Food with a Philosophy

Local 121
121 Washington Street, Providence , RI , 02903

Local 121 is an upscale restaurant in the heart of downtown Providence which tries to serve locally harvested food and drink. Locally is somewhat loosely defined, essentially consisting of all of New England for produce and meats, and ranging much further afield for the winelist. One rarity for the restaurant business is they are open about where they obtain some of their ingredients. Check the Local resources page of their website and you'll find a long list of vendors, what they produce and where they are located.

Meals are not the typical oversized plate of food served in other restaurants, though also not dainty. The salad of mixed greens at $9 was enough for a meal after splitting an appetizer for my dining companion. Entrees cost from $15 to $30 dollars and appetizers generally under $10. The menu includes several seafood entrees, befitting the Ocean State, as well as a variety of meats, quail, a burger and vegetarian options.

I had the stuffed quahog special for an appetizer and selected the Five Rivers Merlot, which is listed as Organic and Sustainable from the California Central Coast. The appetizer was very good, a trio of medium-sized stuffed quahogs with sausage. Atop each was a dolop of a citrus cream or aioli which complemented the filling very well. The second best stuffie I've ever had, not overly bread filled and with the added dimension of a bit of sausage in the stuffing..

For dinner I chose one of the evenings other specials, a free form ravioli filled with butternut squash and served with a sauteed mushrooms. The ravioli was served as a single large dumpling with the filling be extremely smooth, slightly sweet and very tasty. It worked very well with the earthy tones from the mushrooms and the light sauce.

The final course was a scoop of house made ginger ice cream. Not strongly ginger flavored, but with small pieces of candied ginger throughout, a very nice, light finish to the meal.

Overall, a very good meal, though with the full gamut of a appetizer and dessert, not an inexpensive meal. Highly recommended for any occasion where an upscale dining experience is desired. And the bonus of eating locally sourced ingredients.