As a digital marketer, I know how important it is to have seasonal appropriate content. Since today is #Christmas for majority of the Western world, writing about food related to Christmas seems like the right thing to do. But I don’t usually do the right thing, I like confrontations and bucking against the trend. So the post below is a dinning experience from November 30th.
This is the second time I was at Fig & Olive. The last visit was a Hudson Valley Restaurant Week visit. Click here to read the last review. This time I brought a new friend with me to sample other dishes. When we arrived, we were able to choose our seats. We chose to sit at a corner next to each other vs. across the table from each other. The host commented that we must like each other.
It struck a chord with me. Why would anyone have dinner with someone they don’t like? Life is way too short to write about Christmas if you don’t celebrate Christmas. Life is also way too short to go to dinner on a Sunday night with someone you don’t want to sit next to. Like a good digital marketer, I use a friend #ConversionFunnel and only have dinner with friends who have the potential to move down the funnel.
The Crostini were delicious the last visit so I tried a few more. From left to right:
- Prosciutto, Ricotta, Fig, Olive, Walnut
- Manchego, Fig, Marcona Almond and
- Crab, Heirloom Tomato, Avocado, Apple Aioli.
I cheated. I really liked number 3 last time so I repeated here. All of them were very good. Enjoyed them thoroughly.
This is the RIVIERA ORGANIC SALMON: Seared organic salmon, grilled asparagus, braised endive, cauliflower purée, basil infused olive oil.
Honestly, I was leaning toward ordering TRUFFLE RISOTTO: Arborio rice, cremini and black trumpet mushroom parmesan, scallion, parsley, with White Truffle Olive Oil. I opened my mouth and asked my foodie friend to help me decide on one. He told me that “the white truffle olive oil tastes like cancer.” That pretty much killed any desire I had for the Truffle Risotto. The Power of Words.
As far as the salmon, it was fine. Grilled just right, not too dry nor too pink for me. The cauliflower puree was a nice companion to the salmon. But my favorite was the grilled asparagus. Should have ordered it as a side dish!
SQUID INK TAGLIATELLE: Seafood tagliatelle, mussel and clam, saffron broth. Unfortunately, this dish did not deliver the punch. It was bland. How disappointing was this? Looked great but tasted not so great.
*As a follow-up note:
Later on in December, I had a third experience at Fig & Olive and ordered FIG & OLIVE CHICKEN TAJINE: Moroccan spiced chicken served with fig, olive, apricot, carrot, zucchini, cipollini onion, tomato, toasted almond, couscous with cilantro and harissa – Hojiblanca Olive Oil.
I had eaten the Chicken Tajine in my last Fig & Olive post and was very smitten. I am a sucker for the Moroccan cuisine so I went back for the same dish. The December experience was so bad that I won’t write about it. The center of the chicken thigh was slightly colder than the room temperature. The chicken tasted like it was just thrown together at the last-minute. Yuck! The inconsistency of the dish! I could only rationalize it by thinking that since my last visit was on a Monday, the regular chef must have the day off. But really, is that a reason?
In summary, On December 25th, 2014, I am writing to celebrate all non-Christmas activities, to celebrate new friendships, to employ best digital conversion funnels while not adding to the seasonal content gluttony, and to whip Fig & Olive into producing more consistent Chicken Tajine and less bland dishes. I think my job today is done. 🙂
This experience took place at
Fig & Olive
Vernon Hills Shopping Center / 696 White Plains Rd
Scarsdale, NY 10583
914 725 2900
scarsdale@figandolive.com
Peilin Corbanese 