Arancini

Arancini

June 26, 2013 Figue Restaurant

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

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

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

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

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