Cafe: Local Breeze

By Jonathan McNamara Thu., Aug. 6 2009 at 5:07 PM

Categories: Chow Bella

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Just a week ago, a few of my compatriots from New Times and I walked in to Local Breeze to grab a lunch and stave off the afternoon doldrums as long as possible. Our waiter, who approached our table with a bubbling sheen of happiness asked me if I knew what I wanted to order. I said I would need at least one more minute and he responded with "okay. I'm going to give you one minute and if you haven't decided, I'm going to cut you. Ha!"

It was a joke, but you'll understand how disconcerting it was. You'll also understand how it continued to be disconcerting when approximately thirty seconds later he popped out of the the kitchen to yell "thirty seconds" at us.

Here's the point: we went back this week despite the risk of being "cut" if we took to long to order. It's that good.

Don't believe me? Check out what Food Critic Michele Laudig has to say about Local Breeze in this week's Cafe column:

There's plenty to pig out on, and almost everything on the menu is super-sized. For example, consider the lahvosh appetizer. Our waitress said that even the half-size portion was enough to feed four people, and she wasn't exaggerating. It resembled a flat, crispy pizza and was definitely sharable, gently pulling apart into whatever size pieces we wanted. Among a few different topping combos, we chose the LB Favorite, smothered in sweet roasted corn, diced tomato, creamy melted cheese, green onion, bacon, and fresh cilantro. Eventually, I had to stop devouring it when more food landed on the table.

Paradise hummus was another generous starter -- three variations on the traditional Mediterranean dish served with a long platter of crispy pita triangles. The plain chickpea dip was plenty tasty, but arugula-pesto hummus (as bright-green in flavor as appearance) and zesty roasted red pepper hummus disappeared more quickly. Like many of the bread products at Local Breeze, the pita were housemade -- a nice touch...full story

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