Localis — Restaurant in Sacramento

I am grateful to have a place like this in the area that I live. It is fantastic and overall a winner. I like that it is located in an actual neighborhood. The space is nice, well thought out and reflects the personality and style of the owner. This restaurant is very detail oriented and the service is quite fantastic with a genuine generosity that is rare in this county and country.

The food is complex, well thought out and beautiful. Many of the dishes were delicious. A few standouts on the 12 course tasting menu for me were the "Cherry and Roma tomatoes", "Jerk Octopus", "Squash wrapped wild king salmon" and the "Oxtail and Flannery beef tartare". These dishes were imaginative and had the best balance. I could taste the individual flavors on offer in each of the components and as a whole these dishes came together well.

The meal my wife and I had went well but there were a few things that caught my attention that did weigh on my overall experience and are worth mentioning here. Dont get me wrong though, Localis is worth a visit and one can easily see the the love and attention to detail that is exceptional in Sacramento.

First, we did the 12 course menu and at over 3.5 hours it was just too long for us. The timing was amazing and predictable at around 15 minutes between each course. This is longer than say Atelier Crenn in San Francisco where it seems that the food comes at you more rapid fire and you are out of there in between 2 and 2.5 hours for 2 people. We prefer that. We ended up taking the last course and the Petits Fours to go because we were just too full and too tired to continue which was a bit awkward.

Second, As much as I like to know what I am eating I felt that the staff recitations were too long, barely understandable and referenced France and famous places that the chef visited and was honoring too much. In reality, if the food and drink are good my real interest in what I am eating wanes and I don't care all that much. After all if we really wanted the longer ingredient list we had the menu we could read. And, I felt compelled to read the menu because I couldn't understand what was being said by the staff. It felt like it was an exercise in name dropping, overly self important and it seemed as though they abruptly interrupted my conversation to perform. At one point the staff stood over me kind of close as if to say to me "stop talking, I want your attention so I can recite this not totally audible description to you". After a while I felt fatigued by it.

Food wise the plates were beautiful but there were a few items that didn't quite hit the mark. The bagel chip in "Kossars Bagel" lacked flavor and the crunch texture was weird and unpleasant. I anticipated a huge bagel flavor in a tiny bagel chip but it wasn't there. I would have preferred a different version of the bagel part. It might seem picky but I think that bagel flavor was very important to the dish. The trout part of the dish was fantastic. "The Perfect Puff" was not perfect. It was heavy and hard to cut into instead of being light and flaky. The Peanut Butter cake bread was a beautiful plate but it was bit hard, not terribly flavorful and it had a weird aftertaste. There were also a few dishes that lacked complexity in flavor but were otherwise fine.

We will be going back but we will make a few changes when we do. I will reserve a table for an earlier time. Most likely around 6pm for the 7 course menu (5-5:30 pm for the 12 course menu). I will also consider doing the wine pairings. The chef has an extensive wine cellar (not California only wines) and the bottle he suggested was expensive...

We celebrated our anniversary at Localis - Michelin 2023 Star!

The January menu is WINTER IS COMING - A Song of Citrus and Snow. If you're a Game of Thrones fan, you're in for a special treat as the menu is developed surrounding the popular HBO series. I love the show references, and certain dishes are named after a specific scene. Very cool! I had a quick chat with Chef Chris and shared my visit to Dubrovnik, where some of the GOT scenes were filmed. It brought back great memories.

For the folks trying Localis for the first time, you have to reserve and prepaid reservation in advance. We reserved for the Chef's Counter 12 Course Tasting Menu Experience because I know I want to watch the chefs at work up close. The other option is Dining Room. I think sitting at the counter is the best way to fully take it all in. I personally love watching professional chefs in their elements and preparing food. I'm mesmerized by their talent and precise execution of each dish. If you prefer a quieter dinner, the dining room option is for you. Also, if you have any food allergies, you can indicate that on the reservation, and Localis will call you the day before to check for food allergies or restrictions.

There are three beverage pairing options, or you can order a glass of wine or cocktail. I went with the Beverage Pairing, which is probably a bit too much alcohol for a weekday dinner (considering I have work next morning), BUT I didn't regret it. It was a mix of champagne, wine, sake, and cocktails. I got to taste a little big of everything. Not to mention, it paired perfectly with each dish. I highly recommend ordering the Beverage Pairing! Make sure you have a DD or Uber home.

Instead of reviewing all 12 courses, I'll share my top two dishes. I mean, every dish I had was PHENOMENIAL in their own way, and each dish is truly a WORK OF ART! My favorite and most memorable dish is 4. The Fall of the Crab King, Thai Coconut Panna Cotta (yum), Dungeness Crab (double yum), Spicy Kumquat Marmalade, Kumquat Chips, Blood Orange-Beet-Pomegranate Blood (which is the finishing red liquid), Basil, Cilantro. I don't know if it was the pairing with 2018 Maximin Grunhaus, Abtsberg, Spatlese Riesling. I can't describe it. So much flavor! Delicate yet intense!

The Fire Inside, Dragon Egg , stood out from the other dishes for me. House Pulled Burrata Filled with Arugula Jeow Sum, Supremes of Citrus, Arugula Foam, Olio Nuovo, Mint, Basil. I wanted a piece of bread to scoop up the foam. I have no idea how they can even make the foam taste SO GOOD!

Shout out to our server and sommelier! They both provided excellent top-notch service. INCREDIABLE and unique dining experience - I didn't want the evening to end. We also got to take home a mini banana bread from Chef Chris Grandmother's recipes and instant coffee! I was a happy girl the...

We trusted them to feed us well and they delivered beyond expectations.

My husband and I paid our fist visit to Localis last night to celebrate his birthday. Chef Christopher Barnum-Dann and his team absolutely blew us away with more than just the food and drinks that were prepared. The energy, ambiance, and his team's attentiveness to us and the dishes made the whole evening one to remember.

A few days prior to our visit a staff member, Fiona, reached out to inquire about dietary restrictions and our occasion for visiting. I informed her that we had no restrictions, however I am currently pregnant. Upon hearing this, she informed me about some items on their menu that I had the option of requesting a substitution for which I found very kind. Our conversation was pleasant and had me looking forward to our visit.

Once we arrived, we were seated at the Chef's Counter to enjoy the Fall Celebrations menu. The 10 course meal encompassed celebratory meals from around the world with the Chef's take on them.

I have no words to describe what it was like to watch the chefs work to prepare our dishes. They functioned so efficiently maintaining such a calm demeanor while engaging in conversation with us. I admire their focus and attention to detail.

Now, regarding the food. Every dish on the menu had ingredients my husband and I typically don't enjoy. However, our minds were completely changed last night. Each course was thoughtfully constructed and had such depth in flavor. We found ourselves saying countless times, "I would love to have this again".

It was difficult to pick our favorite courses by the end of the night. My stand out dish was by far the Kwanzaa: Kamaru, The Feast of Faith.

This dish was a deliciously tender braised lamb shank, coffee roasted carrots, confit kohlrabi, with a lamb and coffee demi-glace poured over. They also provided a side of jollof rice and collard greens. If there was one dish I could learn to make, it would be this. It was the best thing I have ever tasted, I savored every minute of it. It was so good, I didn't even get the opportunity to snap a picture for this review because I was excited to dig in.

I could go on and on about each course and write a miles long review detailing each dish and my experience but I think I would hit the character limit.

Thank you Localis, to all of your chefs and servers, we look forward to enjoying another meal with you...