The Early Word on Local's Corner in the Mission

Local: Mission Eatery owners Yaron Milgrom and chef Jake Des Voignes took the challenge of converting Mission corner store La Placita Market into an upscale-ish, fish-centric cafe called Local's Corner. In April, the joint started serving dinner, jumping an additional hurdle: a hood-free kitchen that limits cooking to induction burners only. But Local’s Corner is mostly about the raw bar, anyway: oysters, raw seafood and cured fish. Will the Mission take to its touted "European-style brunch?" And will a raw bar really fit in amongst all the nearby taquerias of 24th Street? Answers to this and more, in this here Early Word report.

The Dinner News: Tasting Table is a fan of “a delicate salad of Dungeness crab, orange supremes and crisp, fresh peas.” and Gayot reports they "like to start with the tiny Miyagi from nearby Tomales Bay.” Aside from fish, Tasting Table is partial to their “Thirst-quenching salad of Little Gem lettuces, nutty aged goat cheese, radishes and garlic confit, and a white crock of pork rillettes to smear on toasts of house-made bread.”

The Brunch News: “Freshly squeezed tangelo juice and soft-poached eggs with brioche soldiers ease your wake-up.” reports Tablehopper, who is also fond of the unlimited French press coffee from Sightglass and “bread basket of treats from cult favorite Knead Patisserie.” Nam L. reviews on Yelp that “the belgian waffled tasted like chickory syrup was infused within the waffle batter itself,” and Rachel J. of Foursquare says to skip the yogurt and granola and get the quiche instead.

The Portion News: Heather Smith at Mission Local informs that “The Mission is not a neighborhood of people who want to eat tiny food. The Mission is a neighborhood of appetite...the soup was good. But it was of such a delicate nature that it was hard to tell that I was actually eating.” OpenTable wrote that “Food was lovely, although sparse. SFBG's Miller says "Two flavorsome bites are cured anchovies and guanciale (Italian bacon made from pig's jowl or cheek) on toasts ($10), or a dollop of smoked trout rillettes and crème fraîche ($12), also with toasts. Both delight, but are so small-portioned, one is just hooked when they're gone." Yelp user sarahjane s. concurs, but has “high hopes it either gets a bit more filling, or a bit less expensive.”

The Ambiance News: “The restaurant itself is beautiful — like a French brasserie dropped into the middle of the Mission.” writes Mission Local’s Heather Smith. Tasting Table adds that “the corner space is well-suited to morning, when the sun shines through the windows.” And AskMen on FourSquare says its "akin to a vintage hardware store," and 7x7 includes its sidewalk seating in its "latest spots for al fresco dining.

The Bauer News: Boding well for the future review, Sir Bauer says Local's has "some of the best seafood I’ve had in a long time." Among his favorites: cured halibut with radishes, grapefruit and "filly fronds of dill.[sic]"
—Chloe Schildhause

· All Local's Corner Coverage [~ ESF ~]