Figulina — Restaurant in Raleigh

Farm to Table Italian cuisine with Southern Twist, with the perfect combination of ingredients and Flavors

I had the opportunity to dine at Figulina in Raleigh, NC, which offers freshly made pasta with strong Italian influences, bringing in new flavors, ingredients, and spices. The overall restaurant created an atmosphere that catered to a variety of patrons, including couples/dates, families, business colleagues, and small to large groups, with an equally spacious outside patio. The service was also a step above the rest, with curated descriptions of all the cuisines and attention to detail. They surely made the night one to remember and a reason to come back.

Having traveled the globe to over 69 countries, including spending an extensive period in Italy, what really impressed me was how they took very Italian-inspired dishes but made them more elaborate and exciting for a one-of-a-kind tasting experience.

We started with some appetizers and small plates, which included #1 Stuffed dates with Gorgonzola Dolce, Medjool dates, hazelnuts, hot honey, #2 Whipped ricotta with roasted muscadine, prosciutto, pickled celery, farro piccolo, and verjus, and #3 House Focaccia.

The Stuff Dates was a combination of the deep sweetness of the dates, soft creaminess, and flavor from the gorgonzola, complemented by the crunchy hazelnut, and the sweetness of the honey, which produced an amazing one-bite, flavorful experience.

The Whipped Ricotta goes beyond sophisticated with its rich ricotta at the bottom, farro for texture and traction, roasted muscadines that burst like little pockets of jam, and prosciutto bits for a slight salty-sweet flavor, leaving you with the desire for more.

Finally, the focaccia wasn't really groundbreaking. In fact, I have had much better focaccia in other places – it wasn't exactly worth eating as it just fills up your stomach unnecessarily.

We followed up with 3 entrees: #1 Rigatoni with red wine–braised eggplant, capers, oyster mushroom, and bottarga crumb, #2 Triangoli with braised guinea hen, sweet pepper tagine, charred okra, goat lady chèvre, preserved lemon, toasted pistachio, and #3 Mafaldine alla carbonara with guanciale and pecorino romano.

The Rigatoni was an intricate pasta dish with a red wine braise that softened the eggplant to a silky, confit consistency, featuring subtle tannic complexity, capers that brought flashes of saltiness, and oyster mushrooms that introduced a satiny, woody texture that played off the eggplant. The bottarga crumb is the coup de grâce: sea salt salinity and sandy crunch that sticks to rigatoni ridges, salting each bite.

The Triangoli was an excellent blend of Mediterranean and North African flavors, with the triangoli laminated and cooked just past al dente to accommodate the tangy chèvre's tanginess and creaminess inside. The guinea hen provides a juicy, savory, and spiced flavor profile, while the sweet pepper tagine adds warmth and sweetness. The charred okra brings smokiness and a faint grassy note, and the accompaniment of preserved lemon provides the perfect combination of sweet, savory, and citrus. There was a minor execution issue with the dish. It was too spicy. Unfortunately, when using fresh ingredients from local farms, there are always challenges in what you will receive. They believe that the peppers may have added too much spice to the dish, which made it a little overpowering.

While the Mafaldine alla carbonara was a perfected classic, with the silkiness of the fresh pasta, the emulsion of the egg, and the pecorino romano, it also brought a feeling of refreshment with each rich bite. I found the dish to be a little lackluster in terms of complexity. I feel that this dish could have added dimension to make it more interesting with some different garnishes or added flavor elements, such as caramelized onions, wild mushrooms, peas, or even more impactful pancetta, which could elevate this dish to...

Here’s a short summary because this review will be long: Figulina has been open for around five weeks and we’ve already dined there three times. After those three visits, I’m confident in saying it’s the best restaurant in Raleigh.

I come from a very big Italian family — all of whom are excellent cooks. It’s rare for any of us to order pasta at restaurants because 99% of the time, we’ll have it and think, “ehh, it’s good but we can make it better at home.”

— but then there’s that elusive 1%. That’s where places like Figulina work their magic.

