Last updated: December 10, 2023

In the Weeds

The first time Jon and I ate dinner at The Fig Tree, I thought he was going to propose. We sat upstairs at a two-top snuggled in the corner between a window one of the 1913 bungalow’s multiple fireplaces. Proposals aren’t out of the ordinary at this classic fine-dining restaurant, but if there was one that night, it wasn’t mine.

There’s a reason folks come here for special occasions. This is the kind of place that gives you a black napkin when you’re wearing dark clothes so you don’t end up with bright white fuzz on your dress. That attention to detail pervades every aspect of dining here. It’s also a traditional experience — entrées come with a salad, the cooking techniques are classic French, and service is formal but friendly. Don’t think traditional means uninspired, however. The calamari that you can add to your salad is a harmony of tender and crunch; the maple vinaigrette on the spinach salad coats the salty bacon for yet another delightful contrast. Those are just the starters.

Other than the elk chop, a thick-cut, bone-in piece of meat served on the bone with a changing cast of sides, you’ll see dishes typical of a white-tablecloth restaurant on the menu: salmon, filet, scallops. The surprise isn’t in the selections, but in the balance on each plate. Dishes have thought-out layers of texture and flavor, and you can depend on this kitchen to deliver them with consistency.

That’s something Jon and I have learned over the many visits since our first one here years ago. More recently, we decided to open a bottle of 1983 Opus One Jon had bought me at auction to encourage my wine education. We planned to drink it while dining at Fig Tree, and Jon dropped it off earlier in the day to decant.

We sat down at that same upstairs table in the corner, and our favorite server, Kurt, brought in the bottle, uncorked. He explained that wine this old is actually too old to be decanted, and we should drink it from the bottle, filtered. He slid a butler’s key around the cork and opened the bottle, and as I enjoyed my lamb — pink in the middle, tender all over — I couldn’t help but think that nearly anywhere else, that cork would be in shreds floating in the bottle.

That’s the draw of The Fig Tree. Other restaurants can serve filets or scallops, but few have the ability to serve them just right, every time, with the right wine to pair.