Local 127 is in a great spot downtown just a few blocks from Fountain Square on West 4th Street. The dining room is very large with all the tables spread out. We were seated in a half booth, side by side which would have been nice for the occasion if it weren't for the fact that in the spacious room we were facing another "half booth". I don't really like to stare at people I don't know while they eat - I guess I was supposed to be staring at my husband but still I just found it a bit odd. Overall, the ambience was very laid back for a higher end restaurant with the waiters wearing jeans and black shirts. Also, the background music at upscale restaurants usually are so toned down you don't notice bit but my husband picked up almost every song in the dining room. They were all American artists from what we could tell - we grooved to Jackson Browne, John Mayer, Tom Petty, and Michael Jackson among others.
The restaurant is based on a "Farm to Table" concept which was complemented well with the American music. However, I was the under the impression that all the items on the menu (except for the fish...hopefully) were from a local provider. We were served "Vermont Butter" and the ham starter was from West Virginia. Could they not find butter from a local farm? Oh well - at least we knew where everything came from. I very much wanted the local experience so we opted a local white wine I'd never heard of - Meranda. It was one of the lower priced wines too which made it even more attractive. For an additional $25/person we could have had wine pairings with each course which is actually a great price but we couldn't agree on a DD so we opted to go a bit more low key.
Anyway, on to the meal. We started with the potato skins with white cheddar cheese and the Aged Mountain Ham (from West Virginia) served with a tomato jam crouton. The Aged Mountain Ham was very similar to prosciutto but less salty. The tomato jam complimented the ham well. The potato skins were excellent - almost a mashed consistency with a generous portion of cheddar to top it off. I think it was served with a creme fraiche. We'd definitely choose the potato skins again.
The next course was a Caesar salad for me and a white bean soup for my hubby. The white bean soup tasted exactly like bean puree. It wasn't that it tasted bad but it just didn't have a really unique flavor. The Caesar salad had an extra lemony flavor which didn't leave me wanting more. It also said it was served with anchovies which I have to say while I wasn't overly excited to have them I always try things once so when the salad came out "naked" I found myself a little wanting. Overall, this course was a bit disappointing.
The main entrees were a step up after the second courses. We both split the Bison with potato cakes, fried shallots and bourbon cream and the Sea Scallops (note the word Sea...) which were served with sweet potato puree, citrus essences and some crispy rice krispies on top. While the Sea Scallops won this battle both were delicious. The Bison was cooked to perfection and was topped off well with the fried shallots and bourbon cream. The chef seems to like to put an aspect of crispiness into his entress, well at least this night. The citrus essence made the scallops really pop. While the rice krispies added a cool texture to the dish I would have preferred the fried shallots.
The dessert did not dissapoint. Again we split - he got the chocolate pudding (where did my husband go...he hates chocolate) and I went with the cheesecake. I didn't even recognize the dish that was presented to me as my dessert - it was unlike any cheesecake I had ever seen. It was a sour cream cheesecake served in a glass cup with the graham cracker crumbs on top along with the sweet basil and apple gastric. The pudding was served with a sweet wine syrup and candied pumpkin seeds. To me it tasted more like chocolate cake batter but either way you slice it was delicious!
I'll be back to Local 127 - I definitely think their strength lies in the entrees. And for $45 for 4 courses I felt like this meal was definitely worth it. For more info check them out at Local 127.
Score: 41 points
Ambiance (3), Tastiness of Dishes (7), Menu (5), Drink Selection (4), Cost (8), Accessibility (5), Service (4), Location (5)
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