Local On North — Restaurant in Canton

We went for Valentine's Day after having gone there once before years ago for Mother's Day Brunch, which was excellent. Unfortunately, our experience this time fell quite short. We were seated downstairs, which looks quite different from upstairs as it resembles a bar and grill complete with a TV on the wall, which was tuned to the NBA All-star Celebrity Game. The majority of the tables are bench seating, so you are seated alongside other parties, which is not exactly the type of ambiance one might desire on V-day. There is live music playing upstairs, but you can not hear it downstairs. We decided to roll with it as everything was booked anyway.

We had the BangBang Shrimp, which was quite average as Bonefish, and even WalkOns does it better. My husband ordered the Seared Tuna Steak, and I got the Pork Loin, which was absolutely delicious. It was accompanied by sweet potatoes (slightly too salty), mushrooms, and exactly three leaves of spinach which I found amusing. My husband's tuna was cold to the touch, so he asked for it to be warmed. The waitress, who was a bit hit and miss (and possibly contributed to the coldness since new silverware had to be retrieved for him post-appetizer by the busboy as we couldn't find her) came back and said the chef said that's how it's supposed to be because its raw on the inside. My husband countered that yes it is, but it's supposed to be seared and thus warm on the outside, but that was apparently to no avail, because she just asked him if he wanted to order something else without presenting him with a menu. He then just ordered the grouper, which arrived once I was nearly done eating and had so little seasoning that he was looking for table salt, but alas, there was none to be found along with our waitress. The accompanying sauce only provided mild relief. We thought we could end it all on a sweet note by ordering what seemed to be a unique dessert, chocolate creme brulee, only to be told that they had just run out of it, at 7:30, on Valentine's Day. At least they offered us the regular creme brulee version and comped it, which was also not warm. Perhaps the food just cools down, traveling to the drafty downstairs area. We then had to wait quite a while for her to grab our card so we could pay and leave, a definite pet peeve of mine. I know they were busy that night, so the service being off could just be an anomaly, but the food issues and atmosphere will cause us not to return. We will just stick with the one on...

Houston, we have a problem. Or should I say, Canton. I love food! I love eating out! I have tried many of the downtown restaurants who sadly all have the same problems. Look, all I (the customer) might ask in return for my patronage is great food and a pleasant experience. Canton so far has delivered little more than over-price, under-achieving, hoity-toity restaurants - add Local On North. What's the fascination with 'interpretive' recipes. Google 'crab cake'...it's pretty simple...white sweet crab meat (preferably lump / back fin), with eggs, mayo, OLD BAY!!, pepper, Worcestershire & maybe mustard - broiled or fried! The outside is golden brown and inside flaky and white. AS OPPOSED TO orange inside, with capers, a mix of garbage and so spicy you don't want a second bite! Google 'French Onion Soup'...it's pretty simple...a lite beefy stock/broth with a thick slice of toasted bread loaded and melty cheese (Gruyere or Swiss) and lots of caramelized onions. AS OPPOSED TO a thick 'pudding like' substance (very off-putting) with no molten cheese! Look, I get it, to each his own, but to me screwing up 'traditional' food expectations (while charging stupid high prices) simply seems a bit egocentric - culinarily speaking. When you poll all at the table, 'would you come back', and all decline - there ya go. The staff seemed pleasant, the interior was fine, but FOOD is what makes or breaks a restaurant. Chick-fil-A has better soup! MY PIE has a $7 pizza that is great, why pay double?! R&M subs are 'amazing' and super value! You want a better meal, better price, great atmosphere, dine in our outside - head to Riverstone Bistro - head to 7 Tequila's - head to Marlow's. Downtown Canton is VERY NICE, growing rapidly and I sincerely urge visitors and all to spend time there, especially with Reformation Brewery now in town! That said, I suggest that the new restaurants coming to the Mill On Etowah consider thinking 'inside the traditional culinary box' and do simple GREAT FOOD at a fair price that leaves customers with a big smile on their faces and eager to come back! My reviews are always my opinion. I try to see both sides of the coin and then provide honest feedback. Please, try L.O.N and all the downtown restaurants and be...

I arrived today 30 minutes before they opened for Sunday brunch at 11:30 AM. I wanted to eat there because I heard the food was great, so I decided I would come back 30 minutes later. But as I was backing out, the bartender came out and said they would be happy to seat me earlier. Great.

I was immediately greeted and had a very polite waitress who had someone else training with her.

The ambience of the restaurant is beautiful and well thought out obviously done by designer —but not pretentious.

I ordered their special onion soup which was fantastic and they’re salad which had fruit on it. She asked me if I’d like to add grilled chicken and yes I did. The food came quickly and was fresh the chicken was sliced up and had some kind of delicious but light pesto aoli on it. The salad came with the red wine poached pear, Blue cheese and candied nuts. The vinegarette that came with the salad I believe was a champagne vinegarette-And it was perfectly balanced and complementary to the salad.

I only ate about a third of my salad because I was wearing a white polo and I was with a friend and I didn’t want to splatter any of the salad onto my shirt. When the waitress came to take our plates she asked me if something was wrong. I said no why, And she said because usually all of their plates are fully eaten and she wanted to make sure I was happy and there were no problems. I told her that I wish the salad with chopped up a little bit more and I just didn’t want to risk splattering it onto my shirt but it was completely fine. She offered to get me something else. I told her no I was absolutely fine and thanks for asking.

When the bill came she set the bag down on the table and said that the owner wanted me to have a better salad and this one was properly chopped. I did not ask for it and I found it to be extremely refreshing and professional to have not only a server who cared and alerted ownership but also a perfect response. It is for that reason I will patronize this restaurant again and spread positive reviews to all within my sphere.

And the second salad was fantastic! Hats off to a quality restaurant that looks good the food taste good and the ownership and team there stand behind...