In article , [email removed] (Charles Demas) wrote: > I was driving down Rt. 9 through Brookline and noticed a new > restaurant where that other restaurant (whose name I seem to have > forgotten already) had been. It's across the street from the > Star Market, right next door to where China Sails had been. > > Anyway, I saw it was open. Probably for some time, I'm not that > observant. %^D That would be the fourth location of the Figs mini-chain. The original is in Charlestown, in the original Olives location. The second is on Charles St. in Beacon Hill, and the third is in Wellesley. Figs is owned by Todd and Olivia English (the owners of Olives), and offers mostly upscale pizzas and pasta dishes in a casual atmosphere. Pizzas are extremely thin, crisp, and free-form. One pizza is about right for two people, or possibly 3 (if they aren't too hungry, or with a couple of appetizers). Toppings tend toward the unusual (e.g. fig and prosciutto), but there are some "normal" ones too. Pizza prices range from about $11 to $17, and pastas seem to be in approximately the same range. Appetizers are generally in the $5-8 range, I think, and desserts are around $5 or 6. While Figs is a mini-chain, I have noticed that there are differences in the menu offered at the different restaurants (I have actually somehow managed to go to all four locations...). There are some items which are the same, but I think each location carries some dishes which the others don't. I remember reading something about different chefs in each location being given some (limited) amount of freedom. The restaurants are extremely different in feel, however. The original is extremely cramped, with tiny tables squeezed together, which I am sure led to the development of the stands for the pizza-- the pizzas were about the same size as the tables (and the tables are crammed together), so they put it on a stand on the table, creating a sort of double-decker table. The Beacon Hill location is a little less cramped and dark, and the Chestnut Hill and Wellesley locations are positively roomy and bright by comparison. If physical comfort is important to you, I wouldn't advise trying the Charlestown location. I went to the Chestnut Hill location for a recent Sunday lunch. The restaurant was less than 1/3 full. The service was excellent (I'm sure the emptiness of the restaurant helped). I tried the antipasto, which was very good, and a pizza special--roasted chicken, portobello mushroom, fontina cheese and "creamy onions." The pizza was excellent. I had some doubts when I ordered it, but the proof was in the pie. The fontina cheese had just (barely) enough sharpness to offset the sweet and creamy onion flavors (mozzarella would not have worked as well), the chicken was tender and moist, and there were plenty of portobello slices. Anyhow, IMHO, Figs is much better than Pomme Frite ever was, but I was never a big fan of that place. It is a bit pricey for pizza, but the quality has been good every time I have visited one of the locations (I have been to Charlestown 4 or 5 times over the years, Beacon Hill twice, and Wellesley and Chestnut Hill once each). Marcel [posted and emailed]
Boston, MA