The Locals (Neighborhood Eats)

     Just out of the way of Providence, nestled in a corner of the suburban labyrinth known as North Providence, stands one of my favorite restaurants in our foodie-heaven of a state: The Locals. The Locals is a cozy little restaurant which serves up some seriously tasty food made from the best ingredients in Rhode Island. At The Locals, all of the food is made from scratch using ingredients sourced from local farms in Rhode Island and the surrounding area. I've been to this restaurant many times, and I've never had a disappointing experience. The Locals serves mostly lunch, dinner, and on Sunday, brunch. This is definitely one of my all time favorite spots for Sunday brunch. What better could you do on a Sunday than eat an amazing veggie omelet while listening to the awesome tunes of whichever local musician happens to be performing that day? Simply put: The Locals is good, clean eating.

The Veggie Omelet

     The Locals is a pretty new establishment, opened in 2010 by owner/chef Andrea Cipolla. Just like the seasonal weather of New England, the menu at The Locals is constantly changing based on what ingredients are locally available at the time, which makes for a delicious new experience with every visit. The menu has everything from sweet potato mac 'n' cheese in the fall, to grilled summer squash pizza in summer. However, no matter what season you choose to visit The Locals, I doubt you'll ever have a less-than-delicious meal (I certainly haven't). As expected with any food that is sourced sustainably, it can't always be as cheap as your average Sysco-slop-house, but The Locals manages to keep their prices relatively low in comparison to other local eateries. The appetizers rang in price from $5-$7; breakfast food such as omelets range $6-$8, and main courses range $10-$15. A small price to pay for food of such high quality.
     The décor at The Locals could best be described as artsy. With mismatched chairs and tables, and couches along the wall, the décor has a very modern hipster coffee shop feel which I personally find very comfortable and homey. On the wall, there hangs a plethora of art pieces and chalkboards on which various things are written. These include food specials, drink specials, and other pleasant sayings and messages. One particularly interesting sentence on one of the chalkboards reads "Welcome to the slow food movement babies!" And they hold true to that. While all of the food is absolutely delightful, this is no place to eat when you're in a rush. The extremely small kitchen is usually staffed by only Andrea and one other employee, preparing all of the food, with enough time taken to truly make each dish with care and love. Though the wait is long, the finished product has proven over and over to be worth the wait, and the wonderful wait staff makes sure that your wait is nothing but pleasant.
     The service at The Locals feels very personal. After just a couple visits, the waitresses all remembered who I was and recognize me when I walk in. But even if you're a first-timer here, all of the wait staff want to make you feel at home.

     Having spent most of my childhood on my family farm (Baffoni's Poultry Farm in Johnston, RI), you could say that I was literally born into Rhode Island's sustainability movement. To me, eating local food has always been very important because it supports your local farmers; it keeps more money in your economy; sustainable food is better for both you and the environment; and most importantly, it tastes better! The only thing I love more than food, is great tasting, fresh, scratch-made food, and that's exactly what The Locals delivers! Amazing food; amazing coffee; amazing people; amazing place. Next time you're in the mood for  comfort food, I would highly recommend trying out this awesome local eatery! For more information on The Locals, you can find them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Eat.At.The.Locals