Went to Local 121 last night with neighbors. Was very excited after reading reviews and Local's promise of local sourcing. Overall all, food was very good. Had calamari, good tasty not overly battered. Dipping sauce was excellent. Next was garden salad, good but nothing special. For dinner had a pork chop special. It was excellent. Grilled with a bean salad and a cherry-like sauce. Great portion size.
The service was less than stellar. Waitress was clueless. Did not know it was Restaurant Week, did not know what the special's were, did not know what was in a Mojito...
Had the service been better, I would have given 4 stars. When you are paying over $250 for a meal, you expect better service.
Very good food and excellent service. Â After reading reviews I thought this would be very chic but there are people in shorts and golf shorts so jeans and a collared shirt were fine.
The food is fresh and from local farms. Â Prices are reasonable and the wine list was better than expected.
Cheese plate was outstanding. Â I had the duck which was good but not as flavorful as I expected. I like a lot of spice so it may be my preference. Â My kids liked the duck. Â Calamari was ok. Â Thought it would be less fried and again more seasoned but the sauce was good.
I would go back.
The food is delicious if expensive, exquisitely fresh, exquisitely seasoned and not frou frou for the sake of being frou frou (I have no patience for something that is "luxurious" for the sake of being luxurious). Â The decor is beautiful, the waitstaff exceedingly polite, and if you are lucky enough to go in while they have the steak and frites on the menu, you should get it, because if there has ever in the history of the world been an EXCELLENT steak, it is their steak.
The wine list and cocktails are also superb, and it is generally my absolute favorite restaurant for celebratory events. Â My only quibble is the exorbitant "per cake" cake cutting fee. Â I've no objection to a 25 dollar fee for bringing your own dessert, that's very understandable, but my family was celebrating my wedding with relatives who we rarely get to see, and 121 said they couldn't provide us with the cake in the time allotted, so we picked up two from whole foods, and were surprised to find it was 25 dollars per cake. Â I'd gotten two because my guests had varying cake preferences. Â 25 dollars flat for bringing your own dessert would have been much more reasonable, however the staff was very polite about it and promised to inform the management of our complaint, otherwise simply one of the best restaurants this lovely city has to offer.
Love farm to table themed restaurants and as someone who lives to eat local non-processed food, I would def say this is the place especially considering the prices are very reasonable.  They have small and large plates.  For small plates we got a mushroom salad with carrot vinagrette which was great as well as sautéd kale with white beans.  Also had bacon wrapped scallops.  Love that the scallops were dry backed and thick slices of bacon were very crispy and not soggy.  Large plates had duck which was cooked just right exactly as ordered.  Wine selection and drink selection very nice and well priced. The best was the ice cream terrine. I am usually not a fan of ice cream but we saw that everyone was ordering it so we jumped on the bandwagon and let me tell you we were def playing a tune.  It is almost like a pumpkin spice chai latte in ice cream form and was to die for. Â
Most importantly the wait staff were fantastic and the decor inside is beyond super cute. Â Will return. Â Oh wait I did the next day for lunch I thought it was that good.
Total three small plates, one large plate, one bottle of wine, one pre-dinner cocktail and dessert= $117 yay.
Very disappointed by Local 121. A group of friends and I headed out for dinner one Friday night and decided to give Local 121 a try. We arrived around 8:30pm for dinner and the hostess let us know that there were a few tables finishing up and that we could have a drink at the bar beforehand. Not a problem...we made our way to the bar to check out the drink menu. Two of us ordered the gypsy rose drink which was delicious. We chatted and sipped our cocktails for about 15 minutes before the hostess said our table was ready. As soon as the hostess told us, the bartender asked immediately if we wanted our tab. We get it, you want the tip. We said we'd take it in a few minutes then head to the table. He then proceeded to ask us if we'd be splitting the tab, if we wanted separate tabs, were we paying with cash or credit. We asked him why he needed to know whether it was cash/credit and he said he had to know before he closed the tab. Never in my life have I heard that. We paid cash for the tab and were rushed over to the dining room. The dining room is attractive yet small and the tables are very close to one another to the point where the servers squeeze in between the chairs and knock into you. The dining room had to have been close to 80 degrees - we were so hot! Server took quite a while to greet our table, bread took 15 minutes to arrive (was delivered after our appetizers because we asked someone else for it), and the entrees took 49 minutes from the time we ordered. There were two large parties there who had already eaten so I could not figure out the delay. We did not leave the restaurant until after 10pm because we begged for the check so we could leave. For apps we had the sweet potato pierogi's and pizza. We ate all of the bread because we waited so long for dinner. I ordered the bombster scallops which were good and had a bite of my friends duck. Nothing out of this world but it sufficed for the night. We obviously skipped dessert. Not sure if I will return...
