Actually Pretty Awesome: Dinner at Local Mission Eatery

Red wine-braised squid with ricotta cavatelli.

Local Mission Eatery opened in 2010 as more of a lunch/brunch place, with occasional dinner pop-ups and such, and since then they’ve evolved into a full-fledged dinner destination, albeit with mostly communal/counter seating, and a low-key Mission vibe. As we reported in December, the team of Yaron Milgrom and chef Jake DesVoignes are working on another small restaurant nearby called Local’s Corner, where they’re planning to have a bit more of a local-seafood focus. You can get a clue what the food will be like just by seeing what some of chef DesVoignes dishes look like now, including a truly awesome dish of braised squid with ricotta cavatelli, mint, and assorted cauliflowers.

See our slideshow of a recent meal, which included some nice local wine and beers, including Natural Process Alliance’s “orange” Pinot Gris, which was a unique, unfiltered, and slightly sour wine that paired well with food; and Almanac’s Summer 2011 Farmhouse Pale Ale. DesVoignes been doing some great work with house-made pickles from the start, but in preparation for the eventual Local Mission Market, he’s also been creating pastas, sauces, and canning produce as well. The result is a tight selection of thoughtful, inventive, and flavorful plates that are sometimes rustic, and sometimes reminiscent of Michelin-star food.

Also, it should be noted that every dish on the dinner menu can be ordered in half or full sizes, to accommodate any appetite.

See their current menu here. You should also note that at lunchtime only, on Fridays, they’re doing fried chicken.

Earlier: Exclusive: Local Mission Eatery Expands With Local Mission Market and Local’s Corner

These excellent Brussels sprouts were expertly grilled and topped with anchovy aioli.

A bright dish for winter: blood oranges, Dungeness crab, shaved carrots, shaved fennel, and citrus gastrique.

These amazingly delicious, oniony little beauties were were served with charred onions and turmeric aioli.

Definitely the highlight of the evening was this dish with ultra-tender red wine-braised squid with housemade pasta, assorted cauliflowers, lacinato kale, and mint. The sauce/jus that pooled in the bottom of the dish was rich and well seasoned and amazing.

The bird was served with buttery wheat berries, turnips, salsify, and a mustard jus. A classy dish.

Perfectly cooked fish topped with black trumpets, rapini, and persillade, on a bed of parsnip purée.

An example of great canning come to life in the winter — the biscuit and cream were just savory enough to make this satisfying.