Fig & Olive: Meatpacking District

Fig & Olive
420 West 13th St - Map
Between 9th Ave and Washington St
New York
(212) 924-1200
Mediterranean Chic

Fresh ingredients, flavorful palate punches, inviting open-space ambiance.....the list goes on. Fig & Olive couldn't have found a better location than the Meat Packing District by taking advantage of all the wide-open spaces: tall ceilings, full-length windows, open kitchen, warm and light color palette, and fun wicker-covered hanging light fixtures (I particularly loved the wrought-iron olive branch candle-sconces along one wall, opposite a white wall with potted green plants - great touch!). What better venue to truly embrace the feel of the open Mediterranean sun on your face, and expecting light and flavorful food?!

Well, on this particularly beautiful and sunny Saturday afternoon, after our hibernation through the NYC winter, a friend and I decided to brunch at this much-talked-about restaurant. Being partial to the Mediterranean palate and spices, I was eager to see how Executive Chef Pascal Lorange was going to coax out some of the more subtle flavors of this prominent cuisine.

Upon entering the restaurant, we were greeted by the hostess, behind whom were white shelves lined with various bottles of olive oil. We were immediately seated and allowed to peruse the brunch menu as well as their regular one.

My friend, in his overly cautious attitude toward food, chose their scrambled eggs from their brunch menu. I, however, brought some adventure to the table, and ordered 6 of their crostini, and their Yellow Fin Tuna Carpaccio. The friendly waitress was very informative and was efficient at filling our glasses with water and our mugs with the sought-after coffee.

The scrambled eggs were brought on a beautiful plate, inside a bread nest, served with a side salad. The crostini I ordered for the table were as follows:

• Grilled Vegetables, Olive Tapenade
• Eggplant Caviar, Red Bell Pepper
• Manchego, Fig Spread, Almond
• Prosciutto, Ricotta, Fig & Olive & Walnut Tapenade
• Bresaola, Goat Cheese, Olive
• Shrimp, Ricotta, Cilantro, Tomato

Allow me to describe in detail the play of flavor. First of all, each of the crostinis themselves were toasted to perfection; toasted rim, and soft inner bread.

The grilled vegetables were nice, still maintaining their shape and flavor, and releasing their smokey grilled flavors, textures of eggplant and zucchini teasing the palate.

The eggplant caviar was most interesting, with distinct eggplant flavors, and the subtle caviar undertone to buffet the eggplant - interesting synergy that surprisingly goes well together.

The manchego and fig spread was amusing, with the play of salty and savory-sweet figs. The almonds added an enveloping warmth and delicious crunch to the crostini, and the fig spread while primarily sweet, wisped your palate of a savory deliciousness at the end.

I particularly liked the prosciutto crostini. The deep purple of the prosciutto contrasting with the stark white ricotta was very appealing. The meat had a subtle flavor that meshed well with the soft ricotta, all tied together like string with the tapenade reacting differently and wonderfully with both the prosciutto and ricotta. Wonderful textural and flavorful play.

The bresaola and goat cheese was also magnificent in its simplicity. In conrast to the prosciutto, the bresaola had a lot more meaty flavor, and what better cheese to pair it with than a bold goat cheese? The flavors melded perfectly together.

Last, but certainly not least, and probably my most favorite was the shrimp crostini. The light sea flavor and defining texture of the shrimp atop the creamy avocado was superb. This crostini took me back to Greece, sitting on a beach, enjoying the warmth of the sun on my face, and the deep and clear turquoise waters at my feet atop blindingly white sparkly sand. The flavors simply washed over me in waves, and I was sad when I took the last bite.

Next came the tuna carpaccio. I have to say, I was impressed with this dish. Carpaccio is usually a raw and very thinly sliced meat, typically served with arugala and parmesan and sometimes olive oil. The yellow fin tuna was dressed in balsamic vinegar, lemon and sesame oil, and served with cilantro, arugala and marcona almonds. I loved that they were able to maintain the beautiful shape of the tuna fillet that was sliced to paper-thinness, with it's ruby hue in some places, and dark purple in others. I particularly loved how the subtle flavor of the tuna was not lost underneath the power-players of sesame oil - as subtle as it may be, balsamic vinegar - bold, but tempered to a hint of sweetness, and the lemon juice - perking up the hidden flavors of the arugala and tuna and emphasizing the cilantro tang. The marcona almonds were a pleasant textural play against the fragile tuna and the crispy arugala - and played nicely off the peppery flavors.

Overall, I had a wonderful experience at Fig & Olive. I didn't feel rushed and felt comfortable taking my time with the food and laying back occassionally to sip at my coffee. Fig & Olive truly embraces and adopts the Mediterranean cuisine and attitude, and I couldn't have thought of a better place to have this experience on the dawning of Spring in NYC.