There was a lot of buzz about a new restaurant opening in San Antonio, FL. Unlike it’s Texan relative, there isn’t much there. It’s inland from Tampa, no where near the beach or my neighborhood in South Tampa. I’ve been trying to find a reason to drive all the way out there and today, I finally did.
When I’m off on a Sunday I try to go church with my grandma. Well, the stars aligned and the Husband and I were both off, my mom was down visiting, and everyone agreed on my choice for brunch after church!
So after repenting for our sins, the 10 of us headed to Local Public House and Provisions.
The Husband, my mother, grandma, and me with grandma’s friends.
I could tell from the outside that I was going to love it. Just the design of the outside had me sold.
Isn’t it so beautiful? The building is 100 years old and used to be a general store.
The inside is just as fabulous. It’s light, open, and has simple yet elegant décor that accents the original look of the walls perfectly.
I dare you to pick a favorite area! The bar area is so light and fun, the seating area is perfect for parties of two or twenty, and the old couches so look inviting. I’d like to grab a friend, a glass of local wine, and settle in for a long convo. The owner’s wife deserves a big kudos for her choices here.
One of the coolest things about Local is that they use local ingredients for everything that they can, including their local rotating taps.
All local at Local.
Now, to get to the good part; the food. The best part about a large group is getting to try so many different things. I heard the Andouille corn dog bites were really good, so I thought that would be the best place to start. And holy moly am I glad. They were my favorite thing there. I nearly forced everyone around me to try them and they were all so glad they did. I may just order them as my meal the next and share with no one.
Best in show. Just enough spice from the Andouille and the cornbread was cooked perfectly. A quick dip in the Dijon mustard and voila! Heaven. On a stick.
For my meal I had the fried green tomato BLT. The bread was soft and delicious, the tomatoes were fresh, and bacon had a fabulous smoky flavor. And the fries were exactly how I like them. Thin cut, crunchy on the ends but soft in the middle, and so much flavor that I didn’t need ketchup.
Check out those beautiful layers of color.
The Husband had the smoked pulled pork sandwich and fries. He loved the fries too, but just thought the sandwich was ok. The bread was delicious and there was a ton of pork on the sandwich, but he didn’t love the BBQ sauce. It’s not that it was bad, it just wasn’t his style.
The sandwich really didn’t have a chance since we live right next door to Holy Hog, the Husband’s favorite BBQ place.
Grandma and three other people ordered the brunch sausage gravy and biscuit. I’m pretty sure it was made with Andouille, which made it the perfect flavor in my opinion. It was a little too spicy for some though. But the biscuit managed to stay buttery and crisp (if that makes sense) under all that sausage gravy.
So good and can you believe that it was only $5? Look at all that food!
Mother ordered the chicken liver po’boy. Hard to believe she used to be vegan, right? I’m pretty sure she ordered just to see if I would try it. And I did not want to. I barely like regular chicken and I certainly don’t like liver. But she kept raving about the sandwich, which was fried chicken liver and covered in gravy, and finally I gave in. And I instantly regretted it. Not because it tasted bad; I was too freaked out by the fact that I was eating chicken liver to pay any attention to the flavor. But mother says it was fabulous so I’ll believe her.
The sweet potato chips were actually really good and I don’t really care for sweet potatoes.
Grandma’s friend, who was also my middle school nurse, ordered the shrimp remoulade salad roll. It was my close second to order so I was glad she got it. The shrimp tasted to fresh and the seasoning was just right.
Two more ladies ordered the pancakes and bacon. I didn’t try them (I can’t eat sweet then go back to savory. I’m weird, I know) but they said they were really good and the smoky bacon was a hit.
In keeping up with the original use as a general store, they have a little local general store area. You can buy local beer, wine, and kumquat jam. The owner is hoping to add a refrigerated area soon and sell local cheeses as well.
Not only is the décor on point, the food fabulous, the bathrooms spotless, and the store adorable, there is also a bit of humor there as well.
Hilarious!
The only way I could like Local better would be if it was in my neighborhood. Unfortunately for me, it’s not. Guess I’ll need to find my way to San Antonio (Florida) more often!
Saves Lives Will Travel 