Figo (Photo and Restaurant Review)

Figo (Photo and Restaurant Review)
Originally uploaded by Lance McCord

So Arica and I went to this place over in Edgewood that just opened up, Figo. The deal is that you walk in the door and up to the counter, where you order your pasta—you choose from a list of pastas on one side of the menu, and a list of sauces on the other. Then you go sit down and eat your dinner.

Except it isn't that simple.

Let me start by saying that their system for assigning the right prepared dishes to the right people is insane: the whole thing hinges on a pepper mill. Or, rather, a bunch of slightly different pepper mills. See, after you pay for your meal, the cash register guy gives you one of these pepper mills. Then, the wait staff wander through the restaurant with hot bowls of pasta looking for the black pepper mill with the white top and a silver band (not the black one with the white top and the gold band). Silly, right?

So we're sitting there (brown mill, brown top, silver band), and staff keep walking up and offering us food that isn't ours. After the fourth time, we stopped the guy and had him write down our order again. I mean, he had to be wondering what we ordered and was maybe just too embarrassed to ask. (Throughout all of this, our waitress has disappeared. Remember how I said that you pay up front? If you're tipping on a credit card, you tip up front too. Again, silly.)

Eventually our food comes out—no, wait—eventually my food comes out along with a dish not entirely unlike what Arica ordered. When Arica pointed out the discrepancy to the waiter, he said—hold on, wait. First, let me tell you what she ordered: fettuccine alfredo with chicken. See, Arica's in month 8 of a pregnancy, and boring is good. What comes out is fettuccine in a bowl, with a side bowl of chicken in a red sauce that just looks spicy.

So when Arica pointed out the discrepancy to the waiter, he says "Isn't that what you ordered, fettuccine with mumblemumblemumble?" It was embarrassing for all.

But here's the thing: the pasta was really good! My sauce (something with "Italian" bacon in a tomato sauce; I doubt very much that they killed that pig in Italy) was fair, but the pasta was al dente—actually al dente, unlike anything I've ever had at any other chain Italian restaurant before. And Arica's alfredo.... Well, you know how "alfredo" in most restaurants is code for "boring boring reduced cream boring sauce"? Arica's pasta was thick with cheesy goodness. All of this (plus a salad big enough to share) for under $19—not bad!

(And the manager gave us a card for a free meal next time, too.)

Uploaded by Lance McCord on 2 Nov 06, 8.58PM CST.