Recommendations

The Meatpacking District has its fair share of megarestaurants, but few offer as intimate an experience as Fig & Olive Downtown.

Guide: Entrepreneur (Jack)
Location: Meatpacking District

Strengths

• The Meatpacking District has its fair share of megarestaurants (Buddha Bar, Buddakan, STK), but few offer an intimate experience. Fig and Olive is big (200 seats), but sectioned off so you don't feel like you're eating in an airplane hangar. In fact, it's the exact opposite. From the marble bar, stocked with bottles of wine and olive oil, to the all-white dining room curtained off by leafy trees, the decor is cozy and inviting.
• Olive oil is the restaurant’s muse: the selection changes on a weekly basis as the owner has new bottles flown in from groves around the Mediterranean. Your meal starts with a complimentary olive oil tasting, featuring three different samples and spongy bread to soak it up.
• Because the menu is designed around the Mediterranean diet - rich in heart-healthy figs and olives - everything on the menu feels light, yet satisfying. There is no heavy cream or deep frying used in any of the dishes.

Shortcomings

• The bar area is mostly made up of several high communal tables – so it's not the ideal spot for a date.
• Since the place is so large, it might feel empty if you come for an after work drink, before the dinner crowd rolls in.

Insider tips

• The crab ravioli is a must: Jumbo lump crabmeat and ricotta is stuffed into homemade ravioli, alongside asparagus and portobello mushrooms. The dish is finished with an excellent cilantro olive oil.
• There is a terrific semi private dining room with a view of the kitchen. A long marble table is surrounded by shelves of wine bottles and can accommodate up to 25 guests.
• The best seat in the house for a date is definitely the raised dining room. The white leather seating and flattering lighting is sexy chic.
• The restaurant has its own shop so you can take home a bottle of their exquisite olive oils.

Anecdotes

• I love Fig & Olive for large groups – many dishes are good for sharing and several areas of the restaurant can accommodate large numbers of people, even at the last minute.

Credentials

• This is the second location of the original Fig & Olive Uptown, owned by Laurent Halasz and Lou Ramirez. Halasz frequently flies to Europe to taste and purchase rare and unique olive oils.