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New L.A. Restaurant Moreton Fig Serves Up Rich Flavors

Frances Vega |
September 4, 2010 | 11:47 a.m. PDT

Staff Reporter

The flat iron steak is affordable and delicious (photo by Frances Vega)
The flat iron steak is affordable and delicious (photo by Frances Vega)
Most University of Southern California students are not aware of it yet, but the school just opened its only on-campus table-service restaurant, Moreton  Fig. The eco-friendly restaurant is named for two century-old Moreton Bay fig trees that tower in front of it. The place has only been open for a week, but already it has the potential to become a great place to eat.

The restaurant itself looks like a five star restaurant. The bar has its own lounge area equiped with couches, marble counters, and friendly bartenders.  Despite its expensive look, the prices are not insane. The priciest dish on the menu is a flat iron steak for $19.50; steak connoisseurs know this is a fairly decent price. I was in the mood to spend money so I went ahead and ordered it. The presentation was impressive and the steak had a great flavor. But diners be warned. The steak is served with a side of six thickly cut French fries that are slowly fried in duck fat. They weren't terrible, but  they weren't my favorite; they don't taste anything like traditional fries.

My lunch companion and I also ordered appetizers, dessert, coffee and some wine for less than $80. Everything was fairly delicious, but two items stood out above the rest. They have an appetizer called the “stonefruit” bruschetta. It is like no bruschetta I have ever tasted; it’s made with fruit instead of tomatoes. Each slice of bread was topped with a combination of nectarine, pluot, and apricot. The best one on the plate was the pluot and almond bruschetta.

The other highlight of the meal was the wine, especially the Étude rosé.  Generally speaking, rosés are known for being sweet and light, but this one was very dry and you could taste the deep flavors from the red grapes.  Étude was my favorite, but the other wines we tried were also great. For those that do not like rosé, the wine list is fairly long and everything is served by the glass.

The entire experience only had one negative: service was a little slow.  Everyone was extremely friendly and knowledgeable, but there was a little  bit of a lag between table visits. I assume that is probably normal for a brand  new restaurant so I do not think it will be a problem in the future.
Environmentalists should also take note that many of the ingredients are  organic and locally grown. The menu also has special symbols for vegan,  vegetarian, and gluten-free dishes.

Reach staff reporter Frances Vega here.



 

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