Local 121

I ate at this restaurant for new year’s eve 2010, with the fixed price menu. The food was mediocre and overpriced, and I got severely ill from what seemed suspiciously like food poisoning, probably from the rabbit risotto. The management were utterly unsympathetic, unwilling to admit that there was anything wrong with the food, did not offer any sincere apology or any kind of compensation for the unpleasant experience. Very disappointing, and appalling customer service. Also the chairs were extremely uncomfortable.

My wife and I visited Local 121 at the behest of some friends of ours who raved about the cuisine and the locale. As is usually the case, restaurant recommendations from friends can either be pretty on the mark or horribly, undeniably bad. Luckily for us, Local 121 on Washington Street in Providence is right on.

The underlying concept behind the restaurant, as stated and executed by owner and State Senator Joshua Miller and his wife Nancy, is to provide seasonal, unmodified and locally purveyed cuisine in a warm, casually elegant setting (which by the way is the former dining room of the superbly AS220 restored Dreyfus Hotel!). The second you walk into the intimate dining room (small with about 15 tables along with booths, but plenty of space for diners in attendance), its not very hard to immediately sink into exactly that kind of vibe.

The walls are painted black with dark brown and elegant white accents everywhere. The lighting is dimmed but not overdone and its easy to see everything. The chairs are extra large and very comfortable while the white linen tables are delicately appointed with a single fresh cut flower.

For an appetizer (or Small Plate as noted on the menu), we shared the “Crispy Beer Battered Point Judith Calamari”. It was accompanied with scallions and streaks of a lightly orange sauce that was composed of a citrus vinaigrette with honey and roasted garlic aioli. Unfortunately, this was the weakest item of our dining experience. The calamari were obviously fresh (not over chewy) and thankfully lightly battered, but the beer batter itself was surprisingly salty. There was not enough acid or contrast to the available sauce to compliment the calamari. A 2 star dish that fortunately was the only mediocre point of the meal.

For dinner, my wife ordered the Duck special of the night. It was a pan seared Duck breast cooked to absolute perfection accompanied with crisp cauliflower heads marinated in a red wine sauce. The duck breast had a thin layer of duck fat still on the skin that melted in your mouth upon tasting. The presentation was unpretentious and flawless with the duck and vegetable clearly presented and free of any unnecessary plate filler. Excellent 5 star dish.

I ordered the Quail wrapped with bacon(which I paired with a wonderful glass of Louis Latour 2005 Pinot Noir). Easily the best tasting and prepared quail I have ever eaten. Another 5 star dish. Subtle, earthy spices mingled with delicious smoky bacon savoriness and aroma in each bite of the perfectly cooked, delicate and surprisingly meaty quail. It was accompanied with a delicious polenta cake, black currants and a wonderfully refreshing baby spinach salad. Again, completely unpretentious, perfectly presented and absolutely delicious. Nothing but quail bones left on my plate.

For dessert, we shared a cup of the “Chocolate Chip Blondie Parfait” which, along with the Blondie, comes with a homemade sweet ice cream, butterscotch sauce, toasted walnuts and homemade whipped cream. The perfect finish to a near perfect meal. It was light, super fresh and wonderfully delicious. We both remarked that it was not “sickeningly sweet” as many desserts can be. We paired it with a glass of the Newport Vineyards Ice Wine which turned out to be the perfect dessert wine with this dessert.

Owners Joshua and Nancy Miller, along with Executive Chef Dave Johnson and the waitstaff (prompt, super friendly, genuinely warm and extremely accomodating) have a clear winner on their hands. The freshness of the food along with the clear and simple way it is presented is extremely refreshing in this culinary age of overpriced forced concept restaurants and molecular gastronemy. We felt relaxed, extremely satisfied and proud to support local business and purveyors in such a delicious way! We also came away with a strong sense of what a dining experience can be when a concept stops being a concept and meets true believers with well guided execution.

This place should scrap the idea that its a restaurant and just become a real cool bar… which is what it may have in reality done some time ago. I don’t know anyone who eats here… but the bar scene is hip on a crowded weekend night. Skip the food… bad, overpriced and just a little too funky for the average person.