cleared our plates, was most sympathetic when I relaid our experience, but there was not much he could do. Our server did not charge us for our desserts which was the least he could do. Gary commented that maybe they don't care much about pleasing customers since we already got 50% off. That may be so, but the moral of the story is that I know I won't be returning to Fig. Any restaurant that is uninterested in pleasing customers or offering to make things right is not worth a return visit. I am thankful the steak was half the price, the regular price was $75! 

 

I thank Juan for understanding, and he should have been our server.  Fig is located at 101 Wilshire Blvd. in Santa Monica, California.