My Hubby - The Restaurant Reviewer

Tony sent out this great write-up of our dinner at Legal Sea Foods. (Note: The opinions expressed in this review are my husband's and not necessarily mine!) Enjoy :)

Once a month my Darling and I celebrate our anniversary by going to a nice restaurant for dinner. The criteria I use is nice but not extravagant. Le Bec Fin, for example, is only used for an occasional dessert at Le Bar Lyonnaise. We never go to Applebee's as a matter of taste and we do not go to any restaurant for our anniversary dinner with a menu like home. After all why go out for what you can get at home. January we went to The Spring House Tavern, unfortunately it was awful. All the other places we have gone to were nice.

Which brings me to February's choice. After many false starts we finally got to go to Legal Sea Foods in King of Prussia Mall. A Boston chain they are famous for scrupulously fresh seafood. So fresh that they have their central processing plant on the Boston docks. The fishing boats come to them. The fish is processed and portioned and sent to all their restaurants, even the ones in Florida. Years ago I ate at one of their Boston restaurants and it was a favorable experience and I wanted to share the same with my wife. Seafood is still a novelty to her since she was raised in a western desert and the only fish they had was Abe Vigoda and salmon from the Northwest.

It is a nice space in the mall that previously housed Houlihans. Outside entrance is a nice touch. Reservations are a must as they are very popular with hearty walk-up traffic. One can tell that it is a destination as there were very few patrons with shopping bags. We were seated promptly and surprisingly at a four top considering how busy they were. Our waiter was knowledgeable, pleasant and not in the least condescending. He went over parts of the menu and gave us sufficient time to make our selections. I had to get the oysters from their raw bar. Candy (Sydney) encouraged me to go for it but it did not take much prodding. I told the waiter to surprise me and select six from the three varieties offered that night. They were ice cold as they should be and absolutely delicious. One tasted the sea and was mystically transported with each luscious, succulent oyster. My wife was thrilled to see me so visibly happy. I almost ordered another half dozen but decided not to. Da**it.

The soup course followed and they have four to offer. New England Clam Chowda. Legal is famous for their chowda and rightfully so. They also have lite clam chowder which is really just clam soup with a clear broth. Very good but it is like Decaf coffee. Why even bother? Being a Boston chain they would be loathe to name their tomato based chowder with anything remotely associated with New York so they call it Rhode Island Red. An appropriate name since they harken to the large Portugese population In Rhode Island and include a healthy dose of chorizo sausage. Finally a Maryland crab soup rounds out the selection. Being a soup fan I wanted to just order four bowls for my whole meal but instead went for the traditional chowda. Wanting to stick to my lenten promises and keep on track with my diet (12 pounds so far! 88 to go) I ordered a cup instead of a bowl. Big mistake. Rich and thick and wonderfully tasty; Darling and I thoroughly enjoyed our cups.

I am not a fan of marinades. To me they just cover up a bad meat or fish. I like meat and fish. Now sometimes they enhance a cut but only in the hands of one who intimately understands the protein and the marinade. I ordered my 10 oz cut of swordfish plainly wood grilled. I want to see how good the swordfish was. Candy ordered the Thai mahi-mahi. You can get a skewer of scallops or shrimp for an additional $5.95 and I was in a quandry as I love both. The waiter told me he would give me three of each. Being mindful of my diet I chose for my sides brown rice and steamed broccoli.

Waiting for our entrees Candy told me how excited I looked so far in our dinner and I told her how beautiful she looked. In the background was playing the under appreciated album I'm Alive and the track Sky Blue and Black, one of my top 25 of all time. It was a magical evening with my girl. The entrees came and the main and sides were substantial. I immediately tried a scallop and it was the best I ever had. Ever. Now scallops have a very thin line between perfection and over cooked. Every scallop and shrimp on that skewer was excellent and scaled the heights of perfection. After the first scallop I tried the swordfish. The fish was perfectly flaked so therefore it was perfectly grilled. The taste of the delicate white swordfish accented intimately by the wood from the grill was a taste sensation. Pure, fine, seductive. Candy's mahi-mahi was tasty, the sides for both of us simply done and tastful. After we were finished I had to end the meal with a coffee and reflected on what perhaps was the finest seafood dinner I have ever had. Every aspect was perfect. Every food item was superbly cooked, the atmosphere conducive, the staff professional. Legal Sea Foods is not your typical chain restaurant. They excell at every level just like an independent strives to and only the best achieve. They do not belong in King of Prussia Mall but downtown on Walnut Street.

Next month either The Old Guardhouse or Upstares at Varelli's. Long time favorites of mine.