Local Burger, located on the corner of Main and Pearl Street, is excellently situated to serve denizen pedestrians and also truckers from far away. When I walked through the door, I immediately felt peaceful and pleased in their very chic yet laid-back atmosphere. Traditional black diner stools and black powder-coated dining room chairs dot the checkerboard floor, and the electronic jukebox plays everything from long Beatles playlists to jazz.
The menu, written on a wraparound chalkboard near the cashier, is full of excellent options for meatavores and vegetarians alike (don't quote me, vegans, but I think you can eat the fried sides because they're made with peanut oil). There's a case of cold beverages (non-alcoholic, though they have a license to BYO), as well as a self-serve fountain drink station. Order at the counter and the nice folks - including the owner - that ring you up will ask you if you want your burger "pink" or "not pink." The lack of pretension is as appreciated as the quality of the offerings. This is not a greasy spoon, but is as welcoming as any I've ever been to. Regular and sweet potato fries - as well as onion rings, chicken wings, and fried pickles - come to your table in a traditional red or black plastic diner basket, lined with black-and-white checked paper that matches the floor.
What else comes to your table? If you're me, it's likely to be a burger made from animals who lived and grazed freely...less than ten miles from the grill. The organic chicken and beef comes from Chicoine Farm, a local organic farm, and there are non-local choices for the meat, as well, but I've never tasted any of it. This restaurant sources as much of its raw materials from local purveyors as it can, and I personally want to eat as much locally/family-owned restaurant goodness as I possibly can (I belong to the local food co-op and have a CSA farmshare...when it's not wintertime, sigh).
The portions of sides (I've had the beer-battered onion rings, sweet potato fries, regular potato fries, and fried pickles) are very generous. Everything has such a robust taste. The burgers are served on sesame-seed buns that are always very soft, and quite adequately soak up most of the juice from my pink patties. The meat itself is not overseasoned, which is wonderful, since the taste of local, organic meat really *is* incredible. It's fresh, and doesn't hang in my mouth like lesser burger tastes can.
I usually get a local hamburger with cheddar cheese, tomatoes, and lettuce. This is enough to fill me up when I'm famished, but not so much that I feel like I'm going to have meat fever afterwards (you know, that sweaty, raised-temperature feeling you get when you eat too much tasty tasty meat?), which is always a plus. The size of the burger - I never have a ruler with me when I eat at Local Burger, but it looks to be about 5.5" in diameter - leads to me dripping meat juices all over myself unless I 1) wrap the burger's butt in a napkin, or 2) cut the burger in half. I've never taken home a doggy bag.
Tonight, one of the owners gave us a chocolate chip cookie to try; he said they're considering adding fresh cookies to their menu. It was perfect: soft, with a heady vanilla taste, and a little salty crispiness at the very outermost edge. I always think, "I'm going to get a veggie burger this time," because I love veggie burgers, but then I always get the same local beef burger. How can I resist? They're so, so good.
This is a place where people can and definitely do spend a lot of no-pressure time hanging out, talking, reflecting on the delicious food, whatever - it's a nice place to spend time with your friends. I think this must be an excellent destination for college students; if you're hungry, it probably seems like it's a little far of a walk from Smith campus, like many eateries on this end of town, but if I had Local Burger when I was a student, I would have gotten off of my lazy backside and hoofed it over here with great regularity.
The only things I can say that are in any way *not* completely glowing are related to things I wish they had on the menu, all of which involve ice cream! We have a LOT of locally-made ice cream in the Valley, and when I think of diners and traditional burger/American fare, I think milkshakes, soda floats, and sundaes. Maybe if enough customers request access to local ice cream, it'll happen. Hint!
There's free and strong wi-fi, which makes me wonder why in the world I don't see more laptops. I feel like this is an as-yet-undiscovered jewel that I hope continues to succeed. Every time I come in here, I feel great. The combination of delicious local (literally) food and supporting a thriving local economy makes a great backdrop for all of the wonderful times I've had here thus far. It's definitely my favorite restaurant on this site (where the crèperie, Fire Grill, and several other spots had been over the years), and I look forward to seeing it grow. read more