08/10/08

My favorite restaurant for years!

by STP13

1. The food is phenomenal, particuarly the less "safe" food. The house made merguez garlic lamb sausage in the merguez couscous and shekshoka (garlic lamb sausage, scrambled eggs, onion, tomatoes...) is to die for. Don't be afraid to order something besides chicken couscous (because it's boring and we eat enough chicken as it is.)

2. Each week the chef/owner comes up with three new entree specials (chicken, sliced leg of lamb, duck, seafood, or rabbit) and one new appetizer special (anything from fava bean humus to steamed mussels to savory tarts). The specials are more southern French inspiried whereas the menu items have a more north african feel. You can never go wrong with a special!

3. Try the appetizers. Sauteed black olives...tuna filled pastry leaves....they are brilliant and at only about

$5 an appetizer really adds to the fig experience.

4, Also note the beer/wine list is short but has your basics and a great red wine from Algeria...glasses and bottles all reasonably priced.

I like the Barbary Fig so much because it is one of the few places where the portions aren't large or small but the price isn't bad at all ($8-$14 for entrees). And the quality is unbeatable. The chef uses spices and unique, quality ingredients to make the food taste so good without all the butter, salt and sugar other restaurants use to compenstate for lack of freshness. I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone looking to try something new! The service is very, very friendly and there is a parking lot behind the restaurant. Enjoy!

• Pros: Great food, warm staff
• Cons: Closes 9--930pm

06/26/08

Great North African Food

by JustBen

I really enjoyed the meal that I had here. I ate the shekshouka with French bread and it was very satisfying. My friend also thought his sandwich was good too. The wait staff was friendly, as well as the owner who greeted us. I will be returning!

• Pros: Great Food, Fast Service, Friendly Staff
• Cons: Parking Stinks on Grand

02/22/08

I'll be going back...

by jjmjjm

Great bread. The Shekshouka is my favorite dish. It can be noisy inside during prime hours. I've been there multiple times, and I'll be going back, even though I'm not a fan of their desserts.

02/17/08

Never again.

by bluemartini123

This place gave me stale couscous and bad uncooked vegetables with it. The bread that came was probably the only consolation for the bad food.

02/11/08

Drive on by or diner beware....

by ssajnani

If you are looking for a garish, cafeteria style ambiance and a bland food experience with tiny dried out portions then you have come to the right place! This was truly a disappointing experience. We walked into the bright drafty dining room trying to disregard the obviously lacking decor. I quickly decided the food must be mind blowing to draw in such rave reviews. Wrong again - the portions were dried out, cold and we couldn't pick out the meat from the vegetables. I am also originally from NY and quite used to small but overpriced portions but normally the two bites on a plate excite my taste buds no matter how brief the experience is. Sadly here the food was terribly bland, I can cook up tastier oatmeal in my kitchen and speaking of oatmeal steer clear of the bread pudding which was literally the stale bread they had served us earlier as an appetizer but now they resurrected it with some cold milk and raisins...yum. Needless to say I will not be heading back and am still scratching my head at who could possibly find the food flavorful here?

• Pros: waitress seemed nice
• Cons: food, ambiance, portions

10/25/07

A good place ... with some buts about it.

by kayjee

My much-anticipated visit to the Barbary Fig was good ... but left something to be desired. Also, the place has changed somewhat since the original write-up. Those bold blue walls are now aggressively textured, swirling with orange and yellow paint, and the restaurant's closed on Tuesdays, possibly more.

We chose a bottle of wine, the North African Red, which was reasonably priced and would go well even with lighter dishes. We chose specials for our appetizers and meals (the latter took a while to make it to our table). The appetizer nicely grouped crunchy baked apples, crumbled feta, and comforting polenta ... but the "sauce" it was in made everything soggy. Our tuna dish creatively combined squash, dates, orzo and the fish ... but the fish tasted a lot more "fishy" than a tuna cut should, and was particularly tinny with the wine. The lamb went well with its potatoes and other sides ... but was more rare than I've seen lamb before and was a bit salty.

Overall, I liked the place and would probably go again ... but for you more picky folks: there were a few too many "buts" about it.

• Pros: Something different, unique pairing of ingredients

04/13/07

A TRUELY UNIQUE DINING EXPEREINCE

by westcoastinmn

The owner and chef is a delightful character from Anaba, Algeria, which is situated on the North African coast of the Mediterranean but he learned to cook in Aix-en-Provence, France. The cuisine here is unlike anything else in the twin cities. The menu may look small and intimidating at first, but the servers are knowledgable and more than happy to explain foreign ingredients to first-timers. We greatly enjoyed the blending of savory and sweet flavors in the chicken bastilla, composed of chicken breast cooked in a savory custard, folded into a pastry leaf, baked in the oven and topped with sauteed vegetables and an apricot-fig-pear chutney. Pass up the menu entrees in favor of the specials, which showcase the creativity of the chef and use the freshest ingredients like broccoli raab, fresh rosemary and portobello muhrooms. The North African wine is a blend from Algeria and a good red table wine. Portions are small, so be prepared to order appetizers and you still might have room for dessert! The excellent creme caramel is evidence of the chef's French culinary training, but if you want something unique, try the bourek, made of Belgian chocolate and hazelnuts wrapped in a pastry leaf and smoothered in honey and lavender. If you're tired of all the American bistros, this place is a great escape. We will surely be returning!

07/03/06

Very good Moroccan entrees

by brig09

I have been to Barbary Fig twice. The menu does look a little paltry by way of choice, but you will forget this drawback once you taste the dish. I had the chicken tagine, a signature dish in France and Morocco I heard, and it was out of this world. My husband also loved the Shekshouka (lamb sausage with scrambled eggs). Although the menu is hardly kid-friendly, the server suggested rice and chicken for my two-year old (which she LOVED) that the kitchen could whip up for her. We dined here on a perfect summer day too, it was just the perfect dining experience!

For dessert, we had chocolate wrapped in pastry (they looked like small cigars), doused in honey and lavender. Sounds weird, sure enough, but it was really good. In a nutshell, Barbary Fig offers great food, warm ambience and great value!

We will definitely be loyal patrons.

• Pros: Quaint, great value for money, great taste
• Cons: not for large groups, a little too hot for indoor dining in the summer.

Serving up exotic comfort food, this Grand Avenue secret is a favorite with big-name chefs and local celebrities.

by Contributor

In Short
The interior is as plain as the exterior at this two-story, converted house on St. Paul's Grand Avenue: bare wood floors and bright-blue walls. But the vibe is always warm--chef-owner Hadj Moussa greets guests, leading them to tables before dashing downstairs to cook. A sophisticated crowd includes MPR hosts and well-known local chefs. The comforting North African cuisine has French style and Moroccan spice: chicken in tomato-ginger chutney and garlic lamb sausage are popular choices.

01/20/05

Outstanding

by stpaulgirl2

I've been a regular habitue of the Fig for over a decade... and it has never disappointed. Hadj is gracious and talented, the food is delectable and affordable, and the surroundings are unpretentious and relaxing. Each and every time I've brought a guest, they've become devotees!

• Pros: Service, Food