Last week, Seth suggested we check out Local Three Kitchen and Bar, the brand-spankin’-new restaurant in the old JOEL Brasserie space on Northside Parkway; opened by Muss & Turner’s Todd Mussman + Ryan Turner + local favorite Chris Hall (former Chef de Cuisine at Canoe and most recently at 4th and Swift). At that point, it had only been open a week so I practically SKIPPED through the front door thinking surely I was getting the fresh scoop…

Uh, not so much.

…but, the PACKED house I walked into (and every packed house for the 7 days prior) would probably beg to differ. Apparently, the word is out (and @365Atlanta is already the mayor on 4Square!  Check out Maura’s post here.)

Ah, well!  Moving on... I couldn’t get over how different the space looks! Given that they were going for “come-as-you-are atmosphere and ‘foie gras in your flip flops’ ambiance” I’d say they hit the nail on the head.  It’s totally rustic-chic… from the tables made from local natural wood (the unbeliveably gorgeous bartop was made from a 30,000lb tree that fell right on Mt. Paran!) to the kitschy salt-and-pepper shakers unique to each table, they really did a great job re-purposing Joel’s space.  They opted to keep the 1 accent wall…

…and definitely made it their own. Terri Swartz, the super cute General Manager, gave us the grand tour while we waited for our seats, starting with the pig paintings which pay homage to both the 3 partners as well as their favorite protein:

and ending with a spin through their pretty impressive kitchen! Brunch is served buffet-style right here:

OK on to the food! The menu is chock-full of southern favorites like pimento cheese, boiled peanuts, and chicken pot pie, and gets a little cheeky with sections like “The Notorious P.I.G.” (charcuterie sampler) and items like “The McDowell” (a souped up version of the Big Mac).  They even have a Brinner option! (although they call it Breakfast-For-Dinner.  Fancy.)  Seth and I strategized on our menu selection and settled on the following:

Duck Confit Quesadilla

Cilantro, onions, chipolte sauce

Butter Poached Maine Lobster:

gnocci, carrot, ginger, tarragon

PEI Mussels

Red Curry, Coconut Milk, Cilantro

and, of course, The McDowell with a side of duck-fat fried onion rings

"Two grass fed beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, american cheese...no sesame seeds..."

Now, if you thought we couldn’t eat another BITE after all of that you’d be wrong. Because we TOTALLY had the Warm Chocolate Pudding “Cake” with Capn’ Crunch-Peanut Butter Ice Cream and Salted Caramel (OMG!)

None of these things alone was all that spectacular (except the Capn’ Crunch, of course) but together on a spoon, the synergy was ah-ma-zing!

I absolutely loved everything I ate and our service was just wonderful.   Everyone was warm and gracious and Chef Hall even stopped by our table to inquire about our experience.  You can just tell that this place has heart! I give it 2 freshly manicured thumbs up!

xx, L

Local Three
3290 Northside Parkway
Atlanta, GA 30327
404-968-2700

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