Figue
Restaurant
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Arancini
Palm
Springs is filled with beautifully wide boulevards, friendly people
and of course palm trees. This oasis is still the playground to
the Hollywood elite and golfers alike but you'd be surprise that
Palm Springs has become a great destination dining mecca. Leading
the way is visionary restaurateur Lee Morcus. Lee's flagship concept
is Figue, a Mediterranean sustainable farm to table restaurant.
His goal was to create a dining experience that was like nothing
else in the Coachella Valley. On this point he has succeeded unquestionably.
Okay, okay, I have to admit, I'm not that big on sustainable,
organic, natural, tree hugger, etc. food and dining. I am into
flavor and craftsmanship and Figue is absolutely worth the journey.
Bombolinis
We
drove out from the "O.C." on a perfect Saturday night.
90 degrees and low humidity, not a cloud in the sky. You know
the evenings. The ones that you wish you had a convertible so
you could put the top down and view God's creation. Finding Figue
is relatively easy and valet parking is complimentary. We were
greeted at the door by director of operations Philip Roberson.
Philip, a veteran of over 30 years in the Los Angeles and Orange
County markets, has a real passion for all things food and especially
his team. Phil escorted us to our table and we couldn't help to
notice that there was a different look to this restaurant. Light,
airy, tall ceilings and glass walls, but the most ingenious part
of the restaurant is the chacuterie bar! Now that caught my eye.
Not typical in American restaurants but very reminiscent of the
great restaurants of Spain and Italy where house-made jamons,
prosciuttos, chorizos and sausages hang to age to perfection.
What we saw and tasted was spectacular!
Charcuterie Bar
Philip
shares with us the philosophy of healthy dining at the restaurant
is not just to have food that tastes great and is healthy for
you but to search out ingredients and wines to tantalize your
sense of adventure. To get us started our waiter Javier presents
a Lebanese Basal (onion) roll with Labne (condensed yogurt) for
a smear. The yogurt has a slight sharp note similar to German
Quark, a cross between yogurt and cottage cheese. The sweetness
on the onion roll and the sharpness of the yogurt went well together
especially with a glass of 5 Vinter's Sauvignon Blanc. Delicious!!
By the way, ask Javier anything about the menu, food or the restaurant,
he is very knowledgeable and well trained. The second course was
a fantastic Saffron Arancini oozing with Fontina Cheese and an
oven roasted tomato concasse. Truly decadent.
Charcuterie
Next
we were delighted with three beautifully glazed day boat scallops
with a freshly made carrot juice and saffron reduction served
by our host Lee Morcus the owner. The scallops were seared medium
rare, fork tender and rested on a bed of zucchini spaghetti. Lee
is a great host. He stops at all tables, greets his guest and
thanks them for dining with him. A real gentlemen Lee was literally
born into the restaurant business. Growing up in Colorado in his
grandparent's grocery store and farming business, Lee has experienced
the restaurant business truly from the farm to the fork. Lee's
own accomplishments in the kitchen over the years allowed him
to recognize and appreciate Executive Chef Francois De Melogue's
intense encyclopedic knowledge, passion for food, flavors and
quality quotients.
Day Boat Scallops
Lee
sends over to our table his sommelier Celeste (the resident cork
dork as she calls herself) with two glasses of her favorite wine,
Coilet Chablis from Burgundy France. This wine is big, crisp,
clean, full-bodied and an outstanding choice to have with the
charcuterie plate. When you visit Figue you have got to experience
this masterpiece. The plate is artistically arranged with Jamon
Serrano, Spicy Chorizo, Air Dried Tuna, Mahon Cheese, and Olives.
The Coilet stands up wonderfully well with all those huge flavors.
We
are about to throw in the towel when Chef Francois shows up with
a stunning Spanish turbot with Washington state porcini mushrooms
and a smooth Prosecco wine reduction. For the fish Celeste suggested
two wines, a Bodegas Juan Gil Jumilla from Spain and a Picpoul
de Pinet from the south of France. We could not decide which wine
was a better match for our taste so we settled on both!
A
bit about the chef. Francois first of all is incredibly talented
and extremely humble. His background extends from such restaurants
as the Relais & Chateaux designated Old Drovers Inn in New
York, the Bakery and Pili.Pili in Chicago and Joel Robuchon's
Gastronomie restaurant in Paris. The chef is an expert on culinary
history. Don't let his pedigree intimidate you, Chef Francois
is very approachable, entertaining and humorous.
One
last round we're told, dessert! We begged for mercy and a to-go
bag but no one would let us escape. So a round of dark roasted
organic coffee and we are in heaven. Three desserts are placed
in front of us. The chef's and his wife's favorite's are the Barcelona
Liegeois and the Pistachio Olive Oil and Fig Cake. Both are outstanding
but we were amazed by the "House Secret Dessert" the
Bombolinis! Mini fried round bignettes stuffed with Nutella and
dusted with organic cane sugar. These little marvels were so good
we snuck a few out the door to have for breakfast the next day.
The
landscape for dining in the Coachella Valley has been altered.
It is now all restaurants...and then there is Figue.
Dinner
is served from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday through Thursday and 5
p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday during the Summer. See
more at: http://www.eatfigue.com.
By
Robert Sturm