Fig Tree Cafe, a long-time San Diego favorite and go-to for California cuisine, is now offering dinner at its Liberty Station location. Seriously, if you live in San Diego, or are just visiting, it is a must-stop to get a true feeling for the food and culture of San Diego.
For almost a decade, Fig Tree has been serving up some of the best brunch in the city, with continual expansion of their menu featuring fresh ingredients and tantalizing recipes.
The Liberty Station location has recently started serving a dinner menu to continue this ever-expanding repertoire of inventive food with local ingredients. This location also just obtained a liquor license, so craft cocktails are on the menu! I wanted nothing more than a cold glass of rosé, and the extensive wine list enchanted me.
A Listel rosé and Paso Robles red started us on our evening of some of the best of Southern California dining.
After a few minutes of sipping wine on the fabulous outdoor deck, we decided to start with the burrata appetizer. The burrata cheese is hiding under greens in the picture, but it was a perfect complement to the briny artichokes and roasted tomatoes, smeared onto fresh focaccia bread.
As well as a full dinner menu, Fig Tree Cafe also features a full kids' menu. My daughter being my daughter, of course, chose a fat grilled cheese sandwich made with homemade toast and a blend of two cheeses. How's that for a kid's meal?
The menu itself was tempting, with loads of alluring choices. However, we both wound up choosing the nightly specials. My philosophy with restaurants is as follows: if a dish is written on a chalkboard, get it! It's almost always the best thing on the menu.
The Butcher special for the night was a New York strip steak, seared to a perfect medium rare, served with roasted asparagus, carrots, and squash, and a healthy pile of herbed mashed potatoes.
The steak was one of the most tender, succulent pieces of meat that I've tasted, with the rich potatoes and vegetables cooked to perfect flavor.
The Catch of the Day was a delicious salmon, grilled and served with a lemon saffron sauce over creamy risotto. Topped with fresh chives and served with roasted asparagus, carrots, and squash, it was the perfect summer meal. Light, yet rich, and satisfying, it's the type of meal that I want to have all season in San Diego.
Dessert was nothing less than spectacular. Bread pudding is such a simple dessert, made properly of bread soaked in a concoction of milk, bourbon, sugar, and cream, then baked until golden. That's the basic recipe, but adding fruits, nuts, and sauce just makes it all the better. The fig bread pudding is moist and sweet, but not overly so, with a chocolate sauce and served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Wonderful!
The brunch might be famous, but the dinner at Fig Tree Cafe is a winner!
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