Restaurant Review: Legal Harborside

Legal Harborside

• 270 Northern Ave.
• Liberty Wharf
• Boston, MA 02210
• 617-477-2900

My relationship with Legal Sea Foods has been up and down over the years. Is it a “cool” place to go…or is it a fish place in same vein as Anthony’s Pier 4, reliable and not something you’d go to as a local unless guests come to town? Sadly, it never felt “cool."

Legal has worked hard at shedding the “your parents’ fish place” image, opening larger, brighter, funkier restaurants, with wait staff taking orders on (often problematic) handheld devices. Legal has even opened LTK, (in 2005) or Legal Test Kitchen (225 Northern Ave. in Boston), with new menus and designs.  “Cool” and “Legal Sea Foods” were occasionally beginning to appear in the same sentence.

Sixty-one years’ experience in the fish business (the fish market opened in 1950, with the first restaurant debuting in 1968) has culminated in a new 730 seat, 20,000 square foot flagship restaurant Legal Harborside. It pays homage to Jimmy’s Harborside, where the new restaurant sits.

Roger Berkowitz has christened a flagship location the 4,000 employees of Legal Sea Foods can be proud of and demonstrates a deep understanding of the varying and evolving desires of his clientele, particularly in the Seaport district. 

We asked Roger what would compel people from MetroWest to head all the way to Boston for a dinner. “The people of this region have had an affinity for the area dating back to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 1600s. The opening of the third harbor tunnel has made this beautiful area readily accessible to MetroWest.”

From a location perspective, it’s hard to imagine a nicer setting. In the growing Seaport district, the building sits on the harbor with great views. To the left is the Boston Fish Pier, home to the NoName Restaurant. To the right, beyond docked fishing boats, is the white dome of the “Bank of America Pavilion” (why couldn’t it still be called Harbor Lights?) and to the front are beautiful water and a handful of docks.  The restaurant is on Liberty Wharf, with restaurant neighbors Del Frisco’s, Temazcal, and Jerry Remy's, certainly solidifying and expanding this as a great destination area for all kinds of dining experiences.

Roger continued, “Often, when you get a great location, you have to make compromises to quickly get up and running. When you set out to build an iconic location, you need to take the time to plan. I’ve been thinking about this for five years and am very pleased with the result.”

The Legal Harborside building boasts three restaurants with different concepts.

The first floor “hull” has a casual, open dining overlooking the harbor and with an open kitchen. The menu is fun, and is generally what you’ve come to expect from Legal, served in a young, energetic, and (yes) cool environment. Lots of glass, lots of stainless, and that never ending, always changing harbor view. The baked scrod is lightly covered in seasoned breadcrumbs, and the fettuccine could use a dash more garlic for flavor.  ~$20 an entrée. 

The second floor is strives to make you feel like you are in the dining room of a fine ship. Menus are upscale and adventurous (is this really Legals?).

Servers are very attentive. They work in a group of three, with two front servers and a back (cleanup) server. All our servers were poached from other Legal restaurants. We asked how they were trained, since this was certainly upscale.

Roger brought Russell Davis to Harborside from New Orleans and Commander’s Palace. Davis also had his own restaurant, Mr. Mi’s, previously. He trained all the wait staff impeccably.

We asked Roger for an appetizer recommendation, and he proceeded to extemporaneously name off nearly all the appetizers on the menu. When we compared his choice to choosing a favorite child, he stared at the menu at length and offered, “There’s nothing repulsive on the menu.”

That offhand comment could be dismissed, however, it gives insight into Roger’s thinking. You leave with the impression Berkowitz reviewed every item and certainly dismissed some choices as not being “up to grade” for his new fine dining restaurant. Over the course of the evening, he floated around the restaurant observing, talking, obsessing, and engaging. You got the sense this is his baby, and he’s proud of it. He will nurture it along by being there…not hiding in a conference room looking at numbers.

And he is listening. “One guest brought in friends from Tucson and were disappointed we didn’t serve baked stuff lobster on the second floor,” Roger commented. “We run these restaurants with two separate kitchens…I can’t have a Frankenstein system here.” My sense is in the back of Roger’s mind, he is thinking about how to fulfill those requests in an appropriate and fresh manor. It is not a forgotten comment.

As a group of three business people, our appetizers consisted of shared portions of Lobster Soup (outstanding), bacon wrapped scallop, and crispy pigs head. For entrées, we had two sautéed abalone (with a subtle coating – also outstanding) and sautéed onago. With wine and two unremarkable deserts, the bill was $399 including a generous tip. While expensive, we all felt it was a good value. This is a great place to take someone to impress.

The third floor deck (targeted opening June 24) has a rooftop lounge with a retractable glass ceiling and walls for cocktails. This is where you’ll kick back for a quick beverage before a concert at the BoA Pavilion.

And while the old standbys of "If it isn't fresh, it isn't Legal!," and their New England Clam Chowder has been served at US Presidential Inaugurations since 1981 (Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama) are still around (clam chowder, first floor only), Legal Harborside isn’t your parents’ fish place.

Parking is across the street at 301 Northern Ave. or valet (Legal can improve this by calling the valet to collect the car when they validate. The wait for the car was uncomfortably long with sauntering valets on a rainy night. Transient docking for boats is available in season.

So to all my friends in MetroWest….this is well worth the trip. Congratulations Mr. Berkowitz: your ship has set sail…and she’s a beauty.

Legal Harborside gets a

       Green Light – Go and enjoy

About the RAG scale:

       Green Light – Go and enjoy

       Amber Light – Use caution

       Red Light – Save your time and money

The Author

Gary Kelley has lived in Westborough since 1994.  His reviews are what he would tell friends, and are not an academic analysis.