Mario and I hit the streets for Atlanta’s Restaurant Week. We tried to get into a new place on Peachtree, but were greeted with the “we can’t take any more diners” when the restaurant is half empty. Hmmm. Their $25 prix fixe Restaurant Week menu looked quite good though, so maybe we’ll try visiting on a regular night. Since we were all dressed up with nowhere to go, we tried another restaurant, and were faced with a 45-minute wait. We finally rode over to Legal Sea Foods, and we were quite happy with the decision.

Mario went with his standby, fried shrimp with fries and mashed sweet potatoes. The $25 prix fixe menu included an appetizer, entree, and dessert; with 2-3 choices for each course. I tried the clam chowder, bacon-wrapped shrimp and grits, and Boston Cream Pie.

I was fairly pleased with my entree. I got some burnt pieces of bacon on my shrimp, but the ones that were cooked properly were delicious. The grits were really tasty and creamy, but not as smooth as they could have been (there were obvious pieces of “grit” throughout). But for me, the standout of the meal was the side–the braised greens. Keep in mind, this is from an atypical Southerner who HATES greens, but these were delicious!! They were sweet, obviously contained bacon fat, and I couldn’t get enough. Mario kindly pointed out that most of the nutritional value had probably been braised out as well, but I think anything that helps me eat more leafy greens can’t be all bad. As soon as I got home I started looking for a recipe (blog entry coming soon).

For dessert, the Boston Cream Pie:

There wasn’t anything special about this dessert, but I did love the flavor of the chocolate “crust” on top.

Legal Sea Foods has locations all over the country, and touts themselves as not just a restaurant, but a fish market. I’m looking forward to trying some of their many raw oyster offerings when I find an oyster-eating partner!

www.legalseafoods.com