Absolutely the best
seafood restaurant that has or will ever exist. Originally started in
1950 by George Berkowitz as a fish market, Legal Sea Foods became a restaurant in
1968. Its first location was in
Massachussetts, but the chain has since spread all along the east coast. In these restaurants, famous for their motto "If it isn't fresh, it isn't Legal!", you will find the tastiest, most well prepared seafood you will find anywhere. I have had both traditional dishes as well as more "
exotic" fare such as
sashimi, and everything is just exquisite and perfectly prepared. My favorite dish in fact is a simple $7
tuna fish sandwich that is
better than steak. I don't know how, but
it'll knock your socks off.
In addition to providing excellent dishes, Legal is leading the way in assuring the freshness and quality of seafood. In fact, a set of guidelines and checklists that they developed for their own quality control program has been adopted by the US government as a standard for seafood inspection.
Legal Sea Foods has 25 restaurants from Massachussetts to Florida, including a couple in major airports such as Boston Logan and National Airport, Washington, D.C. (Note: this is very convenient, especially when you're tired of McDonald's and other typical airport food establishments, not to mention that they're a breath of fresh air after the "food" they serve on the plane!) My personal favorite is the Long Wharf franchise which happens to be right across from the New England Aquarium. There is nothing better than going to the aquarium right around noon when you're already hungry, spending two or three hours there enjoying their fantastic exhibits and all the while thinking of the wonderful lunch you'll have. Then, once you've wandered through all of the exhibits and seen probably thousands of fish and are bordering on starvation, then you walk out across the street and proceed to have the best sea food you've ever tasted. Whether it's the hunger, the staring at fish for three hours, or the combination of the two, it is definitely a remarkable experience.
But don't take my word about it -- Legal's delicious New England Clam Chowder has been served at every Presidential Inauguration since 1981. If it's good enough for the prez... well.... anyway.. it's good.