Note: this also appears with my reviews over on Yelp.
Quality food served up at a premium price in an empirically nice yet soulless atmosphere.
Legal Sea Foods is one of any number of 'masstige' restaurant chains that you can find in virtually any semi-upscale commercial complex these days. Everything is nice in that familiar, non-distinct way, but there is little evidence of true, original style or flair. Depending upon your perspective I suppose you could interpret that as either an indictment or a recommendation. It is what it is.
Ambiance / Decor
Decent. Has all the generic trappings that have become commonplace. Dark woods, nice semi-dramatic bar displays, soft and strategically placed lighting, etc.
Service
Inconsistent, but more good than bad. We arrived around 9:55pm and asked if we were too late to order food. The manager was quick with a genuine 'absolutely not' and the hostess showed us over to a nice booth. Our server was friendly and conversational when he was around. We missed him for a couple of stretches, but that's not entirely unexpected given the time we were there. I know there is a whole list of things that the closing shift needs to take care of and I'm sure that's part of what he was off doing when he wasn't checking in with us.
Food / Drink
Mostly good. They nailed the important stuff and surprised us a bit with their wine selection. Only misstep was with a salad, so not the end of the world.
The Boston baked scrod was solid, exactly as I would expect this comforting classic to be prepared. My wife enjoyed the crab cake combo with shrimp and scallops, noting that the crab cakes included big chunks of crab meat, not just the shreds you often get in that kind of dish. The chopped Greek salad was largely good. I personally like the shredded preparation here, which is simply easier to eat and lets you get all the flavors of the salad with every forkful. But they were a little heavy with what tasted like a very ordinary, mass produced dressing. I ate it and I liked it for the most part, but it could have been better.
On the wine list we were happy to see a Malbec and a Cava by the glass. The Cava in particular was nice because it became a great Plan B after the mojito my wife ordered arrived a little strong and syrupy.
Value
It isn't inexpensive, but I also know that Legal's prioritizes top quality seafood. So you get what you pay for in that respect. Just kind of a shame that the rest of the experience isn't as exquisite as the food is. When you spend $100 for dinner, there should be something a little special about the evening. But then, this place is attached to the Boca Raton Mall, so it is what it is.
1 comment:
Today is the 3/6/10- about a month after our awful dinner at Legal Seafood. After receiving the computer generated response to my complaint to Legals, I received a voice message from a Michael at the Boca Legals about a week after. His message stated that he would call me back the following morning. After I had not heard from him in a few days I called his number and was told that he was not working that day but that a message would be left for him that I had returned his call.
This is the last time I was contacted in anyway by anyone in your organization. On the rare occasion that restaurant food is not prepared as expected I know that the restaurant replaces the food at the bare minimum. In this case we have 6 diners at your restaurant each experiences over cooked fish (something that you are known for preparing to perfection). The waitress is so awful that we are unable to get her attention so that the food can be returned in a timely fashion - and that just being the start of our awful experience. Legals is notified via the Internet since you didn't appear to have anyone in charge the night of our visit, and the best that can happen is a voice message???
Come on- I'm getting ready to let all my friends and acquaintances know about your food as well as your customer service!
What do I need to get your attention?
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