Review Source:I went to the bar area to the right. The bar has good drafts, not a large selection, but their choices were all good ones. As for food, I ordered some pasta dish with chicken, it was green but not quite pesto. It was good. Fresh pasta and organic local chicken. It tasted fresh for sure. The bacon wrapped scallops were good. I honestly didn't want all that much bacon wrapped around it. The scallops itself was worth it. Cooked perfectly and tasted fresh. Excellent service and nice atmosphere.
Review Source:Dropped in late Saturday night. A few thoughts:
- "Wait, am I in a church?" Like everyone says, the decor is pretty amazing.
- "That room over there is preeeeetty." Never made it to the dining area but pretty sure I need to go back so I can slide into one of those lovely roundy booths.
- "These fries are amazing." Nom.
- "This waitress hates us. Or her job. Or is having a bad night. Something..."
- "This is one of the best G & T 's I've ever tasted." Bombay and Fever Tree tonic. Who. Knew.
- "DJ, I'm falling asleep here. ZzzzZzz."
i went here for dinner with my boyfriend tonight, and i have to say -- this place is lovely!
first of all, the decor is fabulous. Â very art deco, mostly black & white with some earth tones (like the cool, round, beige velour booths) and lots of mirrors. Â it is "fancy" while still being very relaxed -- nobody there was particularly dressed up, including the staff. Â personally, i like that. Â i can't stand eating at places where i feel like the servers are looking down their noses at me. Â i love good food, and hate a snooty ambiance. Â this place was posh and fabulously appointed, but in a very relaxed & welcoming way.
and the food! Â because i have such good taste, my boyfriend ordered all of the same stuff i did. ;-) we each had a beet salad for an appetizer, and shared some bacon-wrapped scallops. Â the beet salad was yummy, with mandarin oranges, local feta cheese, some greens, and pine nuts, with some sort of vinaigrette.
admittedly, i made the mistake of comparing it to the beet salad at my favorite farm-to-table restaurant in my hometown... there simply is no comparison. Â the feta was a bit firmer than i usually like it, and i felt that the beets may have been pre-packaged rather than fresh. Â i'm a bit of a beet snob (of all things), so i was slightly pouty about it. Â nonetheless, the flavors came together nicely, and it was tasty. Â the scallops were simple, but delicious (served with a garnish of onions & celery leaves, which i also ate -- and they were a nice accompaniment). Â i mean, really ... it's bacon. Â and scallops. Â *hugging each other.* Â what more could you want?!
for the entree, we each had the flat iron steak. Â i had mine with the creamed mustard greens, which were divine. Â my boyfriend, being lactose intolerant, opted instead for the vegetable of the day, which was, if i recall correctly, carrots and spinach with garlic and feta. Â wow - amazing. Â the mustard greens were delicious (i am actually munching on my leftovers at this very moment in my hotel room, and even cold, they are delicious!), but i almost wish i had ordered those carrots! Â the steak was cooked perfectly, warm and tender. Â they topped it with what i believe were caramelized pickled onions -- wow! Â what a unique and wonderful flavor! Â the fries were delicious, free of batter (thank goodness! Â i am intolerant of ALL grains and battered fries seem to be all the rage), and clearly fresh and house-made. Â they even had the skins on still -- my favorite!
even with all of this, i might be on the fence as to whether to give this place 3 or 4 stars. Â i'm spoiled by my local farm-to-table eatery, i realize. Â the food here was delicious, don't get me wrong, and definitely well worth the pricing, but it didn't wow me the way i'm used to at home. Â (how pitiful do i sound right now? Â i'm so pampered -- wah!)
