Head-Over-Heels In Love, Bauer 3 Stars Local's Corner

For this past Sunday's review, Bauerriffic pens a three star love sonnet to Local's Corner, which he thinks is much better than chef-owner Jake Des Voignes other nearby restaurant, Local: Mission Eatery. Our Chron review man also has a theory in action here: that restrictions in the kitchen force chefs to be more creative. Enter Local's Corner's limiting set-up of a mere convection oven, two induction burners and a circulator:

"Local's Corner had to think outside normal parameters, and what...[Des Voignes has] created is a menu that's unlike anything else in the Bay Area. Because it depends on the daily catch and harvest, it changes frequently...Dish after dish is pristine and imaginatively crafted, mixing ingredients that you aren't sure will work. That includes uni ($14) surrounded by English peas, mint and preserved lemon. It's not only visually breathtaking, with the orange lobes of sea urchin nestled among the bright green orbs, but the flavor is flawless."

Bauer goes on and on, describing numerous dishes: oyster soup, cured halibut, Dungeness crab, and an $18 fixed price weekend brunch he calls "splendid." He also deems his tabs respectable "given the ingredients' quality and preparation," and wraps up by reiterating hyperbolic praise for the food as "one of the most exciting, interesting menus in the Bay Area." Barring any major SNAFUs, it sounds like Local's Corner is a shoe-in for next year's Top 100.

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