The Local

I'm really not very good at keeping this blog up to date, but I'll work on it.

This week Dave, Sara and I ventured to The Local. We have been there many times before but it has always been a question for us because in our experiences, the lunch hour there is so busy. The food is good but the service has always been slow. One of the first times, we sat down at noon, finally got our order taken at 12:25, and got our food at 12:55, which we basically had to take to go. That particular day, about 2 hours after my lunch, there was an ad on Craig's List from the Local looking to hire someone during the day shift.

Well, I'm happy to report that on Wednesday, the usual waitress was there, but now at least 2 other food runners/bussers who help keep drinks full and whatnot. Our orders were taken promptly, our food came out in a reasonable amount of time, and our check was delivered without any wait. All of this lets me get on to the food.

As I mentioned, I've been there many times before. I'm a huge fan of the "steak stuffer" sandwich. This is a hollowed out baguette filled with large chunks of steak (or chicken if you prefer), melted cheese, with sauteed mushrooms and onions. They offer this sandwich "local style" too, with lettuce and tomatoes and other stuff, but I was told that they only suggest that with the chicken.

This time, however, I was lucky that the tortellini was a special of the day. Whenever its on special, I get this plate. The tortellini are made of tri-colored pasta stuffed with cheese in a garlicky alfredo sauce. There are chunks of grilled chicken on top and served with garlic toast, which is pretty much white bread rubbed with garlic and toasted. Sounds plain but it's good. There is a lot of food, and as I type this, I'm eating the leftovers cold, and it tastes just as good as it did when it was served hot.

Dave prefers the "black bean plate". It is a bowl with about a third of it full of white rice, a third of black beans, and his preference is the steak, though chicken and shrimp are also available. It comes with your choice of tortillas.

Sara usually opts for the turkey club, but this time went with a cheeseburger. Neither marvelous nor disappointing, if you're in the mood for a burger, this place is as good as any. The thing I love about the Local is the proximity to Yard House, which to me, has mediocre food at prices way too high to fork out for lunch. Each of us splitting the bill, including our drinks, tax and tip, paid about $14-$15. Still a little steep for lunch, but for the occasional splurge, it's closer than Karl Strauss.

Also note, they have great daily happy hour specials and they usually have a few good lunch specials. If you're there on the right day, I also highly recommend checking out their seafood bisque. It is delicious.

The Local is located at 1065 Fourth Avenue, close to the trolley line at C Street. It is also a great place to pre-drink before shows at the House of Blues.