Local

My boyfriend surprised me with a dinner reservation to Local. Several office workers had mentioned this establishment so I was somewhat familiar with it's reputation. We were seated up front - a bit quiet but appreciated for our cozy frame of mind. The waitress recommended fried green beans and they delivered for us. The batter was very crispy with a garlic dipping sauce, excellent pairing! I ordered the sea bass with risotto. It was a bit under cooked for me but the flavor combination of the sauce was very good. My boyfriend had the short ribs with was accompanied with white cheddar grits. Again, very nicely done. We had Lynmar Estate Pinot Noir with meal - my new favorite when I see it on a list! All in all, a very nice experience. more

My family and I ate at Local not to long ago. Food was quite good, although I advise against the green beans. they were tasteless. drinks were very good. lamb shank was tender and tasty. the waitress was slightly slow and would disappear for long periods of time. however, the main issue I had was the chef came out and awknowledged every table but mine, which turned me off. i realize i was with my sisters, and we were relatively young compared to the rest of the patrons but i thought this was slightly inappropriate. overall, i loved the ambiance and food. would have been five stars except the less than outstanding service and the chefs behavior Pros: unique drinks, great ambiance, very good food Cons: slow service more

PROS : +Cute, Cozy, Portland-Hipster Decor +Perfectly cooked meats +Good Menu CONS : +Waitstaff SubPar +""Chef does not allow"" side substitutions (for other sides on menu - I just don't like polenta! Isn't that my right as a paying customer to not have something I won't eat on my plate?) +All other food besides meat, just - eh +Most inexpensive glass of wine is $12, first glasses came as just over half pours. Second glass was a full pour, but had to ask 3 different people before list was in hand +For Dessert we ordered a coffee and ice cream. I'd finished my ice cream before the coffee was even brought to the table. If every item was several dollar less, it wouldn't feel like such a rip-off. Get it together a little, local! Make me love you! I Really wanna. Pros: perfectly cooked meat, design Cons: subpar service, no substitutions, overpriced more

My wife and I went to Local for Valentines Day. We were seated promptly at a table, and after about five minutes of akward sitting and talking (the table caused us to be very far apart from each other, but very close to our neighbors at the same time), we asked to move to a corner booth. Our waiter was attentive, though our water glasses did not remain full throughout the evening. We ordered the crab cakes, which sounded tasty. They were not. For the price, I expected more, but the cakes instead were three teeny-tiny almost quarter sized bits. More importantly, the cakes did not taste like really freash crab, but instead, more like the canned variety. Realizing our mistake, we looked around the room and saw another couple with an order of fired green beans that looked amazing. We asked the waiter for an order of the green beans, and they were nothing short of amazing. Not an ounce of grease was to be found, they were light, crispy (almost a cornstarch based batter), and the dipping sauce was very good as well. Pros: Fried green beans, atmosphere Cons: Portions, flavor, crab cakes! more

A local friend recommended this as a cool place to go for good food, a bit pricey, but what the hell, you only go around once. The place is eclectic and pleasing to the eye, but that's where the good stuff ends. We were seated and waited on in a timely manner, but unfortunately everything went down hill after that. Our wine was delivered a good 25 minutes after ordered and in the absence of our water glasses ever being refilled, my mouth went dry. Our appetizers came another 30 minutes after the belated wine, and our 3 microscopic crab cakes (at $13 per order), stunned me to the point that I almost broke out hysterically laughing. The presentation was nice, but they might just as well brought us a food magazine picture of the appetizer for all the substance that was actually provided. Finally, another 25 minutes later (now over an hour and 15 minutes after we had ordered) our entrees arrived. Decent, but I can promise nothing special. Oh yeah, as a consolation for the tardiness of the meal, the wait staff brought us 2 cups (and I use the word cups advisedly) of asparagus soup. One normal size eyedropper would have been plenty to have distributed the soup to both myself and my date. I am not a great epicurean, but I have dined in upscale restaurants in NYC, San Francisco, Chicago, Houston as well as in Europe and I know an overpriced pretentious restaurant when I see it and believe me, I have now seen it. more

Was in town and was recommended to check the place out. Was promptly seated and the place was very nicely decorated. Ordered a glass of wine and then twenty minutes later had to remind wait staff about order and finally got a glass of Pinot. Forty-five minutes later, with no appetizer our waiter came by to tell us she forgot what we ordered but she had put in an order that she thought was ours. One hour into the meal we got some chex mix (yes) and then about 2 TBS of asparagus soup. Just when we were about to walk our food came. I ordered the halibut with hazelnuts which sat on some nice bread but the salad greens were placed in the bowl with the bread and the dressing turned the whole thing to slop. The fish, though cooked perfectly, lacked any flavor except for that which the hazelnut topping had provided. My date had a lamb chop which was a little overcooked and very small for the price. All in all a disappointing evening. Perhaps back in 2005 things were better but now some things definitely need a renovation. more

