The LOCAL — Restaurant in Maryland

First of all, we ate there today because it was my sister's birthday and she really liked the location in Harford county but this one was closer for the rest of us. I was expecting great things from her talking it up, but the experience was rather disappointing. Let me start off by saying though that the staff were excellent! So what I have to say is mainly about the food, and that the serving staff did everything they could to make it right.

I guess it was a bad sign when I ordered a diet soda and my sister ordered a regular soda, and neither of our sodas tasted like they should. There was a weird aftertaste and although I did not try my sister's soda, I know mine almost tasted like it had iced tea mixed in. They ultimately didn't charge me for my drink, and the waitress made every endeavor to change out the machine and then brought us out another one but nothing helped.

I got the cream of crab soup and that was excellent, so no complaint in that department. For my entree, I got the beef stroganoff which my sister had gotten at the Harford county location and assured me was really good. So even though it was $30, which I thought was a bit high for beef stroganoff, I was willing to give it a try. The beef itself was decent although I really thought it should have been a bit more tender. The mushrooms were really good. But the noodles were quite bland, almost as if there was hardly any stroganoff flavoring. So I felt like I threw $30 down the drain. My sister also got the beef stroganoff and she wasn't happy with it either. I didn't ultimately end up complaining to the manager because it was my sister's birthday and I didn't want to have to go through all that, but the experience really turned me off from wanting to go here again. Finally, I ordered the apple tart for dessert and that was really good. So I gave them three stars because of the excellent service including the effort by the our waitress to try and correct the various problems. They definitely get four and a half to five stars on the cream of crab soup and the dessert, but I would give the stroganoff one star and the fact that they can't serve a decent Diet Coke maybe should have been a sign of worse things to come. I've never been to the Harford county location so I won't totally write them off, but I probably won't come to this location again based on my experience today. I told my sister that if she wanted to come back to this one next year for her birthday, perhaps I would come and just get the cream of crab soup and a dessert. I wonder if they would mind if I brought a bottle of Diet Coke in with me and just ask for a cup of ice.

The sad thing is, I could have spent a couple bucks for some ground beef and a box of Hamburger Helper be stroganoff, and it would have tasted better than what they had to offer.

Oh, and after my sister told them that she didn't want nuts on her dessert, they brought out her dessert with nuts on it, so then we all waited something like 15 or 20 minutes more while she was waiting for her dessert before we...

I have eaten at this restaurant 3 times in the past week. Let's start with the highs. The atmosphere, music and food were really great on New Years Eve. Our server seemed new or inexperienced, but we've all been there so it didn't completely ruin the night until I got home and realized she gave me someone else's leftover bibb salad instead of my barely eaten lobster fingers, which were delicious and beautifully plated. The Beets by Chef salad needed more beets and barely had goat cheese or nuts, with the proper ratio this would be a great salad. The cream of crab soup was tasty. It was served in a mini cast iron pot, which I really liked considering several courses came out at the same time. The Le Creuset pot kept the soup warm.

Our table for four was a bit tight for our guest but we made do. It became dysfunctional when all the appetizers, soups and salads came out together. [Poor timing...which is why I couldn't really eat my LF.] The artist that night was perfect...great voice & song selection. The other couple loved the duck and salmon dishes. However, they said the lobster bisque was too sweet and tasted like tomato soup. Our drinks were good. My biggest complaint was the lasagna. It was two sheets of pasta with mush in the middle. It had no texture and little taste with about 3 pieces of dry unflavored short ribs. This dish was a total failure, which was surprising because everything else was pretty good. The deserts were ok, but nothing I would go back for. Please work on improving the Banana's Foster. It was already a bowl of mush when they brought it to the table. And, consider offering regular creme bulee since you already have a chocolate offering.

We went back tonight to celebrate 2 birthdays. Unfortunately, the atmosphere wasn't as nice. The lobster fingers weren't as big/pretty. And, they didn't have what I believe is there best appetizer...Sitcky Ribs. They absolutely melt in your mouth. But, the scallop dish was on the level. The Chicken & Waffles looked great and our guest enjoyed them. The crab cakes weren't plated as nicely as NYE, but they were also a winning dish. The server was nice but service was slow between each course. The corn bread was also inconsistent with our initial tasting, which was very sweet on NYE. Clearly they had a different chef prepare it today. Overall, they will need to improve the texture of a couple dishes, upgrade the sushi in the tuna tostada and create at least 2-3 killer deserts to keep people coming back again and again.

I am particular about food, but very fair. Like any new restaurant they are working out the kinks, so give them a try for yourself. Maybe even visit a few times like I did....

I kinda expected more honestly. You get this big hype about a fancy chef and the menu sounds incredible and creative but execution is an issue. This mother’s day i went around noon and we ordered an appetizer (old bay popcorn chicken and waffles) which sounded good. It was good but the popcorn tasted stale and like i got thr bottom of the bag bc it was 85% unpopped kernels and it was just “warm”. The sauce was delicious just wish it was hotter. My main course was the double battered chicken sandwich. This was a let down for me again bc of simple execution issues. I asked for no slaw and it came out with slaw. Had to wait just as long as i did for the first sandwich for the corrected one and it was cold, soggy, and underwhelming. I didn’t get to eat on mother’s day. Honestly, i’d rather get a chicfila sandwich tha. this one!! This isn’t just a fluke in my opinion though. I’ve been here before for dinner and ordered a special pasta dish. My pasta was undercooked and seafood was over cooked to the point i had trouble chewing the shrimp and the pasta was hard! My replacement meal (which should be rapid fire) took longer to come but it was good (fillet and cake) i mean the steak was like butter!!! My very first time going my food was super bland! A time after that a again good but cold. My husband food comes out cold too but he’s a man and eats anything lol. For what you’re paying for drinks and food i’m shocked at how so many technical errors there are. Idk if it’s bc the building is always cold or they don’t have covers in food while walking from bottom floor around, or it just isn’t hot enough at first and the servers don’t bring it right away, IDK but 4/4 times food is like warm and not enjoyable for a fancy meal. It’s always creative but i think i’ve given up on this place. Also, the atmosphere up in the upper bar/dinning is very dark and dingy. i couldn’t even see the food very well bc it was dark. plus if you’re gonna have tables that close to the ceiling, find a way to clean the drafts bc eating food while seeing dust all around your head that’s not too far away is unappealing esp since it’s dark and yet i can still see large dust particles. Also, if you can’t accommodate a customer with a seating arrangement request, at least make sure my table doesn’t have hard on food stuck to the table!! I mean i can get dirty tables, uncomfortable seats and like warm food at chilis for for $16 for an entire meal….. i expected...