Fig & Olive: Indoor-Outdoor Dining for 300 Amid European Atmosphere

The new Fig & Olive on Melrose Place offers cuisine from the south of France, Italy, and Spain. It's the first West Coast outpost for the restaurant group, which also has existing venues by the same name in New York City and Westchester, New York. The venue occupies a split-level, 8,000-square-foot open space, with a variety of indoor and outdoor seating options for as many as 300 guests.

The menu is centered on farmers and hand-selected ingredients picked for their taste and seasonality. Raised in the south of France, Fig & Olive founder Laurent Halasz, along with his mother, Francine, influenced the creation of the menu, which is overseen by executive chef Pascal Lorange and highlights olive oil in every way possible. Each meal begins with a taste of three distinct extra virgin olive oils, which are paired with freshly baked rosemary olive oil fougasse bread. Shareable small plates include zucchini carpaccio with fresh lemon juice, pine nut, Parmesan, and picholine olive oil; and a fig Gorgonzola tartlet with melted Gorgonzola, prosciutto, fig, walnut, arugula, and tomato on a puff pastry.

A diverse wine list includes varietals that represent the regional flavors of the south of France, Italy, and Spain. More than 30 are offered by the glass. Specialty signature cocktails include a fig mojito and a cucumber cosmopolitan. 

There's a 50-foot marble tasting bar and communal table, right for informal gatherings. The bar offers a selection of wines, signature cocktails, and martinis. The bar, communal table, and low-seated dining hold 80 guests.

A glowing wall of olive oil bottles leads to the main dining room, adjacent to the open kitchen. A large olive tree serves as the centerpiece of the room and is surrounded by additional sectional seating. The dining room leads out to an enclosed garden terrace, where a skylight offers abundant natural light. The combined dining room areas and terrace can accommodate 130 guests. The second-floor lounge and bar accommodates 50 guests and is available for private events. The terrace on Melrose Place holds 40 guests alfresco. The space feels warm, with limestone stucco walls, terra-cotta-colored ceilings, and rosemary plants and olive trees, and the venue is open for lunch and dinner.