I called a few times to get a reservation on a sat. night. It was really tough on any weekend night especially if its at 7.30pm. The wait staff was all sitting in chairs before we arrived. We were offered drinks, but opted out for just water. The only choices from the snoody waiter was Dallas water or sparkling bottled, which bottled was $7.00. As an appetizer we had fried green beans, which were $9. The entrees were $28-$38 each. I had fish and chips, which was scallops a whopping two of them with bb size hushpuppies and the entree was $28. For the price, I should have ordered four plates to fill me up. The steak was a bit small, but cooked well with a polenta patty drapped in a port sauce. For almost $40 it damn well better be awesome. My girlfriend had some sorbet, which was nice if you just wanted one bite. The dinner was just at $100.00. I'm not really sure I'd recommend this place to anyone. I thought the food was way overpriced, the wait staff stood and watched us eat every bite, and it was so intimate, that I could hear every word spoken at the table next to us. Pros: good menu Cons: very limeted food more

Local has it all: friendly staff, delicious food, beautiful decor, elegent ambiance. I went on a Saturday night with a group of ten, and all of us were so pleased with the quality of the food and service. We were sat promptly when we arrived (with reservations), and our waiter was very attentive and polite from the moment he introduced himself. I experienced the fried green beans (even kiddos would eat these amazing appetizers), cheese platter, tomato basil soup and mini grilled cheese sandwiches (the most wonderful pre-meal treat), angus filet with fried potatos, and pear tart with pistacio ice cream. Everything (including the wine) was absolutely amazing! The chef personally came out to say hello and bring us a fabulous end-of-meal treat: tiny Ovaltine shakes. (I don't remember Ovaltine tasting that decadent!) The price is very fair for the high-end experience that you are getting, so if you have the cash or a special occassion coming up and are looking for a great place to try, check out Local! You will not be disappointed. Pros: Service, decor, cuisine, wine, humble chef Cons: No liquor served...just know that before you arrive more

We go to Local for all our special occasions. We love the decor, the food is perfect and the waitstaff isn't snooty. We always order the same thing. The cheese plate, burger, soup (changes often--tomato with cheese stuffed croutons is the best) and an order of 3 extra sides... mascarpone mac-n-cheese, lemon risotto (very subtle!), and the seasonal vegetable (asparagus is our favorite). We usually skip dessert and have a few champagne cocktails instead. I highly recommend Local! Plus, the owners are really nice. Pros: Each table has it's own mini Rex Ray original. more

cool atmosphere- small space-- prices are too high for what you get. Rst pork tacos appetizer was a joke-- for 14/$ it look like a serving for an infant. Entrees should have been a bit lower. more

Local is a cool place to go. The space is very inviting, the people (working and dining) are lots of fun to watch, and the food is very nice. I would caution you that the entrees are ridiculously priced for what they are, so skip them. However, the noteworthy items--any of the baked desserts and the fried green beans--make this a worthwhile dinner destination. Reservations are a must. Pros: baked desserts, fried green beans Cons: crowded, parking can be difficult, entrees are only OK but quite costly more

The food is good--great ingredients, well-prepared, buttoo tow hours to arrive on a Saturday night. more

Sophisticated, Friendly, Urban, Unique, Comfortable, and Delicious. These all co-exist at Local - a hidden jewel on the edge of Deep Ellum. With plenty of free parking in the adjacent lot this is a breeze to get to. The attention to detail is apparent throughout the restaurant from the clever menu design, to the food preparation, to the wine selections. After my second visit I felt like a regular. groups can be accomodated in the cool secluded raised area. I hear the bar/lounge is opening soon. more

This restaurant is a sophisticated option in Deep Ellum. The wine list is impressive, as is the rotating menu. Service is attentive and helpful when making choices. The dining room is always full of regulars, who've been seduced by the consistant quality. more

If you dont have a reason to be in Dallas find one, if only to make it to this wonderful restaurant. Housed in a former hotel, apparently Bonnie and Clyde stayed here (and if it was restaurant at the time they wouldnt have left and got into all that trouble) LOCAL is second to none on decor and food. Alice commands the front, with knowledgeable and friendly wait staff (were their belts really Prada?). The service is personal and attentive, without being pushy. The decor is understated and chic, without being stuffy. The kitchen is Tracys realm and the food organic and magnificently prepared was sublime, and easily some of the best food I have eaten on any continent. Book, go there, and enjoy. more