The Solo Scale:

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This review is about a lunch experience in July 2023. The menu, food, and experience may vary depending on when you visit.

If you’re visiting Sonoma Square, there’s no shortage of places to dine. There’s also a number of great wine-tasting experiences and suddenly you have more things to do than time. How will you choose? Truthfully, it’s hard to go wrong, but if you decide to dine at the girl + the fig, you will definitely go very right.

the girl & the fig is located in the beautiful Sonoma Plaza and features a wonderful antique bar with French aperitifs, unique and traditional cocktails, an award-winning Rhône-Alone wine list, a seasonal menu, cheese & charcuterie platters, outdoor garden patio seating & outdoor parklet seating. 

the girl + the fig

When dining at the restaurant, there are two options. You can choose from the a la carte menu. Or, you can indulge in the three-course Bistro Plats du Jour, which changes every Thursday evening. On this visit, I opted for the three-course menu ($48) along with the bistro wine flight (an additional $16).

Given the name of the restaurant, it’s no surprise to learn that fig features heavily both in dining. It’s also there in the drinks with an entire section dedicated to classics with a figgy twist. During the height of summer, you might be lucky enough to experience fresh figs used in their cooking. The rest of the year, dried figs are in use to highlight the incredible flavour of the restaurant’s namesake. I opted to start with the Fig Royale. It’s a sparkling wine with caramelized fig syrup, and was a refreshing start to the meal. It’s especially revelatory on those hot Sonoma days.

What’s on the menu?

From there, the three course meal began. In July 2023, the starter was a goat cheese tartine that featured fresh figs, micro greens, honey, and balsamic (paired with a Language of Yes Rosé, 2022 Les Fruits Rouges). This truly highlights the fresh figs as the star of the dish. The bread has a great crunch that never gets soggy despite the goat cheese and fig on top.

The main meal featured sea scallops, tomatoes, fried onions, on a corn purée. It was paired with an Alta Colina White (2021 Twelve O’Clock High, Paso Robles). This was also incredible. The sea scallops were fresh and cooked to perfection and the brightness of the corn created an amazing flavour profile. The crispy fried onions layered in a textural element that prevented the dish from being one-note.

Wrapping up the trio was a stone fruit pavlova with berries and pistachios, paired with a Quinta de la Rosa dessert wine. Again, the textures are perfectly paired with crunch with plenty of flavour.

If you’re eager for an amazing experience dining in Sonoma Square, the girl + the fig is a fantastic option — and Michelin agrees. They’ve been named a bib gourmand, “an esteemed rating that recognizes friendly establishments that serve good food at moderate prices.” 1

You can find the restaurant on the Northwestern corner of Sonoma Square. It has patio seating, interior dining, lounge and bar seating. It is highly recommended to make reservations (especially if you’re attending on a weekend). I doubly recommend if you’re not going solo like me.

Ready to dine? Make a reservation today!

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