I had an informal business lunch here yesterday. Three of us were coming from Long Island, and were meeting with someone in Orange County. I asked him for suggestions of somewhere closer to him, but between the two locations, and he suggested Locale, and a few others. This menu looked good online, so we agreed to meet here. When we arrived, we asked for a larger table, so that we could spread out a bit, since we had some reports to go over. They were more than accommodating, and gave us our pick of tables. It was just before noon, so we had the place mostly to ourselves. We found a suitable table, and were greeted by our server, Hernan. Bread was brought over right away. Focaccia and more of a rustic loaf, along with tapenade and hummus. Fresh, but nothing out of the ordinary. I've been on an octopus kick lately, and having seen it on their menu online, I knew that I was going to start with that. Another one of us also ordered it, and my partner ordered the smoked salmon and trout. The other party skipped the appetizer.
The octopus was wonderful. Plenty of meat, and wonderful arugula and radicchio. It pair very well with the citrus infused olive oil. Thoroughly enjoyable, and, at $11, was nicely priced. i didn't see it on the dinner menu, but I don't know why it wouldn't be available then, but it would probably be a few dollars more if available. My partner was complimentary about the smoked fish.
I stayed with seafood, and got the sea scallops at $18 ($29 on the dinner menu, but I'm not sure if it's the same quantity. This came with 5 or 6 nice sized scallops, which was plenty). The scallops were arranged in a circle, and a nice portion of white beans and sauteed escarole comes in the center of the plate. The blood orange sauce was dotted between the scallops, so you could actually not have any sauce if that was your preference, and you wouldn't have to order it without sauce. A little bit with each bite heightened the taste of the scallops, without overpowering them. Cooked perfectly, and delicious.
Someone else ordered the ravioli, homemade, and filled with 4 different cheeses, and enjoyed it with the accompanying sauce. My partner, a big fan of swordfish, told our waiter that it was cooked just right, and was nice and moist. Our 4th, a vegetarian, got the eggplant ciabatta panini. He thought it was excellent, particularly the goat cheese.
They had plenty of specials, and an ample amount of choices on the menu. All of the dishes that we saw others eating looked great! One table all ordered the burger, and it looked quite large. Quite a few people ordered the homemade black linguine. If you aren't watching carbs, and don't mind squid ink, it looked amazing.
My partner ordered a tartufo, and some coconut panna cotta for all of us to share. Excellent, although nothing out of the ordinary. The rest of the items are the usual dishes you would expect---tiramisu, cheesecake, creme brulee, etc., but it was interesting to note that you could order select cheeses, including parmigiano reggiano, which is a nice change. Coffee was great, which isn't so unusual, but I drink it black, and without sweetener, so I really have an appreciation for a good cup of coffee. I have been let down quite a few times by a less than stellar cup of coffee after a great meal, so this made my meal complete.
As for the rating...I had just given out my first 5 star review on my last restaurant review, and for that reason only, I didn't want to go 5 stars again. But, honestly, I completely enjoyed my meal, and so did the others. The service was tremendous, especially Hernan. He had patience with us while we had some business to go over. He gave us our space, yet maintained eye contact with us so we could let him know when we were ready to order. Our water glasses were constantly filled, yet somehow you don't notice them doing so, which is a good thing. I honestly can't justify giving them less than 5 stars. We aren't really in the neighborhood, but we do have clients in NJ, and it's very close to the GW Bridge, so I'm sure we will return. If it turns out that we just hit them on a good day, I'll amend my review. Until now, I highly recommend Locale! read more