Photo by Emily Featherston.
Fig Pig Breakfast, front, and Crab Cake Situation at Fig Tree Cafe in Cahaba Heights.
Three years ago, on Mother’s Day 2014, The Fig Tree Cafe was serving brunch for the first time. Executive chef Jon Holland was explaining the fledgling restaurant’s brunch dishes, including a crab cake eggs Benedict.
When he reached one diner and asked for her order she simply said, “I’ll take that crab cake situation.”
The name stuck, and diners can get the same Crab Cake Situation this Mother’s Day, along with an ever-changing variety of simple but tasty food.
After three years, Fig Tree Cafe is still the small hole in the wall connected to a hair salon it was when Holland opened.
But with a band of fierce regulars, and a menu focused on being as farm-to-table as possible, Holland said he wants the cafe to be anything but your basic brunch spot.
“The No. 1 thing I love about being a chef is that you never have to stop learning,” Holland said, thanking his regular customers for giving him the freedom to try new things and bring fine dining to a small, tight-knit community.
Holland said brunch is the time he gets to have the most fun with his cooking. By taking staples such as chicken and waffles or sausage and eggs and focusing on fresh, homegrown ingredients, he said he is able to bring together the best of what makes people love those meals.
For example, Holland said the Fig Pig Breakfast features a sausage patty made from Fig Tree’s own pigs, which are fed a special diet to create a concentrated flavor.
And like all dishes at Fig Tree, many brunch favorites are only available seasonally, to ensure that ingredients are of the best quality.
Operating partner Justin Church said it’s the community atmosphere at Fig Tree that he thinks makes it special.
Church said he also loves the way brunch puts people in a great mood, and he is excited to be able to work Mother’s Day brunch this year.
The Fig Tree Cafe will be open during its normal brunch hours, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 14, and will also have a reservation-only Mother’s Day dinner, with a menu to be announced.
In the meantime, or for those unable to make it to Fig Tree for a celebration of mom, Holland suggested trying a spin on the Fig Pig breakfast.
He won’t, however, be sharing the recipe for the Crab Cake Situation.
Recipe:
► 2 pounds ground pork
► 4 tablespoons sage, ground
► 2 tablespoons maple syrup
► 1½ tablespoons kosher salt
► 1 tablespoon dried oregano
Steps:
1. Gently combine ingredients in a sizable bowl until mixed.
2. Let the mixture rest overnight in the refrigerator.
3. Portion and cook in a large skillet until crispy and no longer pink in the middle.
4. Can be served alongside any breakfast favorite, but Fig Tree pairs with fried eggs — cooked to preference — and cheesy grits.
