Fig and Olive Melrose, Hollywood, CA

Amazing food and excellent service. It’s probably one of the few places I can say was a perfect experience.

We came across a great Groupon deal, and decided to come on the Sunday before Labor Day at 8:00 pm.  The place was still busy, and upon checking in, the host sat us immediately to our table.

Even though we were located next to a wall of votive candles, the place was still quite dim and we had a hard time reading the menu.  But, as with many upscale places, the dim lighting supposedly adds to the “mood” of the restaurant.

View through the front door

Our server, Kat, was friendly and very helpful.  She suggested some great items which Stephen enjoyed, and when we told her we had a Groupon, her service didn’t falter one bit.  Everything we ordered was spot on, and was amazing.

Our Groupon consisted of:
– 3 crostinis to share,
– an appetizer per person
– an entree per person,
– a cocktail or glass of wine
– and 1 dessert to share.

For our crostinis we chose the proscuitto, crab, and burrata cheese.

Signature cocktail:
-Stephen chose the Fig and Walnut Julep, while I had the Sangria.  The Sangria wasn’t your traditional Spanish version, but very light and yet still very fruity and refreshing

Appetizer:Stephen had the truffled mushroom croquettes. Generous with the truffles, and very light and creamy. I selected the tuna crudo which melted in my mouth.   A little heavy on the sesame, but still delicious.

Croquettes

Tuna

Entree:
-Stephen had the rosemary lamb, and I had the paella.
His lamb was served under a dome with a smoking rosemary.  Upon lifting the dome, the rosemary was still slightly lit, and we could smell the slight smokey, charred aroma.
-My paella was good but not great.  Plenty of seafood (mussels, shrimp, fish, scallop) but the rice was mushy, almost like risotto.  Little disappointed in it, but the flavor was done well.

Lamb

Paella

Dessert:
We ordered coffee (not included with groupon) and we shared the carmalized apple tart a la mode.   The apples were a bit rubbery, and the crust wasn’t as flaky as I had hoped.  I had to use a knife to cut my portion in smaller pieces, instead of using the side of my fork to break it apart.  Still, the tart was tasty, and worked well with the vanilla ice cream.

Even though my paella and the tart came up a bit short, the service was impeccable. Kat came often to clear our table of debris and refilled our water glasses and coffee.  She even stayed to chat with us a little, wishing us a great Labor Day weekend.

The Groupon deal was an amazing offer. We spend $95 for an incredible meal and, did I mention, impeccable service?  I couldn’t ask for a nicer, romantic date with my Stephen and a true 5-star experience.