however... i then ordered dessert. Â it was a layered blend of pumpkin ice cream & chai ice cream, served with a huge splatter of pumpkin ganache, topped with what i believe to be crumbled butterscotch chips, and sugared pumpkin seeds. Â oh. Â my. Â gosh! Â it was as if some delightfully naughty erotica was being played out on my taste buds. Â i was pretty full already by that point, but i cleaned my plate anyway. Â there was no way i was allowing a single molecule of that frosty heaven to escape my lips!
yup, that sealed the deal for me. Â ultimately, being a huge proponent of the relocalization of agriculture, and encouraging people to really think about where their food comes from and how it is grown / raised, local 121 is definitely a winner for me. Â understand, for me, it's not just the meal or the ambiance -- it's the ethics. Â this is my first time visiting providence, and i don't know if i'll ever have occasion to return, but i am going to try to make an excuse to do so. Â if only to have a bit more time to explore the rest of this city -- it seems really cool and quirky with lots of small, independent, funky shops, my favorite kind of place, reminds me of my hometown a bit! -- and ... come to local 121 again. :-)
Beautiful dining room and bar. The Speakeasy downstairs is the perfect function room for small events - it even has its own bar in the room. They have a seasonal menu and use as much local food as possible. The cocktails are really unusual, kind of expensive, but I planned for that and was really happy with what I had. This is not your typical Providence dive bar with bar food.Servers are attentive and seem well trained here. We will get around to trying their brunch one of these days, I hope! Lunch and dinner have been great.
Review Source:Consistently lovely.
Though I have never pulled out my phone to check-in here I can tell you over the past 6 months I have dined here at least 10 times, more like 20 if you count their brunch.
Let's start with their brunch. It is comical the see the lines on the west side once you have tried Local 121's brunch. Â It is delicious and offers a lovely tofu scramble with ingredients that change seasonally, as well as lots of egg options. Their drip coffee isn't always great but they have a Nesspresso so just get an Americano.
Dinner - make a reservation - this place seems to be the upscale place for groups of 6-8 so their dining room fills up fast. Â I have enjoyed a number of lovely intimate dinners. Â The service is perfectly paced and the menu features a lot of locally sourced ingredients.
Do me a favor, when you go there, and you totally should, please tell me if you think the chairs are just a hair too low for the tables...I always feel I should sit on a booster seat.
I really want to love Local 121. They have the most gorgeous and lavish decor as if they put a careful thought into every corner and space in this restaurant. I highly recommend couples to come here for special occasion or to impress the special one here. Can't go wrong.
I came here with a group of friends during Restaurant Week for lunch on a Sunday. I must have come here on the wrong day because I am disappointed for the fact that I am disappointed with this place after reading all the raving reviews.
We had the 3 course prix fiixe menu at a very reasonable price. The soup was delicious and they hit it out of the park. I picked their chicken pot pie and they aced it for decorating and putting a spin to such traditional dish. They used shredded chicken thigh meat with the most flaky crust. But it was also the most salty chicken pot pie I ever had. I was starving but because it was so salty, I drank more water than eating the pie :( It was so sad but I couldn't go on. What's wrong with me? Can't I just tough it out?!
Dessert. I don't know the exact name but I felt I ate a stick of butter that tasted like vanilla because it literally looked like a stick of butter. I must admit this is probably not a very good review, but that's all I could remember because my excessive thirst had probably ruined my palate and my taste was a little messed up.
I don't know what went wrong but I am going to give it a try again! I must believe.
Local 121 is spectacular. We went on restaurant week and had one of the best meals I've ever had.
My appetizer was a creamy ricotta spread with crostinis that was perfectly warm and delicious without being too rich. A little preserved lemon with local Narragansett ricotta was a perfect combination. For my entree I had the Smoked Portabella Mushroom, a beautifully cooked portabella cap with an almost meaty flavor over a root vegetable quinoa that was also perfectly done. Our last course was a Pear Brioche bread pudding that was once again decadent without being too heavy.
Fair prices, delicious, fresh food, and a great bar. The staff is attentive and knowledgeable. This is a great place to go either for a romantic dinner or just to sit at the bar. I would come back for another for meal or just for appetizers. Everything was delicious!
