Fig Tree, a Venice Beach cafe operating on the boardwalk for the last 40 years, updated its menu to reflect more seasonal produce from farmers markets. Chef/owner Dashiell Nathanson changes half of the menu every quarter, with sorrel from Coleman Family Farms shaping three new spring dishes.
Nathanson appreciates the French variety that has notes of citrus and green apple. He tops a seasonal omelette with a salsa made from asparagus and sorrel. He also adds the salsa to a fresh Ferrazzani's conchiglie with English peas and ricotta, and he folds it into the Caesar salad with chidoris, market Romaine lettuce, sorrel, and dandelion greens. With front row sunset views, the Fig Tree is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Romeo Coleman of Coleman Family Farms grows the sorrel that Nathanson uses in his kitchen. Wood sorrel, or oxalis, is native to California, says Coleman, and can be found growing on the peripheries of forests and in neighborhoods. He remembers plucking off the stems and chewing it as a kid, the sourness making his cheeks pucker.
French sorrel is a cultivated variety that his father started growing more than 40 years ago. A perennial, the sorrel comes back every year. While the wood sorrel is tart, Coleman refers to the French variety as "spinach with better flavor." Springtime is also the season for anise-flavored French tarragon and huacatay, commonly known as Peruvian mint, which is reminiscent of marigolds on the palate.