Frommer's Review
Out-of-towners sometimes react suspiciously when I recommend Legal's -- they're expecting a secret insider tip, and I'm suggesting a place they've already heard of. Just remember that this family-owned business enjoys an international reputation for serving only the freshest, best-quality fish and shellfish, which it processes at its own state-of-the-art plant. The menu includes regular selections (scrod, haddock, bluefish, salmon, shrimp, calamari, and lobster, among others) plus whatever was at the market that morning, prepared in every imaginable way, and it's all splendid. The clam chowder is great, the fish chowder lighter but equally good. Entrees run the gamut from grilled fish served plain or with Cajun spices (try the arctic char) to seafood fra diavolo on fresh linguine to salmon baked in parchment with vegetables and white wine. Or go the luxurious route and order a mammoth lobster. The classic dessert is ice cream bonbons, but the Boston cream pie is so good that you might come back just for that. And the wide-ranging, reasonably priced wine list is exceptional -- a friend who makes his living as a wine writer tells me it's the best restaurant-chain wine list in the country.
And just when I thought I couldn't like Legal's any more, the whole chain recently started accepting reservations. Can you feel the love?
My favorite branch of the chain is at Long Wharf, tantalizingly close to the New England Aquarium. A close runner-up is the location in the Prudential Center, 800 Boylston St. (tel. 617/266-6800; T: Green Line B, C, or D to Hynes Convention Center, or E to Prudential). Other Boston branches are at 36 Park Place, in Park Square between Columbus Avenue and Stuart Street (tel. 617/426-4444; T: Green Line to Arlington); at Copley Place, 2nd level (tel. 617/266-7775; T: Orange Line to Back Bay or Green Line to Copley); and in the three domestic terminals at Logan Airport. In Cambridge, branches are in the courtyard of the Charles Hotel, 20 University Rd. (tel. 617/491-9400; T: Red Line to Harvard), and at 5 Cambridge Center (tel. 617/864-3400; T: Red Line to Kendall/MIT).
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without
notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before
planning your trip.
