Located in a converted house on busy Grand Avenue, the Barbary Fig has established itself as the St. Paul restaurant to go to, when you’re craving Mediterranean food. You can eat in the upstairs dining room, or have dinner on the outside deck, and soak up some sun.
Owner Brahim Hadj-Moussa, is also the chef. He’s been cooking south Mediterranean food for the past eleven years Hadj, as he likes to be called, greets the diners at each table, then hurriedly rushes into the kitchen to cook their orders.
Unlike most restaurants, no bread basket will be brought to the table. Try the crusty French bread, with black olives sautéed in olive oil, garlic, and cayenne. This bread is so tasty; you won’t mind paying the $3.00.
The house soup of lamb, chicken broth, tomato, cracked wheat, and lemon juice, is the only soup offered. Hadj, who is Algerian, claims that the people back home eat the same soup everyday, and he doesn’t want to keep up with fast paced American restaurants,. that feature several different soups. A cup of this hearty soup is only $1.50.
Portions are small, so plan on ordering appetizers and one of their tasty desserts. Most of the entrees are under $10.00, so you can experiment with food from a different culture, and not wreak havoc on your budget.
North African red wine is only $4.50 a glass. Ask for a sample first, as it has a thick, raisin taste to it, and you may not like it. Your server will be happy to recommend a wine that will pair with your meal.
I like to order the Artichoke Hearts with Goat Cheese, as my appetizer. This tasty duo is spread all over a plate of baby greens.
Hadj didn’t forget the salad lovers when he made up the menu. Eggplant Lettuce Salad is served with crunchy walnuts, and dressed with an artichoke paste
My favorite dish is the Chicken Bastilla. Perfectly seasoned chicken is cooked in savory custard, and then folded into a paper thin sheet of phyllo. After baking in the oven, it’s topped with sautéed vegetables, and apricot-fig pear chutney.
Shekshuka is a North African/Middle Eastern dish, and can be prepared in a variety of ways. At the Barbary Fig, lamb sausage, scrambled eggs, tomato, and pepper are topped with harisa, which is a hot pepper paste. Ask to leave the harisa off, if you’re not a hot sauce lover.
Vegetarians can order the bean & Lentil Stew with apricots and asparagus. Topped with a mint dill sauce, this stew will warm you up and fill you up.
House specials are changed ever few days, so take advantage of the special prices.
The Merguez Couscous is perfectly cooked and topped with mounds of garlic lamb sausage. The ginger, nutmeg, caramelized onions, currants, and crispy yams really mix well with each other, and I especially liked the crispy yam taste.
Desserts are so good, that you’ll be tempted to order more than one. Since I’m a chocolate lover, I always order the Bourek. Rich, Belgian chocolate is wrapped in pastry leaves, and then smothered in honey and lavender. It resembles a chocolate cigar.
A close runner up to the bourek, is the crème caramel, with its sweet burnt sugar syrup. If your taste buds don’t like sweet and sticky desserts, order a plate of fresh, organic dates.
The Barbary Fig is open for lunch at 11AM everyday, but Tuesday and Sunday. Dinner is served nightly starting at 5:30 PM. On Friday and Saturday, the restaurant is open until 9:30pm, and 9pm the rest of the week. Barbary Fig is closed on Tuesdays.
Sources:
twincities.citysearch.com/profile/5522995/st_paul_mn/barbary_fig.html
www.startribune.com/lifestyle/taste/11403416.html
