Dining Out: Golden Fig Restaurant

I have just returned from a four day getaway to South Florida. Growing up, my entire family (both sides) lived in Boston and now half of our contingent lives in Florida. My grandmother is in Jupiter (north of Palm Beach), my cousin and her family are in Boca Raton and my parents are in downtown Miami. Normally when I fly south to see them it's for a Jewish holiday or for Thanksgiving. This trip was the first one in years that wasn't tied to a huge event, which meant I could do some serious exploring! 

In the weeks leading up to the trip, I started to think about what places were on my "must try" list. The number one place I wanted to check out was the Golden Fig Restaurant, which is just three blocks from my parents' place. I discovered it on a friend's Instagram account and immediately began following the restaurant, @goldenfigrestaurant. 

You can spot the Golden Fig by its lush outdoor patio. In the center of the concrete jungle that is the Miami financial district, their greenery and farm house look definitely stands out.

If Anthropologie had a cafe attached to the store, it would look like this.

We arrived just as they opened (11:00am on Sunday) and were seated right away on the patio at a table directly in the sun. Since I was only in town for four days, I had to soak up the Vitamin D! 

My brunch date and I started perusing the menu and very quickly decided that instead of ordering our own entrees, we'd share several things. While reading through the menu I noticed all the local vendors Golden Fig sources from, including Panther Coffee (with outposts in Wynwood and Coconut Grove) and Zak the Baker, one of my Wynwood favorites! 

While attempting to make some decisions, I sipped on a freshly brewed glass of ice tea. 

In the end we wound up sampling four dishes - three savory, one sweet. The first to arrive was the Florida avocado toast. It was a piece of Zak the Baker seeded bread topped with a smear of mashed avocado, a Sun Fresh Farm egg and micro greens.

Unfortunately the bread was overly toasted, making it very hard to bite into. Despite that, there was a generous layer of avocado and the egg was cooked perfectly for the dish. 

Next up we tried the huevos rancheros - two Sun Fresh Farm eggs, salsa roja, queso fresco and avocado. 

For me, the salsa was way too watery. Though it had a nice flavor that you tasted in every bite, I couldn't get past the excess liquid.

Next up was the cauliflower steak. A huge slice of cauliflower comes over a cauliflower puree with roasted grapes and curry oil. 

The curry flavor was a bit overpowering and as we cut further and further into the steak, the oil started to spread a neon color across the plate. The puree underneath the steak was actually the tastiest component. 

Of course we had to end with something sweet. All four of the dessert options were pretty fruit-centric (if you've been reading Pop.Bop.Shop. for a while you know I don't do fruit desserts), however, my brunch date really wanted to try the pear crumble with cinnamon whipped cream. Who am I to say no to dessert with brunch? 

The crumble came in the most adorable, mini, iron skillet. 

Though I am not really a fruit person, this was delicious. It had the same consistency of oatmeal (it's made with oats) and was extra sweet thanks to the generous dollop of whipped cream.

I was really looking forward to the Golden Fig after following their food shots on Instagram for months and months. I would say they get major points for the commitment to local sourcing, the fantastic outdoor patio, the cute decor and their dog friendliness (they brought a water bowl to every dog that came in!), but the food was just a B+. 

If you find yourself in this neighborhood, also be sure to check out my favorite pizza place in Miami, Piola, which is right next door.