Jun. 29, 2011 - Issue #819: Children of Bodom
Sandwich champ
Local Public Eatery excels at putting meat between bread
Local Public Eatery is a Vancouver favourite, located right across from the beach in Kits. These days Edmonton has a location to call its very own, which opened recently in South Edmonton Common (taking over from OPM). The location has been opened up, offering a large, spacious room which is very dim, hip and beautiful. I especially loved the industrial light fixtures and décor that create an edgy warehouse feel. But let's face it—it's kind of a sports bar. Normally this wouldn't be my scene ... if it wasn't for the food. Being a sports bar and being that it's such a large and open room, the volume is quite high—the place's only real fault, I think. However, if you can look past that, you'll notice that the restaurant plays good music.
We showed up on a Monday night and were allowed to seat ourselves. The service was extremely pleasant, friendly and personable. I'd heard the restaurant serves its drinks in a boot, so naturally I had to try it. There are four different booted ones and I chose the Kung Fu Punch ($8) to kick things off. Heralded as the "Chuck Norris of cocktails," this drink was fun and tasty. It made me feel like a kid again drinking fruit punch and it's hard not to love the boot-shaped glass.
The menu itself was a pleasant surprise: I wasn't sure what to expect from the food, but found the choices inspired. We decided to start with the spicy edamame ($8), a nice light start but much different then the salty edamame that I've grown accustomed to. The pods were bathed in a savoury and spicy sauce accented with chilis, garlic and sesame. It was so good, I found myself mopping up the last of the sauce from the bottom of the dish with my last few beans.
For those mourning the loss of OPM, there are a few items on the menu which have been "borrowed" from the OPM menu, such as the seven-flavoured beef. I decided to try a Local original, the tuna club sandwich for $16. The sandwich arrived promptly in two stacked halves, each skewered as a good club sandwich should be. The tuna was perfectly seared, with an optimal rare center and tasted like it came fresh off the grill. I can't say enough about the harmony of flavours and textures. The bread was toasted and satisfyingly crunchy, the cheddar was melty, the bacon was smoky, and anything with avocado on it has to be good. You can opt for a side of yam fries and it'll be the truffle lemon mayonnaise dip that will sell you.
Most places serve yam fries with some rendition of mayo, but this one stands out, bursting with the unmistakable flavour of truffle. The fries themselves were piping hot and cooked just right. I would try to downplay how I felt about this meal if I could, but it deserves every good thing that I can say about it. To me, the cuisine embodied the perfect combination of a casual meal with excellent food and great service. I can certainly put up with some noise and some TV screens airing sports—in fact I relish the fact there's a place where sports fans with a discerning palate can go to enjoy a great meal.
Mon – Thu (11 am – 1 am); Fri (11 am – 2 am); Sat (10 am – 2 am); Sun (10 am – 12 am)
Local Public Eatery
1820 - 99 St, South Edmonton Common, 780.989.5898
More info about Local Public Eatery →
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