This past weekend I had the pleasure of dining at Fig & Olive for brunch with Kevin and some of our friends. Fig & Olive just opened in Chicago last summer, but had previously made a name for itself in New York City and Southern California. Fig & Olive is located amidst the fabulous designer shops on bustling Oak Street.
Upon entering the restaurant, you will immediately take the elevator upstairs to the second level to meet the hostess. The dining area is located on two floors with a gorgeous outdoor terrace on the third floor. Both floors have beautiful open spaces with plenty of comfortable chairs and couches for seating.
The bar located in the center of the restaurant has beautiful olive trees in the middle paying homage to the Fig & Olive name.
For our meal, we started out with two dishes that were recommended to us by our waitress. The first appetizer we tried was the Octopus Gallega which is thinly sliced braised octopus, marinated bell pepper, heirloom potato, black olive, basil, arugula, and pimenton lemon dressing. This was the first time I have eaten octopus thinly sliced the way this was prepared and I really enjoyed it! All of the Mediterranean flavors of this dish worked wonderfully together.
Next we tried what ended up being my favorite dish of the day, the Burrata & Heirloom Tomato Caprese. This salad is made of burrata with heirloom tomato, fig, basil and is dressed with an 18 year balsamic vinegar and basil green olive oil. The burrata was really creamy and paired so nicely with the sweetness of the figs and lemony basil. I would order this dish again and again.
For my main dish I chose the French Omelet with fine herbs, asparagus, scallion, and goat cheese. The omelet is served with Mediterranean fries and mixed greens. The omelet itself was good and cooked well, but pretty standard. Although I’m not really sure how much you can do to make an omelet stand out. The Mediterranean fries I really enjoyed!
My friend Jenny ordered the Rosemary Chicken Panini with mozzarella, artichoke, rosemary, chive, scallion, tomato, and a cumin and cilantro mayonnaise. Her panini was served with mixed greens in a fig balsamic dressing. She really enjoyed her meal and would recommend this sandwich.
Our other friend Brian ordered the Crab Cake Eggs Benedict with poached egg on toasted crostone bread, crab cake, sautéed spinach with shallot, tomato, and paprika hollandaise. While he enjoyed his breakfast and would order it again, it wasn’t the best crab cake he’s ever eaten.
Kevin ordered the Fig & Olive Burger (sans bun) which is topped with romaine, tomato, pickled onion, and your choice of fontina, swiss or gorgonzola cheese and a tomato and shallot mayonnaise. The burger is normally served on thyme brioche bun which he did not get in order to make his gluten free. While he thought the burger was a tad overcooked for his liking, he did really enjoy the tomato shallot topping and thought the skinny fries were good.
The menu also boasts of an extensive crostini list with about ten different topping combinations such as pea, asparagus, and lemon ricotta thyme and manchego, fig, and marcona almond. I will definitely be sampling some of these during my next visit.
I was thoroughly impressed with both the beautifully plated dishes and ambience of Fig & Olive and fell in love as soon as I walked through the doors. It is the perfect spot for a girls night out, shower or brunch.
Fig & Olive is located at 104 E. Oak St. in Chicago’s Streeterville neighborhood
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