Local and Company Food+Drink — Restaurant in Foley

UPDATE ON MY FIRST REVIEW:

This review is being written from someone who has lived and traveled throughout the United States and abroad and would consider myself to be a foodie (not to mention a pretty good chef at home). What I am about to write is not coming from a place of anger even though it may not seem like it because of how brutally honest I'm about to be here.

Initially I was excited about this place and rated it a five star because finally (I thought), we had a restaurant worth going to in Foley that was a bit upscale but after my last two experiences I've been highly disappointed. The first time I ate at Local & Company it was after a week of them opening and I was impressed with their burger but then I ordered a burger to go a few weeks later and it was way under-cooked and nothing like the first burger that I had. I figured that because it was a take-out order I decided to give them one more try so today I stopped by with my husband and daughter for a late lunch. I ordered the burger and it was OK but it was nothing like the first time. My husband ordered the salmon (and that came with a side of cheese grits and asparagus). Since my husband likes his salmon over cooked where it is dry and tough he asked the waitress for them to make it that way. It arrived at our table under-cooked (I wouldn't even eat it); it was more like the raw salmon you would get at a Japanese restaurant. So my husband kindly asked for them to take it back and cook it some more. Well, three times it was sent back because every time it was brought to the table it still was not cooked dry and still moist. The last time they cooked it we requested they throw it in the pizza oven and while the salmon was charred nicely on top it was still moist in the middle. I wasn't impressed with the asparagus either because it was a bit overcooked and they only gave us a few meager portions at that (same with the grits; very skimpy portion). It pained me to have spent over $60 on a meal when my husband didn't even enjoy it. He even ordered a side of fries and the portion of fries that came with the burger was a lot more than the $5 side of fries that he ordered.

Now, onto the customer service since I can't just leave it at the food. I was never impressed with the customer service from the first time I visited. Perhaps if you are dressed up, look like you have money and Caucasian the service might be better and yes- all three of those requirements together. Regarding the chefs they looked miserable and unkempt and no, I don't say this to disrespect them. I'm just sharing my observation. If you are going to have a restaurant of this caliber, in my opinion, they should be a lot more professional looking and if there is a problem with the food the chef should come to your table. Their physical appearance should be held to a certain standard as well. If they have beards they should be neatly shaven and their hair neatly trimmed (not scraggly).

So yeah, that's my take on Local & Company. Sadly, I won't be going back and I would not...

Beets and fried goat cheese, leaves you wanting more goat cheese for as much beet as you’re given but very good way to start.

Buffalo cauliflower, wasn’t a personal favorite. 2-3 pieces is the limit before you realize it really is fried cauliflower in buffalo sauce.

Cheese board is well presented and good quality.

Caesar salad, the lettuce is uncut and larger than the plate it’s served on, tricky to get into. Solid starter.

Duck salad is terrific, vinaigrette is not to sweet duck is warmed and a perfect ratio.

Fried shrimp and okra salad is another hit, a bit more of a meal salad, they load it up and you’ll love knocking it down.

Angus burger - add cheese and bacon, i had it medium, dressed well, good flavor, can’t exactly put it down after you pick it up but that’s not a bad thing, no texting and eating :)

Fried grouper tacos were wonderful, you get 2 so better get the shrimp and okra salad first and be ready for dessert.

Seafood Alfredo is very good, rich flavors, there is an “s” on scallops… didn’t hold them to it but… fantastic entree.

Pan seared tuna is great, wasabi adds flavor no real heat, eel sauce is very present and there is a lot of tuna on the plate. With the duck salad as a starter the lineup is a winner.

Filet mignon, perfect, Medium rare, Used a butter knife to cut it, demi doesn’t over power, asparagus is trimmed properly. Star of the menu.

Roasted rack of lamb, medium rare. (Chef’s recommendation) if you’re looking for a huge entree this isn’t the one but a quality dish it is. It’s so much easier to eat with your hands..

Ohh the tomahawk, medium rare. Came out with a beautiful sear. The side vegetables were piled on top ( I dislike vegetables piled on entree proteins) but who am I? Swiped them to the side and cut in with Christmas morning enthusiasm and MOOO!! No not literally, it started medium rare on the edges and by the time I got 2 forks from the bone… there was a pulse. The sauce is salty and over powering, a reverse sear would help with even temps. Order 2 filets this one needs a little work.

S’mores dessert is better than I anticipated, get a scoop of ice cream with it. Rich, nice plate.

Blueberry buckle- heavy dessert, get a 2nd scoop of ice cream.

Crème brûlée, couldn’t crack the top with a tap but once you break through its rich maybe a little closer flan than Greek yogurt consistently but the flavor is there.

It’s not just another chocolate cake..well, they were nice enough to put a candle in it for a special occasion so at this point I’m biased. But really, it’s the best of the bunch. Get a scoop of ice cream with it. Doesn’t need it but you’ll be glad you did.

Staff was wonderful, atmosphere is great, it’s a great experience for all to enjoy. Hopefully they add a key...

We came in for a 4 pm reservation for Valentine's day, not a busy time, maybe at 25% capacity.

Promptly seated and greeted. The atmosphere was very nice and casual.

We ordered wine for her and Jack and Coke for me along with the fried cauliflower for an appetizer.

The Jack and Coke was weak, no way there was a 1.5 ounce of liquor in that small glass, my wife loved her wine. The fried cauliflower was a definite hit!

My wife ordered the Filet Mignon (well done), I ordered the Tomahawk Ribeye (medium rare leaning towards rare) with two sides, brussels sprouts, and the asparagus.

After finishing our appetizer and our drinks and waiting for roughly 10-15 minutes our waitress came and told us the mashed potatoes that were supposed to come with our meal were unavailable (why would it take so long for this to come up? This was about the time our meal should have been served). I chose to just have one of my extra sides take the place of the potatoes and my wife chose french fries to replace hers.

We were finally served, which was a lot longer than should have been, considering they still weren't busy at 4:30.

My tomahawk was black, charred, and covered with a very thick salty au jus sauce of some kind. In my first two or three bites, I could taste nothing but grizzle. How do you get charred grizzle on a piece of meat that is supposed to be medium rare leaning towards rare??? The au jus was so thick and salty it completely took away from any flavor in the meat itself. A complete waste of what is supposed to be a very naturally flavored cut of meat. As far as being cooked, first, the edges were basically medium, going to medium-rare the closer to the bone. The brussels sprouts and asparagus were very good, especially since there wasn't any additional salt added, hit helped to cleanse the palate after a bite of the salty meat. One more thing, the meat, at best, was room temperature when served. The brussels sprouts were the only dish piping hot when served.

My wife's filet mignon, was medium definitely not well-done, with the same salty au jus type sauce covering it. She ate half of it and brought the rest home for my son, she doesn't like pink steak but my son is a garbage disposal and will eat anything.

Our server was very pleasant, we kept our critiques to ourselves because we know it wasn't her fault, and quite honestly after waiting as long as we did, we didn't want to wait any longer.

It was an experience, we can say we've been, but we won't be back that's way too much money for a meal that would have cost half as much as Salt Grass and tastes...