This place is so fun. Gorgeous inside, I just want to meet Cary Grant here or something. I've been here once for drinks and noshes with a few reps and other local designers. The drinks were fantastic. Really different and strong rather than sweet. The little plates of heavenly delights were ravished by our group. Even the simple cheese plate was lovely as they had local honey, a lavender infused cheese and some salty nuts. We had a pizza that was great too. Great place to come for a nice night out. Can't wait to come back for a decadent dinner.
Review Source:My friend and I had dinner here last Friday and I have to say their food is great and the prices are very fair for what it is: a restaurant based on the concept of locally sourced ingredients. Th scallops are some of the best I've ever had and their steak frites were great, even if their fries tasted a little burnt to me. The service was amazing (yay for Lindsay(sp)) and the atmosphere was great, although there were a few instances of rowdy, mood-and-atmosphere MURDERING noise from the bar. I honestly thought there was a bar fight going on for most of my time eating. Otherwise, a great dinner. Definitely recommend. Although one thing, because it's locally sourced, there is not a lot of variety in terms of type of entrees. Expect a lot of New England staples (scallops, fish, clam chowder, mussels, etc).
Review Source:Providence really is one of those little towns that holds so much promise. Â After dinner #2 on our night of adventure, we headed to Local 121 for more old fashioneds. Â They make great drinks here, and the food, although I had eaten 2 dinners, still looked really really good. Â The bar is sexy. Â There is no other way to describe the sultry lighting and beautiful decor. Â
We chilled out at a table near the bar, and when the music started pumping we got on the dance floor. Â Yes the dance floor. Â What a trip!
We ended up leaving and continuing the night, but the place rocks. Â I can see why it's so popular.
This place has two sides....restaurant and bar. I like it here for many reasons...The food is GREAT (local, fresh, always changing the menu), the ambiance is GREAT, and they play live music (downstairs). 'nough said! Great location in the middle of downtown Providence. Downstairs holds private parties and live bands or events. Restaurant side is romantic, quiet and upper scale. The bar side is, well, a bar and usually has a dj during the weekend and evening. It can get pretty crowded but then that's probably why you go to a bar. You can definitely jam to some of the djs and dance the night away. Small space, but worth it.
Review Source:I've been going to the bars in the area for some years now and had never tried this place... I'm now kicking myself! Â This place is great!
First off... complimentary valet - YES PLEASE!
The calamari was delicious. Â Cooked to perfection with this spicy citrus sauce. Â I couldn't get enough... and there was plenty to go around. Â The bacon-wrapped scallops definitely were the icing on top of the cake. Â Yum. Yum. Yum.
We enjoyed our grapefruit tarragon martinis, though I would like to taste just a little bit more of that grapefruit pucker.
Service was friendly, little slow, was a Monday night. Â Valet was very polite and quick!
Can't wait to come back!
My wife and I go here for brunch quite a bit, which I'm hesitant to tell people because it's usually pretty quiet there on sundays and I love it that way. The brunch is amazing though. We have worked our way through the whole menu pretty much. The pork hash and eggs is really worth checking out, They always have an omlette special. I got the corned beef omlette last time and it was delicious. Like I said it's great for sunday brunch but don't tell too many people because I hate waiting for brunch.
We had dinner there a few years ago on which was also great. Grilled pizza was crispy and done nice.
I found this place to be just plain weird. It was fancy looking but I didn't understand a thing on the menu and every drink I ordered the waiter said they didn't have (which doesn't make sense in a bar?) but anyway I ended up ordering some type of chowder which was just ok. Not my scene..other people might like it though.
Review Source:This is a review for the restaurant only.
I finally made it to Local for the first time on Monday, and they knocked my socks off! Great ambience, delicious food, and beautiful service. My friend and I felt like a couple of bums when we wandered into this lavish dining room in our jeans and sweatshirts, but we quickly got over it. It was fairly quiet in the dining room (Monday night), and our server Greg gave us impeccable service. He hit every detail, even the silly little things like the placement of the items on the table. My friend was in the bathroom when one of our courses came out, and he came over as soon as she came back to offer her fresh ground pepper - I loved that. Great effort, Greg. That was the first real 5-star service I've gotten in Providence.
