New restaurant serves Mediterranean food; Moe's Place owner sold at farmers markets before (2024)

What's the name of the new restaurant in Jensen Beach?

Fig & Olive Cafe

Where is Fig & Olive Cafe?

1309 N.E. Sunview Terrace, Jensen Beach; formerly The Tea Room Jensen, which closed in 2023

Who owns Fig & Olive Cafe?

Owner Lorri Roth runs Fig & Olive Cafe with her husband, Moe Tan. “I grew up in a very privileged house with private chefs,” Roth said. “I grew up in Manhattan, the food capital of the world, so I just know food.” She previously owned charter yachts in Turkey and taught her chefs how to cook to keep it consistent across the fleet.

After she moved to Florida, she started selling her food at a green market in Hollywood in 2017. After moving to Port St. Lucie and then Jensen Beach in 2023, she opened her “Moe’s Place” booth at green markets in Fort Pierce, Vero Beach, Stuart and Hobe Sound. She specialized in lavash, hummus, yogurt balls, other dips and baklava.

It was difficult to keep up the quality of food when moving around, Roth said, so she wanted to open a permanent location. She named it Fig & Olive Cafe so it wouldn’t be confused with the FIG & OLIVE restaurants in New York City, Chicago, Houston and D.C. “My pride is looking at people’s faces and watching their eyes roll in their head with excitement when they eat something,” Roth said.

What kind of food does Fig & Olive Cafe serve?

Roth doesn’t claim to be a great chef, but she does claim to have a great palate. She always tastes her food because, for example, not every clove of garlic is the same. It wouldn’t be a restaurant without her. “There’s no recipes,” Roth said. “It’s me.”

She has a base menu, but the specials change daily. She tries to do farm-to-table and organic as much as possible. She gets organic grains shipped from Turkey, and fish flown in from Turkey. “My food’s organic, it’s real, it’s homemade,” she said. “My food doesn’t have a lifespan.”

What's on Fig & Olive Cafe's menu?

Cold starters

• Hummus: Puree of chickpeas, tahini, fresh garlic, olive oil and fresh lemon juice; served with warm pita bread ($10)
• Roasted beets with cashew herb: Roasted beets, onion and garlic with lightly caramelized, tender-but-not-quite-crisp exteriors and deep, condensed flavor; served with our cashew dipping sauce ($10)
• Octopus salad: Light, fresh and tender octopus, pickles, capers, dill garlic lemon and olive oil ($20)
• Roasted cauliflower and chickpeas: Cauliflower and chickpeas roasted to perfection with onion, garlic and seasoning, gently tossed in homemade lemon tahini sauce ($10)
• Goat cheese and fig crostini: Fig crostini with caramelized onion, juicy figs and tangy goat cheese ($12)
• Baba ghanoush: Middle Eastern origins that is made of eggplant blended with tahini, garlic, lemon juice and salt ($10)
• Tzatziki: Garlic yogurt topped with fresh mint, dill, cucumbers, olive oil and salt ($8)
• Charred eggplant salad: Grilled eggplant, grilled red pepper, parsley, red onion, scallions, garlic, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and extra virgin olive oil ($12)
• Acili ezme: Walnut and roasted red pepper dip that’s savory, sweet, slightly smoky and just enough spicy ($10)
• Zeytinyagli fasulye: Slowly braised fresh beans in olive oil, tomato, onion and dill ($10)
• Stuffed grape leaves: Yaprak Sarma, Turkish style vegetarian with unique blend of spices ($10)
• Fava bean pate with caramelized onions: Bakla ezmesi is a traditional Turkish food made of fava beans, dill, onion, garlic, extra virgin olive oil and lemon ($10)

Hot starters

• Sigara burek: Crispy Turkish cheese rolls made from thin phyllo dough and an herby cheese filling ($12)
• Fried calamari: Tender rings and tentacles in special dipping sauce ($18)
• Spinach pie: Spinach, beet leaves, dill, leeks, parsley and imported feta cheese in a delicate filo pastry ($10)
• Falafel: Fried ball with chickpeas, chickpea flour, garlic, spices and fresh herbs blended together, rolled into balls, then deep-fried until golden and crunchy ($12)

Soups

• Lentil soup: Turkish lentil soup made with lentils, veggies and spices ($7)
• Tomato soup: Creamy tomato soup with melted cheese ($7)

Salads

• Shepard’s salad: Chopped romaine lettuce, tomato, cucumber, dill, parsley, red cabbage, onions, olives and feta with house salad dressing ($8-$14)
• Caesar salad: Homemade croutons with rich creamy dressing ($8-$14)
• Kiser Turkish tabuli: Kneaded bulger with fresh herbs, tomato, cucumbers, pickles onions ($9)

Main dishes

• Lamb kebab: Skewers of tender lamb marinated in unique seasonings and chargrilled ($22)
• Chicken kebab: Tender chunks of chicken marinated in special blend or herbs and olive oil ($17)
• Kofte: Turkish meat balls that are grilled to perfection ($15)
• Grilled octopus: Tender and flavorful Mediterranean delicacy ($30)
• Lamb stew: Sultan’s delight, or hunkar begendi, is an Ottaman dish that consists of a lamb stew served over an eggplant-bechamel sauce ($25)
• Iskender: Thinly sliced grilled doner kebab over pita bread pieces and garlic yogurt mix, topped with hot tomato sauce and browned butter ($19)
• Meat-stuffed grape leaves: Hand-rolled beef and rice-stuffed grape leaves with yogurt and browned butter ($24)
• Sea bream: Delicate and mild with a sweet, succulent flesh and a skin that crisps when grilled ($26)

When did Fig & Olive Cafe open?

May 14, 2024

What are Fig & Olive Cafe's hours?

11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday-Saturday (closed Sunday-Monday, but planning to add brunch 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday)

What are Fig & Olive Cafe's phone number, website and social media?

772-271-0100, website, Facebook, Instagram

Laurie K. Blandfordis TCPalm'sentertainmentreporterdedicated to finding the best things to do on the Treasure Coast. Email her atlaurie.blandford@tcpalm.com. Sign up for her What To Do in 772 weekly newsletter atprofile.tcpalm.com/newsletters/manage.