My sister and her daughters (my nieces) were in town staying in Santa Monica and we were looking for a place that a) wasn’t terribly expensive b) somewhere you can take pre-teen girls and c) has awesome food and cocktails. My other sister, who lives in SM, said FIG, which is based in the Fairmont Hotel in Santa Monica, offers 50% off their entire menu Tuesday through Thursday, 5-6 pm.

Everything.

Including alcohol.

Naturally, how could we say no?  I was not working that day and my local sister got off early so we can take advantage of this crazy deal they’ve been offering the past year or so.

We got there right at 5 pm.  Already there were several groups of people waiting in the hotel hallway to get in and grab a table. 

Once they opened the doors, all the parties were able to grab tables easily.  The restaurant has large wooden tables to accommodate large parties and shared tables with smaller parties. There are so many windows that give the place so much light and give the restaurant a relaxed atmosphere.

We decided to just get a bunch of plates to share. What’s great about FIG is that everything is seasonal. When you get your menus they list at the bottom what is in season today and that’s what influences the menu. If you want to know what is on the menu, they link to a website called Real Time Farms that lets you know what is today’s selections. The cocktails are seasonal too. They ran out of what I wanted to get so I asked the server if the bartender could make me something similar. She came back with a Raspberry Gimlet that was so refreshing and delicious, I ordered two.

We did the Charcuterie Sampling, Pretzel Bread, Cheddar Bread with Bacon, Corn Agnolotti with Rock Shrimp, Pommes Frites, Kampachi Crudo, The Mussels and Bacon Wrapped Bacon.

Did I say Bacon Wrapped Bacon?  Why yes I did.  It’s a signature dish at FIG and it did not disappoint.  It’s more than bacony bacon. 

Portion sizes, while fresh and delicious, are not the American style  portions we are used to.  The Pretzel Bread only came with one and worth the Happy Hour price but would be mad if I paid $4 for a piece of bread.  The Pomme Frites Portion was ENORMOUS.  Kampachi was fresh and clean.  The Corn Agnolotti was a favorite.

All in all, you are getting a GREAT deal with this. It’s worth getting off work an hour or so early to sample all that FIG has to offer.

I had given up the ghost on this blog due to real life interfering but I am back now. I didn’t take any personal photos but trust me when I say the plates and produce are fresh and beautiful.

FIG (at the Fairmont Santa Monica)
101 Wilshire Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90401
http://figsantamonica.com/