Just looking at that salad is making me hungry. I haven't craved a salad this much for a long time. Until I tried Local Foods. It's been on my radar and on my "to try" list for awhile now. Local Foods is fairly new and looks to be owned by Benjy's. The Upper Kirby location is new with the original in Rice Village. To be honest, I hadn't gone until now because I hate driving and parking in the Rice Village area, especially during peak hours for dining. It's just not fun.
I had a pedicure day over at Isle Pedi Spa with my mom and sister and we walked across the street to get dinner afterwards. The restaurant is so cute and inhabits what used to be Taco Milagro. We came early around 5:45 pm so there was no wait. It's a big location with a nice and airy feeling and they even have an outdoor patio area with fake grass and umbrellas at some of the dining tables. Once it's cooler, I will definitely choose the outdoor dining area.
You order at the counter and seat yourself - in addition to various options of long and round tables for bigger parties, there are booths for more privacy. Upon walking in, there is a menu stand at the front on individual clipboards. They do change their menu regularly with different options at each of their two locations. Even the sides are slightly different between the two restaurants. The Upper Kirby location has a non-sandwich dinner menu that's limited but a good option for those who do not want a salad or sandwich.
The specials are listed on a big white board near the front ordering area. I was tempted to order the Fig Cream Cheese Empanadas - don't they sound amazing? I don't know what Dublin Red Sorbet is, but it sounded interesting.
When we got to the register, the cashier noticed there was a toddler with us and immediately told us they offer a PB&J or a Grilled Cheese Sandwich for toddlers and comes with one side. Well, my poor little niece is unfortunately allergic to nuts so we opted for the grilled cheese sandwich. It's not listed on the menu and I think the price was pretty cheap, maybe $4 or $5.
My sister got her a side of watermelon. The sandwich was served on their pretzel bun and cut into four quadrants. I wanted to eat a corner, but I can't steal food from a kid. My niece finished the whole thing and she doesn't usually eat this well at restaurants or finish. It was clearly a winner for the little monster.
I ordered the Panzanella Salad with dressing on the side. I believe that is french dressing which was the perfect amount of tang and sweet. The chicken is shredded white meat atop kale and topped with pepperoncini peppers, pickled red onion, roasted red peppers, kalamata olives, and a generous garnish of basil. Oh yeah, can't forget the croutons, it was a mixture of the different breads they use for their sandwiches.
Look at how fresh the ingredients are! The kalamata olives really boosted the salad and the basil was something different for salad in a really good way. I actually ordered the salad because of the basil since I've been on a basil kick lately. The dressing was not oily and didn't leave a film in my mouth like some dressings do. The kale was hearty and filling and did not contain any tough parts - they really give you the quality parts of kale and no stems were anywhere to be found. Oh and the croutons were amazing! Really so simple but their bread is great. I will definitely try a sandwich next time.
My mom loves seafood and I ordered her the Gulf Shrimp and Blue Crab sandwich and chose the quinoa and the beets for her sides, which are included. This sandwich is served on ciabatta bread with green goddess dressing, picked red onion, tomato and lettuce. I did my research on Yelp and found that this is one of their popular sandwiches and I can see why.
They are not cheap about filling the sandwich with the crab and shrimp salad and don't overdo the mayo/dressing. The seafood flavor shined through and wasn't overpowered by the dressing. It paired well with the ciabatta but my mom liked the pretzel bread that was served with the Truffled Egg Salad sandwich my sister ordered (scroll down). I like to go with whatever the chef creates because... well the chef is trained and probably already ran a couple experiments on what pairs best with what. Then after first tasting do I attempt to customize it, which sometimes bombs. But you can never go wrong with bread right?
The sides were a pretty generous serving and very fresh. The beets are raw and not heavily marinated. That being said, you might want to like beets to order this - I know some people absolutely hate beets. The other side was the quinoa and it was so refreshing! I don't know how else to describe it except bright. It was seasoned with a slight tang and sweetness to highlight all the different herbs and vegetables in the salad. My mom was pretty happy with both sides.
My sister ordered the Truffled Egg Salad sandwich on a pretzel bun with sides of quinoa and potato salad. Okay, so their pretzel bread is amazing. I mean absolutely amazing! I liked the ciabatta bread on the Gulf Shrimp and Blue Crab sandwich, but the pretzel bread had such a great aroma of, well, pretzels and the crust was a satisfying thin combination of crunchy and chewy while the inside was still soft but not too airy.
My sister and my mom split each other's sandwich to get a taste of everything. I also tried some and the egg salad was really good. It's simple but tasty with a light truffle flavor to it. The egg salad was not heavily drenched in mayo and allowed the yolk to lend to the creamy profile of the filling. Local Foods definitely knows how to balance fats with their meals. Nothing was overly creamy or oily here.
The potato salad... was not the star of the show. I personally liked it because it's heavy on the dill and heavier on the mustard, but my sister likes the southern style potato salad. This was a little salty though. If they just cut back the salt a little, it would be another winner for those who like a tangier potato salad and love dill.
I can't wait to go back to Local Foods and try everything else here. The flavors are bright and fresh, atmosphere relaxed and clean, and just overall a fun place to eat lunch or dinner and catch up. They have vegan items as well for those interested.
Local Foods
Upper Kirby
Open every day 10 am – 9 pm
713-255-4440
2555 Kirby Drive
Houston, Texas 77019
Rice Village
Open everyday 10 am – 8:30 pm
713-521-7800
2424 Dunstan Road
Houston, Texas 77005
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