I got a seasonal vegetable as an appetizer and the daily pasta as my entree. The seasonal veggie was delicious - it was just an assortment of root vegetables, but they were cut and cooked perfectly, and the plate was amazingly colorful. I liked the pasta, too. It was a relatively small portion, but I don't have a huge appetite so for me that's almost a good thing. I still had a little bit leftover to take home for lunch the next day. Didn't get any fancy drinks, just a hot toddy and a glass of wine.
The prices were totally reasonable. I only spent $30 on myself for 2 courses and a drink. I've spent more than for less food at Julian's, and been totally ignored by the servers all night! Local was such a treat. We plan to come back again next month, and this time we're going to bring our boyfriends so that we can sit in one of those big cushy booths.
I haven't been to the downstairs music club yet, but they get some cool bands playing there. Definitely worth checking out in the future.
I really love this space...the building is beautiful inside and out. Whenever I'm at the bar I find myself mesmerized by the gorgeous emerald green stained glass windows. The bar area just glows and the woodwork is great.
I prefer to go here in the late afternoon because the bar has plenty of seats (big, cushy stools!) and it's quiet enough for a conversation. Later on, it gets busy and there's usually a DJ...at that point it's too loud for me.
The dining room is gorgeous, but the 2 times I've had food I wasn't impressed. Yeah, they use local ingredients and that's awesome, but everything's expensive, the portions are pretty small, and I honestly don't remember a single thing that I've had. Often live music downstairs.
Like many people, we visited and tried the infamous burger, which was indeed superb. A huge unexpected portion from a restaurant that doesn't do big portions. I try to eat at restaurants that support local farmers and this is a frequent on my list.
It's off the menu now, but there was a drink called "The Unicorn" that was really delicious. I didn't even mind that it's bright pink and served in a giant wine glass.
Now, here's our bar experience on October 7th:
We walked in at about 1AM. After checking our IDs, the bouncer pulled me aside and told me the group (three of us) looked drunk so I needed to "keep them in line" and the bartender "probably wouldn't serve them anyway". Super advice in theory, but we'd all had one or two drinks. It was not a rowdy crowd.
Everyone went right to the dance floor (assuming we wouldn't be able to get drinks - nice job increasing that revenue stream, Bouncer) and within minutes someone brought over a free tray of vodka shots for everyone dancing. Looks like management wasn't that concerned about us. Mixed messages much?
We danced for about ten more minutes and then were asked to leave, because allegedly, we were offending a group of girls sitting three tables away. By dancing. I don't even know.
Let me just start off by saying that with 15 minutes of being there we were rushed to the emergency room...
My partner and I ordered a seasonal vegetable plate (carrots) for our appetizer. One minute after ordering we alert the staff that my partner has a severe peanut allergy and did not have her EPI pen on her person. The waitress (later to find out she was the manager) said she understood and would alert the kitchen.
Cocktails came, they were quite tasty. A few moments later the appetizer arrives. I take a bite, and say that they are delicious. My partner takes a bit and realizes there is something in the dish that has peanuts.
I call a different waitress over and ask what is in the sauce, she seems to be totally misinformed, because our waitress came over and corrected her saying that there was hoisin sauce in the dish and that their version has peanuts in it. *(Side note: hoisin sauce doesn't normally have peanuts in it) So I had no choice but to call 911.
We rush outside and wait for the EMTs, a new minutes later our waitress comes out and offers us a $25.00 gift card. I accept it and brush her off and go to the hospital. When I arrived to the hospital I call the restaurant and ask to speak to the manager, as I said before it turns out she was our waitress. After receiving some defensive attitude from her saying that we should have told her before we placed the order, even though after we told her the plate still came to the table, I demanded that the owner of the restaurant call me. Nancy, the owner, called me within 10 minutes of me calling the restaurant and agreed to take care of all the medical bills, stating that they would also make a better effort to list allergens and have the staff state the allergy warnings.
It is really quite a shame, as Local 121 had received rave reviews and we have been wanting to try it since we moved to Providence. From what I tasted the carrots were delicious and the ambiance was great. They need to make some serious changes to avoid sending someone to the hospital again.
