Those looking for a high-end brunch in Martinez on a Sunday afternoon can find a diner tucked away along Evans to Locks Road. Its name even emphasizes that it’s just around the corner.
Local is called so for two reasons. One — because its ingredients are from local farmers. The other reason is to evoke the friendly town diner, says head chef Nate Gates. Another project by Edward Mendoza, owner of Cucina 503, Local specializes in breakfast and lunch.
Local had a soft opening around Nov. 4, and it’s been picking up steam ever since. Gates says after a “practice run” of introducing the eatery to family, friends and a few stragglers, it’s now a matter of getting the word out.
“Things are getting better,” said Gates. “We’re not where we want to be, obviously, but we’re getting there; working at it every day, figuring it out, changing things.”
What the staff at Local have already figured out was what proves popular with customers. The biggest seller so far has been the meatloaf, and Gates is not surprised.
“It’s not a meatloaf like you would taste anywhere else,” he said. “We put a little bit of brown sugar in it. That kind of kicks it up a little bit.”
Concocting classic American with a unique flair is central to the restaurant’s labors. Owner Mendoza is no stranger to fresh, fine, farm-to-table cooking, and neither is Gates, who has worked with Mendoza for years.
Local’s breakfast menu features two short rib dishes. The short ribs are soaked in red wine and water, cooled, dried and braised over a meticulous three-to-four-day process. Its lunch menu’s main entrees, aside from the meatloaf, include pan-seared salmon and braised chicken leg.
“Lunches have been really good for us,” said Gates.
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As much care, however, is being taken in crafting the cuisine as there is in making the atmosphere adaptable. The interior is subdued, with lots of gray in the dining room, most of the artwork consisting of large frames of photographs of Augusta. One is likely to find a game on the either flatscreen television hovering above the bar.
Gates is optimistic about breakfast ultimately picking up.
“I didn’t expect to be crazy at breakfast, Tuesday through Friday,” said Gates. “But weekends are probably going to really shine. People like to brunch.”
At the bar, situated near the center of the suite, one can order a beer or a cappuccino with your fried chicken and French toast (its most popular breakfast dish), which is appropriate for a spot that offers bottomless mimosas on the weekends.
Local is at 3851 Evans to Locks Rd. in Martinez. For more information visit https://www.localaugustarestaurant.com/.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering Columbia County with The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
