Sonoma has no shortage of great restaurants. It's not hard finding good food, but I feel your pain if you're in charge of picking that one special restaurant for that one special meal for your one night in Sonoma. Out of all the choices, with only one place to eat, where should you go?
Easy. Just book a table at the girl and the fig and get ready for a meal that not only meets your expectations but exceeds their reputation.
the girl and the fig.... all lowercase, that's right....is bright and sunny during the day and warm and inviting at night. Located right in the Sonoma Plaza, it's location is vacation perfect. But don't worry that the prime location makes this a tourist trap restaurant. One look around the comfy lounge to see all all the locals making themselves at home is all it takes to know this girl delivers the goods.
The girl in question is Sondra Bernstein, the energetic force behind both fig and the fancier restaurant Estate down the street. She's also the author of a cookbook and a Sonoma celebrity in her own right. But enough background, let's get to the food.
I know what you're thinking. French food? Isn't that all stuffy and uptight? Not at the girl and the fig where it's France meets California meets Sonoma. Focused on locally grown and produced products, the dishes here are accessible, creative, and most important, delicious.
Inside the restaurant is a nice vibrant atmosphere, the sound of laughter and if you listen carefully, the sound of people all around you saying "Mmmmmm, this is so good!" How good? Really good! Don't be surprised if you join the ranks of people saying this was your best meal ever - not just on vacation, but ever!
If your brain freezes when the waiter asks "What would you like?", don't panic because one of the best things on the menu is also the easiest to order. That's because the girl and the fig has a $32 prix fixe option that gets you an appetizer, an entree and a dessert. And tell the waiter to shut up if he asks you what wine because for $10 more you can get a wine pairing to go with your three course meal.
Now I know that in a lot of restaurants the fixed priced dinner is the sucker deal, the assembly line dishes dumbed down so the kitchen can blow them out fast. But not so at the girl and the fig. My dinner started with tomatoes topped with sweet Dungeness crab(OMG, taste buds slapped happy), petrale sole (Wow, melt in mouth deliciousness) and finished with a light dessert (So good, so good).
And the dishes around me looked just as tasty. Big portions of duck confit on top of white beans and lardons, steaming bowls of mussels and plates of matchstick fries, braised wild boar on top of creamy polenta, everyone was positively glowing with food orgasmic happiness. And with most entrees priced in the low $20 range, dining here won't break the bank, making the girl and the fig not only one of the best restaurants in Sonoma but one of the best values as well.
So don't over think this. You're in Sonoma for a day or two, you're hungry for good food, just go to the girl and the fig. It will be one of your most memorable dining experiences ever, it's essential Sonoma dining.
the girl and the fig (website / TripAdvisor Reviews)
110 West Spain Street, Sonoma, CA 95476
(707) 938-3634
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