LEGAL HARBORSIDE: LOVING IT

Why Legal's Three-Story, Flagship Venture Has Quickly

Become Boston's Best New Restaurant

Disagree? You haven't been yet, have you? Let this article (and maybe that “Best New Restaurant” accolade from Esquire) inspire you to pay the venue a visit.

I have the pleasure of knowing the man at Legal’s helm, Executive Chef/Vice President Rich Vellante, so much of what I tell you will be straight from the horse's mouth. And let me tell you, in the Kentucky-Derby league of horses, Rich is the "I'll Have Another" of chefs. I was lucky enough to sit down and grab an interview with him, so hey, if you don't want to take my word for it (or you're just not into the whole "reading thing”) watch the video and see for yourself.

Anyways, I bet you're going to argue that Boston's best new restaurant cannot possibly be part of a "chain.” Well I'm going to argue that technically, you're wrong. Because at its core, Legal Sea Foods and its fleet of 33 restaurants is not a chain, but an organization— a first class operation. And with the advent of their two most recent additions, Legal C Bar (Legacy Place, Dedham) and Legal Harborside (Boston), they are truly reinventing and reinvigorating what it means to be "Legal."

At left: Second floor fine dining. Top right: Roof deck.

Bottom right: First floor casual dining. 

The Scene

Legal Harborside (LHS) is composed of three floors, each offering sweeping views of the South Boston waterfront. Its all-glass exterior is akin to that of a Trump-like yacht. Each floor offers a unique, albeit tasty experience. 

The first floor is a casual, moderately priced restaurant with a circular bar and outdoor seating along the Harborwalk. Head up to the second floor and you can enjoy a plush bar and fine dining for the complete upscale package. 

Go up one more flight and you'll get a taste of more than just fresh seafood: enter the roof deck, truly in a league of its own. It's a sushi bar, it's a nightclub, it's a lounge, and it's outdoors. 

Oh wait, is that rain? No worries, there's a retractable roof. Snow? Heat up the gas fireplaces! I could tell you about the full-fledged fish market, the trout-fishing pond, or perhaps the first floor chairs made from recycled coke bottles…

Consistency

But who cares about a restaurant if the food isn't any good? 

A meal at LHS can be described in two words: savory perfection. Everything. Fresh. Always. Seafood fare is to New England what Roger Berkowitz, CEO, is to Legal: simply integral. Praised for its consistently stellar service and quality food, there's a little underlying fact about Legal's seafood that sets it a cut above its competitors...

Sustainability

Before that fish entree makes it onto your plate, its contents must first enter through Legal's "Quality Control Center" (cue the "so fresh, most fish can’t even get in" slogan). To ensure freshness and quality, Legal built its own state-of-the-art fish processing plant and food safety laboratory.

Try as I might to convince him, Ole' Rich stoutly (though admirably) refuses my requests to offer Chilean Sea Bass on his menu: “Jules, only a small amount of them are even legal to fish, and it's just too hard to tell when it comes from so far away!" OK, fine Rich, you win. But really, that type of care, logic, and precision in the restaurant industry is simply unparalleled and is certainly a valuable commodity.

Originality

As Devra First of the Boston Globe notes, "How much the South Boston Waterfront has changed. Warehouses and parking lots replaced by the ICA, Louis Boston, and restaurants, restaurants, restaurants. People come in droves. Money flows. The area is a success story. And Legal Harborside is a symbol of its evolution."

Think she’s bluffing? Just try finding a parking spot down by the Seaport on a given night— good luck, it's practically impossible. But the South Boston waterfront was not always this abuzz. 

Just two years ago, developing in this location was considered a preposterous, risk-tattered investment. Now, as developers vie for office and condo space, parking garages, malls, and more hotels in the area, the four Liberty Wharf restaurants—LHS, Del Frisco's Steakhouse, Jerry Remy's Sports Bar and Grille, and Temazcal Tequila Cantina— are sure to be laughing all the way to the bank.

Electricity

There's something special about being in this part of town right now. The crowd is eclectic and the feeling is electric, and a night out indulging in the scene at LHS enhances and epitomizes it all.

I highly recommend you take in the experience for yourself. Head to Legal on a breezy summer night with a round of friends and order up a gin and tonic, fresh swordfish salad, and a tray of succulent oysters (there are around 14 different kinds to chose from— so necessary).

It will be very interesting to watch the "Innovation District" evolve in the coming years. One thing is for sure, Legal Harborside and its 24,000 person-per-week clientele show no signs of slowing down— rightfully so.