The Local — Restaurant in Garden City

The Local in Boise is “a neighborhood Eatery and Wine Pub, offering live music and rotating artists.” They also have a dog, friendly patio and a Dog menu.

MW and I visited during Happy Hour, which is Monday through Friday from 3 PM to 5 PM. We ordered a mix of items off of the happy hour menu and the regular menu.

We started with Hurricane Popcorn - A Hawaiian favorite - with Nori Furikaki and Japanese rice crackers. It was very flavorful and unlike any popcorn I’ve ever had before. This is a unique menu items The Local is known for.

We ordered two side Caesar salads. I like that it had homemade croutons, but it needed a little more more dressing. 

We shared an order of Carnitas Street Tacos, to which we added 1 extra taco. The pork was tender, but the tacos were pretty bland.

We shared an order of Smash Sliders - 3 smash burgers using our own custom burger blend from Porterhouse in Eagle, with classic American cheese. They were tasty. Unfortunately, I forgot to get a photo!

We shared two desserts:

Berry Crisp - Blackberry cobbler topped with vanilla ice cream. The berry crisp was excellent!

Crème Brûlée - Simple and delicious vanilla crème brulee. The crème brûlée was good, but not great. The texture wasn’t as creamy as it should’ve been.

We visited early on a weekday, so we didn’t get to hear any live music, but we pretty much had the place to ourselves until towards the end of our visit. Overall, the food was good, but not great. However, they do have a bigger menu than most wine bars and they allow dogs on the patio. The Dog Menu looks excellent! The Local has a nice Wine Menu, as well as several local beers on tap. If you’re looking for a nice wine bar with a neighborhood pub vibe, The Local is worth considering. I would like to return and try their Pepe’s Famous Fish Tacos. The pictures of their flatbread look excellent too.

The Local is wheelchair...

We have been living by the local for many years but have yet to step in and try. My partner and I and our son went in for dinner last night and we have to say it was a wonderful experience. We try at least a new place to eat once or twice a month and the Local really got us hooked in. I love that it is just within walking distance from our home. I can’t quite remember our waitress name but she is so adorable and the sweetest! She was very attentive and helpful with everything. The positive vibe she had made it that much more memorable of the experience we had. My partner had the prime rib sandwich and dip and it was probably the best (I had a sample of his) we had ever tasted in our lives! Like heaven in your mouth! I had the taco trio and each bite was like the Cadillac of all tacos. Mouthwatering delish! And to top it off we had dessert.... we almost never have dessert anywhere we go, but we wanted to keep the experience going! The cream brûlée did NOT disappoint! Made to perfection!

We love the unique choices on the menu and the selection of adult beverages. The place was clean and very well maintained. Other customers seemed to very well enjoy themselves and the vibe this place has. 100 percent, we will...

Four of us went there last night for dinner. It was our first time there. Liked the ambiance. But operationally, a lot of issues. Our server was very nice and handled our concerns very well. The restaurant was not busy but food was slow to come out of the kitchen. We ordered a couple of the awesome pretzel appetizers. They took so long to come to the table that dinner came before we had finished enjoying them. The dining room temp was too cold. If most customers are sitting at their table in a jacket, someone should notice that there is an issue. Two of the dinners were fine and two were not. Charging for soft drink refills is so 10 years ago. Chili was sent back because it was cold. Chicken on the salad was pink and had to be returned. As someone who worked in food service for 35 years, food safety has no equal. Serving or holding hot food in the food temperature danger zone or serving something like under-cooked chicken is simply not acceptable under any circumstances. When it comes to food safety, don't guess. Use your pocket...