This place looked promising, but never really lived up to the expectations. The interior is very cool -- both times I entered I was looking for a really comfortable seat and drink.
The cocktail menu is impressive looking, but both times I've visited both myself and my guests have found their drinks less than adequate (this time around, the white manhattan was very sweet and watered down). The bar is at least impressive, and you can order pretty much anything you want.
During the weekends this place gets packed, which renders the intimate look and feel somewhat useless.
Went in for lunch on  a Tuesday afternoon @ 2pm so not busy just a few people eating in the bar area.  The bartender was efficient and friendly and the service fast.
The grass fed burger -- wow. No wonder Providence is #1 with Travel & Leisure for the best burgers in the US. Â This one was one of their recommendations.. seriously, you cannot beat this lean thick scrumptious blue cheese encrusted onions tomatoes and perfect fries all for under 14$. Â Also, nice wine choices ! Â go!
Locally sourced food. Reasonable prices. Menu changes with the season. But I hope they always have their pierogies on there. They are the best appetizer on the menu! Good options for vegans and vegetarians (and not just pasta).
Decor is cool but you don't feel like you need to be overdressed. Sometimes there are rock concerts downstairs - which you would never know are happening because you can't hear it while you're upstairs.
I've only been here a few times for drinks at the bar. Â I came in a few Saturday's ago around 6pm. Â I was meeting a bunch of old friends before heading somewhere else. Â
There were 2 male bartenders and only one guy sitting at the bar. Â Getting a beer was like pulling teeth. Â One of the bartenders knew the other patron and they were chatting away ignoring me with my money in hand waiting to order. Â This drives me nuts. Â Does this make you feel powerful? Â The better service I get, the more I tip you, the more money you make. Â Not just from me, but all of my friends. Â We're big drinkers and big tippers.
Thankfully the loser bartenders were replaced by the a nice girl who was there to make money and serve customers.
I love the atmosphere inside but the service needs improvement. Â I probably won't go back unless someone else suggests it. Â Which they never do...
Pretty good, but not as good as I hoped. Service was ok, waitress was personable but there with some small glitches (ie, coffee and tea served without milk or sugar which took at least 10 minutes to get, a bottle of wine took more than 20 minutes). Menu was solid with something for everyone. In our party of 8, three of us had the vanilla scented scallops dish which was very flavorful (albeit small) and creative. The hangar steak and burger got solid reviews (although the rosemary billing for the fries seems misleading? I couldn't taste any at all). The pasta special was pistou and quite bland, but was clearly fresh.
The desserts were all "meh". We tried banana upside down cake, chocolate cake, and the bread pudding special...texture and flavor were just ok for all three.
I'm kicking myself, because we only had time for brunch at Local 121 on a recent trip. If they do this great a brunch, I can only imagine how great dinner would have been.
The atmosphere is classy and comfortable--cool from an older era. The music was Stones/Dylan/Grateful Dead (also cool from an older era). Our server was thoughtful and eager-to-please. The coffee was strong, as were the cocktails. So far, so good.
The locally sourced brunch menu leans toward comfort. My Farm Egg sandwich featured kielbasa (nice twist!) and was delicious and satisfying. My husband's frittata was the size of a frisbee, airy and flavorful.
Everything showed care in the details, from the fresh spinach garnishing my sandwich to the primo slices of bread and butter that allay hunger while you study the menu. The prices are amazingly reasonable for the level of quality.
Went here for Restaurant Week lunch yesterday, and was certainly impressed! I'd been for drinks before, but this was the first time I ate there (and will not be the last).
I had:
1. Big Train Mesclun Green Salad with French breakfast radish, haruki turnips, buttermilk dressing
2. Roasted Pork Shoulder with green beans, smoked peach and onion cobbler
3. Cookie Sandwich with double chocolate cookie, peanut butter caramel swirl ice cream
I mean, the descriptions alone, right? The cookie sandwich was especially amazing....fresh baked cookies with ice cream? Amazing.
The portions were perfect. I left very pleasantly full, but not feeling like I overdid.
Love the decor/ambiance. Color combos and details were cozy and romantic. Go Local!
