The blues, metal and woods give it a sophisticated feel but the details really make the decor no better then a fancy Red Lobster.The evening started off with cocktails and a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile. Every year that I try the wines from Chile I am seeing a maturity developing and this bottle was a great example. The single estate Medalla Real is a 2007 from the D.O. Maipo Valley in Chile. It presents with the classic deep ruby of a Cab and has hints of oak and currant. Very yummy wine that even had the wine novices gushing over it at the table.
Our table started of with appetizers and we choose the special for the evening the Ceviche, and the waiters recommendation of the Legal Sampler. First the Ceviche, a disappointment for me. While the tropical fruit flavors with onion and citrus were there the star of the dish, the seafood, was lacking. Instead of dicing up and using a variety of fish and shellfish, petite salad shrimp were used. It felt as if the shrimp were cooked then added to the ceviche mixture rather then allowing the ceviche to do the cooking.
One last note about the ceviche was that there were not enough tortilla chips to completely finish the meal. More concern was given to being cute in presentation that practicality and that made this dish a fail. We also were served the Legal Sampler which consisted of Seared Tuna, a couple of wantons, Shrimp Cocktail, and a crab cake. Let's get the ugly out of the way, the wantons just plain sucked. Over cooked, so much ginger in the mixture that I could not identify the protein and then drenched in a soy sauce. The shrimp cocktail consisted of two giant prawns served over ice with an ok cocktail sauce. As a disclaimer, I use the Indianapolis favorite of St. Elmo's Steakhouse's cocktail sauce as a barometer for all other cocktail sauces and this one was not even close. It tasted more ketchup then horseradish and there was no kick, if Elmo's is a 10 then this one scores a 2. The seared tuna was great, a little sesame seed and not over cooked, just like I make it. The crab cake is the real star of the plate. Lots of crab and little bread crumbs make sure that it falls apart with ease. It is served with a seasoned mayonnaise drizzled on top that adds just enough to moisten the dish. What the appetizers have taught us that Legal should stick to the classic New England cuisine and leave the international flair to others who do it well. 
This missteps of the first course were replaced by my favorite dish at Legal, the Lobster Bisque. One of our host recommended the Clam Chowder as being great, and I don't doubt it, everyone who had it at our table loved it, but there is just something special about the Lobster Bisque. The presentation is very simple when served in a cup but all the flavor and tastes are there. Not too much sherry and decent size chunks of lobster make this a favorite. I don't find it as creamy as the Capital Grille version but that is not a bad thing. This dish is a balance of richness and simpleness that remind me why I can eat bowls of it.
Now for the main course, back to disappointment. The menu offered swordfish in several locations and when it came time for me to order their house preparation I was very sad to learn that they were out of swordfish that evening. My debate had been what preparation of swordfish to order so I had not back up plan and thinking quick on my feet I ordered what my cohort Anthony order across from me, crab legs.
Normally I don't do crab legs when I am wearing a suit or when I am with classy company. I do love to eat crab legs and have been known to eat 2-3 buckets of them in one sitting. My next recipe I will share with you all is how I make my crab legs at home. To me crab legs are bar food and something I eat with beer and my sleeves rolled up. It is hard to mess crab legs up and these were fine, just fine and that was disappointing. I really was hoping for something spectacular, but besides the size these tasted just like the crab legs I would get at Hooters or Joe's Crab Shack. What was shocking was that I was served a black leg which was uneatable. Normally I would have brought this to the attention of the staff but because of our group size I did not want to be that guy this night. 
My sides chosen were the the mashed potatoes and the spinach and nothing special here either. The potatoes were plain and unimaginative and quickly formed the glossy coating that tends to occur in lower end establishment. The spinach was over cooked, it developed the bitter taste that occurs when you over kill the leaves. 
While I may have been negative about most of the meal I still think Legal is the best place to get seafood in Westchester County. The lessons learned are to stick with the soups, and the crab cakes and other New England specialties. I would still like to try the swordfish but I heard from those who ordered the Salmon and Mahi Mahi that their fish was overcooked. So with all that said if anyone has a suggestion for a great seafood place in Westchester County let me know so I can cross Legal off my list.
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