Local Public Eatery

It was finally a sunny, HOT, beautiful afternoon, so spending some time on a patio was a must. Nick, a couple friends and I were on the south side of town, so we decided to check out Local Public Eatery.

When we arrived, we were pleasantly surprised at the atmosphere. Very dark and modern, with clean lines and the feeling of one big open space. The patio entrance felt like an extension of the entire restaurant and had similar decor as to the inside. For 3 o'clock on a hot afternoon, the place was relatively quiet, which was surprising, as I've had many people label it as having a very loud atmosphere.

We sat down in the sun and decided to order a pitch of mojitos. When the pitcher came the mojitos looked orange and were definitely not mixed because the first pour was all rum. There was no mint flavour too them and were overall a really disappointing  summer heat quencher.

I decided to order their Flatlander Burger - with goat cheese and grilled mushrooms, with just their regular fries. Again this was a disappointment; while the burger itself was juicy and cooked well, I didn't get a single taste of either mushrooms or goat cheese. The meat, along with the sweet brioche bun that it was served on and the caramelized onions, totally knocked out any of the tangy flavor of goat cheese and meaty earthy texture of mushrooms. My friend has ordered The Frenchmen and agreed that he could not taste the blue cheese on his burger. The fries were fine, though almost on the verge of being under crisped.

Along with the food, the service was also a disappointment. She was somewhat inattentive (forgetting to bring someone's drink with the rest), but mostly just kind awkward and rude. I don't know if she's just never been a waitress before, but all her interactions with us were very contrived and almost aggressive, as if she was trying to be friendly but deep down felt too good to talk to us. I overheard her talking to a couple a few tables away from us, as they must have complained about a sauce they got with one of their appetizers. She mentioned that it was the chef's first day (which I am not sure I believe), and kinda brushed off the fact that they were clearly served something they weren't suppose to be. I think we would have stuck around longer and had a few more drinks if it hadn't been for her.

So if you haven't noticed by now, I was not impressed with this place. Maybe if we'd gone on a busy night when their A staff was on shift, the experience overall would have been better; but a slow afternoon is no excuse for poorly executed food, and unwelcoming service.