Oh how I loooovvvvveee figs! I never even had a fig, until I lived in Cali for a few years.( I sometimes struggle with trying new fruit after a disturbing experience with Sourpsop.) But I must say, its become one of my favorites and I'm excited for its arrival each year! An interesting fig antidote, after I started giving fig preserves out at Xmas, I learned of my Abuelita's love of them and how my Abuelito drove over her fig tree one fall to her utter despair. 1
So recently we took our friends out to a nice dinner for their wedding present at Flea St. Cafe . The meal was going along great and the owner Jesse Cool 2 even visited our table to chat. Ms. Cool was excited that we were young, appreciated good local food and were in her restaurant. hah! She even brought out her awesome chef Carlos Canada to greet us as well. And he was very sweet & sent us out a complimentary prosciutto & fig salad. The salad was extremely tasty, but what put it over the top was the fresh figs. They had gotten them from a lady in the neighborhood who walked in with a big box and offered to sell it to them. 3 Carlos said once they had tasted the figs, there was no going back. (Seems like this could be a scene out of Scarface, but substitute figs for cocaine.)
In any case, these Figs were everything and more that you expect a fig to be. So much pink juiciness oozing out, like eating a bite of summer. Sadly, it was our friends first time eating a fig, so now she must live with a super high standard. But there are worse things.... So when it came time to ask for dessert, we asked for just a plate of more figs and they happily supplied it. Definitely became one of our most memorable meals ever! Sighhhh, if only figs happened all year, but then I guess they wouldn't be so special...
NOTES:
1 People were so wild back in the day, everybody seems to be running over everything. Did cars have breaks?
2 So many people out in CA change their last names. So hip. I think I would change my last name to butter.....
3 I love how its ok to sell produce/eggs/honey from your backyard here in CA
