Local - Los Angeles, Ca

In my limited experience in LA, I've found that there's a dearth of simple honest, restaurants that still have an air of refinement and distinction in execution. I'm talking restaurants like 900 Grayson in Berkeley, Brown Sugar Kitchen in Oakland, or the Chow consortium in San Francisco. A place where I can get simple home-y food made from top quality organic ingredients without absurd prices or getting elbowed in the face by absurdly skinny blonde women in ten-inch heels and misappropriated DVF dresses.

I'm not sure what that means, but it sounds right.

Local, a new-ish nouveau diner on Sunset Blvd. about a half-block from Silver Lake Blvd, fills that void. Offering burgers, sandwiches, and a salad bar using almost entirely sustainable, organic, and "local" ingredients.

The restuarant's uber-casual and almost all the seating is outside, either at sunny tables along Sunset or seating under the covered side patio. Most importantly, in an area rife with chic hole-in-the-walls staffed by gloomy hipsters, Local is pretty damn friendly.

I had the vegetarian Reuben, a delightfully messy pile of sauteed mushrooms, sauerkraut, swiss cheese, and dollops of Russian dressing, grilled and served with a pile of spiced thin-cut fries. Girlfriend Charlie had the BLTAC, a grilled BLT with avocado and cheddar on brioche. Also awesome.

Other menu items that looked compelling included the "albondigas" pork burger, egg-less tofu egg salad, and a heritage pork "sloppy joe."

Of note is that Local has a pork burger, turkey burger, quinoa burger, and goat cheese stuffed portobello croquette burger, but no beef burger. In fact there's no beef on a menu that, while offering lots of vegetarian options, is by no means animal-shy. I support this wholeheartedly.

The real highlight looks like it might be the organic by-the-pound salad bar which includes their house curry chicken salad and many other items that go beyond iceberg lettuce and flavorless tomatoes.

Local's open daily for breakfast and lunch (including a great-looking weekend brunch menu) and is open for dinner Tuesday-Saturday, offering dinner entree variations on their lunch staples still for very reasonable prices hovering around $11-$12.

Simple, interesting, tasty organic food in a casual and friendly space for not a whole lot. Go there.

Local
2943 W. Sunset Blvd.
Los Angles, Ca 90026
323-662-4740
www.silverlakelocal.com