Figulina is doing something special. Their pasta is a beautiful melding of the familiar and the unique. If you want familiarity, the perfectly al-dente pappardelle bolognese is some of the best I’ve ever eaten, and that includes what I’ve had in Florence itself. Their pillowy gnocchi with turnip green pesto is bright and comforting, while the rigatoni with sweet potato, caciocavallo, and fried garlic — a combination wholly unique to me — is as fascinating and complex as it is delicious.

Figulina understands that the best Italian food, particularly pasta, is not born of a rigid adherence to specific ingredients and traditional recipes. It is a celebration of the best, most exemplary, peak-seasonal ingredients prepared in a way that allows their best qualities to shine. Every dish we’ve enjoyed there has epitomized that freshness and meticulousness.

The small plates and desserts are just as well conceived and executed. Our favorites are the charred cabbage and their new addition, whey-braised radishes with pistachio butter. The former is anointed with a beautiful, citrusy salsa verde that offsets the decadence of the gruyere mornay, while the latter is the purest example of springtime I’ve had in a dish: the crisp, peppery radishes are complimented by just a touch of fennel, while the sweet pistachio butter offers a crunchy decadence that ties it all together.

Their chocolate tart dessert is dense and dark and desirable and the dream of any chocolate addict. The buttermilk panna cotta with pear and honeycomb, which jiggles seductively with every movement of the plate and spoon and is the star of many slow-motion Instagram videos, is something that may exist for ten seconds in front of you before it is inhaled. It is magnificent.

Figulina has clearly put a lot of thought into their drink menu. Their cocktails, most of which feature a particular type of amaro, are outstanding and well balanced. I’m so impressed by how sweetness and bitterness are played off each other and how well those notes complement the food.

Lastly, I have to mention the staff. They are universally lovely: chefs, waitstaff, mixologists, managers, and all. They’re fun, interesting, and kind. When the food is so good, it’s sometimes easy to look past the service, but it is no less important to the overall impression you get from Figulina — before, during, and after...

Let's start with the positives:

The two pasta dishes that my wife and I had (Cannelloni and Corzetti) were both very good. Each was fairly original and the pasta was perfectly 'al dente', as it should be.

Secondly, the service was generally very good. Our server was attentive and our dishes, starter, pasta courses, dessert, drinks, were all delivered to our table in a timely manner, so they have their process down in the kitchen. Commendable.

Now for the negatives:

The restaurant itself is pretty terrible. This looks like a roadside BBQ joint in the middle of Texas. It has less charm than a dilapidated barn. There has been almost no effort at anything resembling design or decor. The booths (the few that there are) are just OK, but the tables/chairs are absolutely basic, the kind that you might find at a Panera (Pro Tip: don't go to Panera). When spending $150 or more for dinner for two, you expect more than this. It's just sad. Had I seen the place first before making a reservation, I would not have gone.

As for the food that proved to be a little 'problematic'... we had the Lamb Rillette, which was OK (just OK, not good). However, it was served with the densest, heaviest, and most flavorless bread (grilled soda bread?) that I've ever eaten. This bread is an affront to the absolute wonder and joy that is bread. It's miserable and really disappointing, especially as this was the only bread that we saw while we were there. I understand trying to be different, but of the many (and I mean hundreds) of choices for bread to serve at what is essentially just a pasta restaurant, why would you serve this lead bomb to your customers?!? A toasted, crusty Italian country bread would have done wonders, but alas... no. And no other bread around, at an Italian restaurant? I mean, its a choice, but ultimately a silly one.

Finally, we ordered the "Chocolate Stout Cake". This, I imagine, was made by the same person that made the unforgiveable bread mentioned above. "Stout" is a good description, because its another lead bomb. There's no 'cakiness' to it at all. It's dense and heavy, and despite the fact that they advertise "Videri Chocolate" in the description, its not very chocolaty either. And if you thought that this dense thing could be saved by the ice cream then you would be disappointed. The ice cream was more like ice milk. There was no creaminess or richness or even much flavor at all. It was easily the worst ice cream that I've eaten in 10 years. I don't understand how a chef can serve this dish and still be allowed to be a chef.

In summary: Don't go. It's a bad experience due to a terrible atmosphere, uneven food quality, and bizarre menu choices. There are much better, and way more delicious, ways to drop $150 on a...