This was a solid, tasty and very well done meal. Â Husband and I came here on our "date night." Â The atmosphere was spot on romantic. Â The building is an 1910ish built hotel that has a lot of that older wood paneling/gilded age/roaring twenties feel. Â We were seated in a very cozy dining room off of the main bar. Â Our waitress was very pleasant and friendly, she had some great recommendations for dinner/appetizers/drinks. Â
The food is why I came. Â I am a big time eat fresh, eat local person so this type of restaurant is always high on my list of "must trys." Â I was pleased with my meal, just not overly awed. Â The appetizers were hard to chose from because there were so many good options. Â My husband had the soup, which was just good, nothing spectacular. Â I had the english pea crostini which was a delightfully fresh way to start the meal. Â
Everyone kept saying the scallops were THE thing to try so I actually had the scallop entree (instead of the appetizer). Â They were cooked properly with just the right amount of char/carmelization. Â My husband enjoyed his braised beef, too. Â For dessert we split the "Baked Rhode Island," a whimsical take on the "Baked Alaska." Â
All in all this was a charming, romantic date night. Â We were given top notch service, the food was very good, the drinks were awesome and the venue was quite pleasant. Â I would come back but I'm not in much of a rush.
Several venues in one
Beverages done right
Food you'll remember
I've been here for dinner a few times and drinks several others, but such an immense over-delivery was my late-May pork tenderloin special that, as I was just say-dreaming about it, Â I was jolted to recount it. Â Actually, less to recount it, as the experience was singularly mine, but rather to extol 121's virtues.
The layout here is something singular - a set of people can be experiencing a live local rock show downstairs while others are drinking beer as a DJ spins a set in the bar, while still others are having an elegant dinner in the dining area...and all be only vaguely aware of each other's concurrent experiences, despite a relatively compact square footage. Â Better yet, though, each of these spaces delivers what they do well - it isn't limited to being a great restaurant trying feebly to have a cool bar, for example. Â The food in the dining room is excellent, AND the selection and cocktail pours are sweet in the bar. Â I'm not even sure the provenance of the building, but I know I like it, and it works well as a modern space despite also having a specific cool vibe inherent in its bones. Â Plus I'm a sucker for drinking in dark wood-paneled rooms with stained glass.
Local 121 is several experiences waiting to happen for you, so once is not enough to visit - it's worth getting to know the various faces of the establishment over an extended period. Â Heartily worthwhile. Â
(Three quick hints: use OpenTable if you're going to dine, their valet service is quick and efficient if you need to park, and bathrooms are downstairs, Holmes. Â Enjoy!)
This just in: Local 121 is still phenomenal!  Their spring '12 menu is fresh and full of mouth-watering dishes.  On the eve of May 14th, the beau and I returned to our beloved bistro for birthday celebrations.  On a Monday night, reservations weren't required (there were 7 other patrons other than us), and our server, Emily C, was gracious as ever with her friendly smile and able to deliver solicited entrée advice.  I adore the atmosphere (welcomed and encouraged to take your time and enjoy it all); comfortable seating, intimate lighting, and jazz playing in the background.
Cocktails: "St.Germain" (St. Germain, champagne, and orange garnish) and an "Old Fashioned Gin & Tonic." Â The G&T came in a white wine glass, which was odd and made sipping around ice cubes difficult, but the flavors were classic and crisp. Â The St.Germain tasted like a Parisian spring dream. Â Other fabulous mixology masterpieces available; all at a great price considering having been locally-sourced and fully flavorful.
Starter&Main: Pierogi stuffed with potato, caramelized onion, and Atwell's Gold (with a rosemary crème fraiche) was an excellent starter and highlights Local's ability to sensibly sear and season.  For my main, I was torn between the special (Rabbit Ragout over fresh butternut squash gnocchi), and the Vegetable Strudel with greens.  I selected the later and was pleasantly surprised by this flaky-yet-savory dish.
Dessert: The Strawberry Rhubarb crisp had a cinnamon-y crumble atop a blended and brewed sweet-tart soup. Â This is one of my favorite combinations (of all time), so it is understood that there is a gamble when ordering out. Â The Local made me hunger for home with this wee ramekin of sweetness. Â Emily brought us two small flutes of champagne to wrap up this birthday dining experience - a little bit'o'bubbley is a fabulous way to break in a new year!
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