Restaurant Review: Local in Deep Ellum

by Staff of Gay List Daily

It’s never a good sign when there’s ample parking outside of a really good restaurant on a Saturday night. Add to that one lone tumbleweed blowing down the road and you have the foreshadowing of a very bad experience - kind of like when the girl’s high heel breaks as she tries to run in Friday the 13th. Luckily that was not case for our much overdue return visit to the Local, chef Tracy Miller’s gem of a foodie haunt tucked inside the old Boyd Hotel.

Local is the kind of place you go for a long, drawn out dinner where you can catch up on gossip over courses. Start out with a cocktail to get the conversation flowing freely. Although we used to pledge allegiance to their signature Champagne Drink (a dollop of grapefruit/rosemary sorbet floating in a bit of the bubbly), our new summer fave is the Prosecco Mojito. It’s so fresh it’s like brushing your teeth with alcohol.

The menu is divided into “Short” and “Long” orders (or as the common folk call them “appetizers” and “entrees”). For Short, it’s all about fried green beans with thyme garlic sauce. For Long, the Crispy Panko-Crusted Sea Bass is always a winner. And make sure to throw in a batch of Mascarpone Mac & Cheese. Even those skinny bitches at your table won’t be able to resist at least one bite.

For dessert, and the final course of your evening of boy talk and catty comments, dig into some Community Donut Holes. The name may sound like something you find after hours at the bathhouse, but the reality is puffy bites of cardamom-spiced heaven. If it’s too hot out for holes, go with a scoop of Sake Pear Sorbet or a Mini Hot Fudge Sunday. (Studies show that all food is better when created in tiny-version form.)

So, next time you’re living the dinner déjà vu of “where do you want to go?”, remember - eat Local.

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