FIG: A Simple Approach to Award Winning Food

In the gastronomic center of South Carolina, it can be hard for a restaurant to stand out. Charleston has dozens of award-winning restaurants that cater to all budgets and tastes, but only one has won the Charleston City Paper’s Readers’ Pick for both “Best Restaurant Downtown” and “Best Restaurant in Charleston” three years in a row: FIG restaurant. While FIG has excellent food, a James Beard-award winning chef, and a casual-cool environment, it is a combination of all three that keeps locals coming back and visitors lining up to try whatever FIG has to offer.

Helmed by Executive Chef Mike Lata and business partner Adam Nemirow, FIG has charmed Charleston since its opening in 2003. Both business partners bring extensive experience to FIG; Lata and Nemirow are both Le Cordon Bleu-trained. Lata has been nominated twice for (in 2007 and 2008) and awarded once (in 2009) the James Beard “Best Chef Southeast” accolade. Nemirow’s background also includes an MBA from Johnson and Wales. In short, these men know and love the food industry, and their passion is obvious in every part of FIG.

 

Lata and Nemirow had a vision for their restaurant from the start: they wanted a place that was “a haven for people who simply love food.” This focus is still evident in FIG’s mission statement, which promises that the restaurant will be a “unique restaurant that…feature[s] simple, seasonal food in a sociable, unpretentious setting.” Ten years later, the rotating food and wine menus still focu on these tenants. The ingredients for the menu items are locally sourced and cooked so that their basic flavors are highlighted. The value-based wine menu is selected to accompany these delicious, basic tastes.

See samples of the dinner, drinks and wine menus. Reservations are accepted up to one month in advance. FIG’s dining area is open Monday through Thursday 5:30-10:30 PM, and Friday and Saturday from 5:30 to 11:00 PM. The bar opens at 5:00 PM Monday through Saturday. The restaurant is closed on Sundays. FIG is located at the corner of Hasell Street and Meeting Street at 232 Meeting.

 

Sources:

“About: Adam Nemirow.” FIG restaurant. http://eatatfig.com/about/view/adam_nemirow/

“About: Mike Lata.” FIG restaurant. http://eatatfig.com/about/view/mike_lata/

“Best Restaurant and Best Restaurant in Charleston: FIG.” Charleston City Paper. March 2012. http://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/charleston/best-restaurant-and-best-downtown-restaurant/BestOf?oid=4032685

 

Jones, Scott. “Three Special Restaurants.” Southern Living Magazine. December 2007. http://www.eatatfig.com/assets/press_uploads/SouthernLiving_Dec07.pdf