National Fig Week Gets A Rightful Tribute at Fig & Olive

Poached striped bass

As I recently mentioned, we are now in the midst of National Fig Week. I admit that these food holidays are a bit silly, but I’m thankful for this one because it gave me an excuse to finally check out Fig & Olive. Last night was the first of three nights that Fig and Olive Melrose Place is offering a 3-course Fig Week menu for $44.

Scallop papillote in fig leaf

I’m always a bit nervous when ordering off a special menu, especially on the first night. I’ve been burned a few times by new dishes on these limited-time menus that are poorly executed because the kitchen isn’t used to cranking them out (or they are just ill-conceived). Fortunately, my anxiety was unwarranted at Fig & Olive.

Pumpkin sage ravioli

The meal started with bread and three olive oils to sample. The clear favorite was the fruity koroneiki Greek olive oil with a pleasant peppery finish. For the first course, I thoroughly enjoyed the scallop papillote cooked in a fig leaf. The seared scallops were well-seasoned with lemon and thyme, and artichoke tapenade and tomato were smart inclusions.

The only dish of the night that I had minor quibbles with was the pumpkin sage ravioli. The flavor from each ingredient in the house made ravioli was able to shine: free range chicken, fresh fig, roasted pumpkin seeds, Parmesan, charmoula and aged balsamic. My quibble: the raviolis were overloaded with chicken.

Crostini

It wasn’t part of the menu, but our server insisted that we try the crostini. Left: mushroom, truffle artichoke, parmesan. Middle: copa, goat cheese, honey, almond. Right: Gorgonzola, onion, cremini. I was impressed by all of them, so you will find me in the future sitting at Fig & Olive’s bar sipping a cocktail and ordering a plate of 6 different crostini ($18).

Fig and Olive tajine

The wild striped bass poached in olive oil pictured above had a nice crust to it, and topped with the perfect amount of fig tapenade that was not overpowering but a nice complement. It sat atop garden vegetables and the server poured Mission Olive Oil infused with fig leaf to further bring out the fig flavor.

The fig and olive tajine was another solid dish. Free range chicken marinatted in Moroccan spices, served with figs, olives, and apricots. A separate dish of toasted almond, couscous, cilantro and harissa was also served with the tajine, allowing you to tackle the dish however you liked. I especially liked the vegetables that sat on top of the chicken.

Fig and walnut julep ($14)

To get in the spirit of the evening, I ordered the fig and walnut julip: Bourbon, St. Germain, port, muddled black mission figs mint and fresh citrus garnished with shaved walnut. It was refreshing for a bourbon cocktail and a nice pre-dinner drink. If I was going to have it at the end of a meal, I’d probably ask for rye instead.

Crème brûlée cheesecake with figs

I almost passed up dessert I was so full, but my server thankfully talked me into the Crème brûlée cheesecake with figs. It was not overly sweet, the sage crisp added a contrast of textures, and I ended up cleaning the plate despite claiming to be “full.”

Fig & Olive

My two favorite dishes of the night were the scallops and bass, neither of which appears on the normal menu. I hope they consider adding them to the menu soon, but if not, you still have two more nights to try them on this very reasonable $44 menu.

Fig and Olive
8490 Melrose Place, Los Angeles, CA 90069

Note: This meal was hosted