Jonathan Hoppe

Review of Fig Bistro

Our favorite in Asheville... and trust me, we've t...

Our favorite in Asheville... and trust me, we've tried dozens upon dozens of restaurants from Table to Zambra to The Admiral and more. But we enjoy fine French cuisine where superior ingredients, delicate preparation and spectacular presentation are mandatory - and Fig delivers on every level. Having been there so many times, I've even ventured to try things on the menu I would not normally try and have been exceedingly and pleasantly surprised. Never a disappointment. Try the Pork Belly appetizer : )

UPDATE 2018-03-03: We still go to fig often, but I'm going to dock it one star for three carefully-considered reasons:

1) The menu really doesn't change much. Having gone there for almost 10 years, the selection names change slightly and the variations change slightly too, but the underlying dish remains largely the same. It's not a large menu (which is OK especially if the chef wants to maintain quality), but with so little change, you do feel like you're eating the same food all the time (and no, I don't get the same thing every time I go.) This is probably only a concern for local regulars, tourists will still love it quite well, I'm certain of that.

2) The level of inspiration has gone down a tiny bit (emphasis on 'tiny'), and the consistency has also gone down just a tiny bit too. Not that the overall experience has degraded, but it is apparent that Jerami Jones is no longer Executive Chef.

3) Desserts. If you think the main menu doesn't change much, the desserts never change. The semolina olive cake seems dry to me (perhaps that is the way it is supposed to be) and the new Panna Cota seems more like a Pots de Creme. We preferred the prior version. The new white chocolate Pots de Creme and the Bread Pudding are still my favorites, but we would love to try something new. And trust me, I completely understand that most great Chefs are not great Pasty Chefs... they are usually two separate roles in a larger restaurant. I understand that Fig is small and probably does not have this luxury. But it is worth mentioning, again probably only impacting local regulars.

FYI, the Pork Belly appetizer is not on the menu and hasn't been for some time. I figured I should clarify that from my review some time ago. Of course, that does not contribute to my rating, there are many other great appetizer options. I now substitute with the truffle parmesan fries. Yum!

Don't get me wrong, we still love this place... just adding clarity to my review. We still go to fig often. We wouldn't if we didn't love the place.