Review: Fig & Olive Restaurant

...the one in which we...um...eat. Sorry. That's all I got.



After our emotional afternoon spent at the World Trade Center site, it was somewhat of a relief to hop on the subway and head back to the hotel, where we could rest up for a little bit before heading out for the evening. We had 6:00 pm dinner reservations at a restaurant that I had always wanted to try while visiting NYC - Fig & Olive. Why had I always wanted to try this place? I have no idea. Really. I don't know where - or why - I'd heard of it, but once I get something in my head, there's NO gettin' around it. (Ask my Hubby.) We were going to Fig & Olive.



It just so happened that one of their locations was about 3 blocks from our hotel - at 10 East 52nd Street - and right on the way to the theater, where we'd be seeing a Broadway show later this evening. How convenient, right?! I couldn't have planned it better if I'd planned it myself. Wait. I think I DID plan it myself. And it was PERFECT! Obviously!




We arrived promptly at 6:00 pm, and were immediately taken upstairs to one of the dining rooms. The restaurant was not too crazy busy at this time, which was nice...I assumed this meant we would be treated to better service, perhaps.

Hmmmm.....I assumed wrong.

I'm not saying our waiter was horrible. He wasn't. BUT.

He seemed to have one of those "snooty" attitudes - the attitude of, "Oh...lovely. Look. I get TOURISTS. Lucky me. Not." Remember the infamous snarky French waiter in "National Lampoon's European Vacation"?


Yeah. A bit like that.


Trying to get our order taken was a monumental task - let alone trying to get our drinks. He seemed to move in slow motion when it came to us, and yet...he picked up his pace while serving other tables. Was it because we had a 13-year old with us? I'm not sure...but it was annoying, to say the least.


Daughter had the Zuchini Blossom & Goat Cheese Ravioli:



Why, oh why, did she order this? The girl can't STAND goat cheese...and so...she wasn't a fan of this. I think all she saw was "Ravioli" - and she's thinking, "Oh, I LOVE Chef Boyardee canned ravioli - so this will be good!" Sigh. I give her props, though, for TRYING something new and different.


Hubby tried the Mediterranean Branzino, a fish glazed with fig, balsamic vinegar, and snow peas:



He liked it...but he didn't RAVE about it.


As for me, I went with the Riviera Organic Salmon, with grilled asparagus and cauliflower puree:



The salmon was good...however, the cauliflower puree was GREAT. Noms. I wish I would have just had an entire plate of it - it was delish.


For dessert, Daughter ordered the Chocolate Pot de Creme, while I ordered the Chocolate Souffle. Soon, my souffle arrived...but no pot. I thought this was odd - that they would set down one dessert, but not the other. The waiter had hurried off so fast that I hadn't had a chance to initially point this out...but when I FINALLY got his attention - he admitted that he had forgotten to put in the order for the Chocolate Pot.

Did he apologize? No. He just scurried off and we had to wait another 10 minutes for Daughter's dessert to arrive.

Sigh.

I didn't take photos of our delicious desserts...as we were now in a bit of a hurry to get out of there and make it to the theater on time.

Our meal ended up costing - BEFORE tax and tip, mind you - a staggering $133.00. The food was good - but not great. The service was average - perhaps even below average. This is NOT a place that I could recommend...although, with a different waiter, someone else's experience could be totally different.

Up next: Mamma Mia!!!