Legal has good seafood at rather decent prices. They change their menu slightly every few months. My personal fave my last few times at Legal was the salmon burger: salmon ground up and seasoned and served on a bun like a normal burger. They seem to take pride in their clam chowder at Legal, and it's a good buy as a starter.

Most of the Legals have a somewhat rustic, fisherman's look to them--buoys, pictures of boats, and stuffed fish adorn the walls. The Legal in the Colpley mall (above the movie theater) is more of a trendy-looking bar, and I remember the prices being higher here. The menu in the bar is also different. The other Legal in the Prudential section of the mall is better in my mind, and fits into the chain's atmosphere.

Boston is a big seafood town. Legal is a convenient, affordable way to experience seafood in Beantown.

Aside from the food, we chose this restaurant because there are tables outside, where we could enjoy the fresh air and see all that was going on at Long Wharf. Tour buses and ferries to the Charlestown Navy Yard are all stationed right across the street, and we, having just arrived in Boston, were content to watch them come and go. We were happy here observing the activity, but later we found the more secluded Rowe's Wharf, totally away from any noise from the street. Still, Legal Sea Food is a convenient and delicious stop before or after a bus tour or ferry ride.

Starting as a fish market back in the ‘50’s, Legal Sea Foods came to wider notice when Julia Child began buying seafood for her television program there. The owners soon branched out into the restaurant business, opening a simple no-frills spot with sawdust-strewn floors and communal plank table seating. From there Legal’s reputation for the freshest fish, expertly cooked, took off, and the single Cambridge location has gradually expanded to no fewer than 26 restaurants up and down the East Coast. Their slogan, proudly trumpeted in numerous TV spots and print ads, is "If it isn’t fresh, it isn’t Legal!"

The Legal’s Park Plaza restaurant is in an attractively renovated art-deco style building near the theater district, a convenient spot for tourists and townies alike. We were grateful we had made reservations, for the crowd on Tuesday night looked to me more like that of a Saturday night. One thing that impressed me, however, was that although the restaurant was busy, the staff didn’t seem rushed and the noise level was a relaxed rumble rather than a cacophonous din. Subdued lighting, with hanging spot lamps casting a mellow glow over each table and a hip Asia-meets-Art-Deco décor further contributed to a relaxed ambience.

The test of any restaurant, however, is its food. Legal Sea Foods, I’m happy to say, lived up to its reputation for fresh, expertly prepared seafood. We three whetted our appetites beforehand with tasty appetizers of clam chowder, Greek salad, and shrimp cocktail, respectively. Then I opted for a mixed assortment of wood-grilled fish and shellfish, while my husband had stuffed flounder and my son ordered wood-grilled trout. I was very impressed with my selection, a trio of four-ounce cuts of different fish (tuna, salmon, and blue fish), succulent grilled scallops and juicy shrimp. A baked potato and crunchy stir-fried squash complemented this ideal sampler meal. We selected a half bottle of reasonably-priced Venetian Pinot Grigio from Legal’s award-winning wine list to accompany the meal and promptly wished we’d ordered a whole bottle of this crisp, flavorful wine.

The service was attentive; in fact, one oddity was that no fewer than three managerial staff came by to ask us if we were finding everything satisfactory. Clearly, quality control is a very big thing at Legal Sea Foods, which is all to the good, but we found the repeated inquiries somewhat obtrusive. However, aside from that we were very happy with our meal and overall experience there and hope to dine at one of Legal’s Maryland locations the next time we’re up for a seafood splurge.