James LiquoriReview ofLocal Burger
We went to Local Burger Co. after the Bay Shore Sa...
We went to Local Burger Co. after the Bay Shore Saint Patrick's Day Parade on Saturday March 10th, 2018.
Just like most of the people attending the parade, we had been drinking all day and were looking for someplace to go for dinner around 6pm. Because we've been to Salt & Barrel, Changing Times and Coastal, and were looking for something casual that we haven't tried, we decided on Local Burger Co. Due to the parade and the crowd, they had a hostess and a bouncer set up outside at the front entrance. We had to put our name in and wait... OUTSIDE... in the freezing, windy, cold for close to 30 minutes for a table. Granted, we were outside for most of the day, but that was while the sun was out and it wasn't that bad. Once the sun went down, the wind picked up, the temperature dropped and it was freezing out there. We definitely weren't happy about having to wait outside!
Once we were allowed in, we were brought to a little two-seater right under a cutout that looks directly into the kitchen. What I witnessed should've immediately made me turn around and walk out. Again, I will state that I understand that it must've been a crazy day for anyone working at a restaurant on Main Street in Bay Shore after the parade. Being a chef, I've worked those shifts and I know how crazy things can get in a kitchen. So I will overlook the fact that the kitchen was a disaster. The floors were a mess and the counters were a mess and it looked like things hadn't been wiped down since the place opened. And I was actually ok with that. What disgusted me was the 5 cooks working the line that didn't have gloves on and were building burgers with their bare hands. And on top of that, on the other side of the expo line were a bunch of servers eating like they were at a buffet. And I didn't notice this just once, when I got up to go to the bathroom, when I got back from the bathroom and when we were getting up to leave, I witnessed the same thing every time I looked in the kitchen. This really bothered me but since we waited outside for so long, were frozen and starving, I made the judgement call to stay and eat. Thinking back on it now, I must've been pretty drunk to stay after witnessing what I did.
For our meals, Lahna ordered a bacon cheeseburger no bun, I ordered the Hangover and we shared an order of the Celtic fries. For being manhandled with no gloves, our food was pretty good. The celtic fries could've used more corned beef though. And the egg on my burger was way over fried when I was hoping that it would come out runny.
As far as the service, our waitress hardly came around. She was either busy waiting on other tables, waiting at the bar for drinks, or in the kitchen, probably eating her shift meal with the rest of the servers in the middle of their shift right in the open kitchen for everyone to see.
Sorry Local, anyone with a frying pan can make a thin patty burger and put it on a Martin's potato bun and not risk catching a foodborne illness.

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