Legal Test Kitchen - Seaport

I love this place! I have been going here for years and the tenders always remember me and they are so nice it is stellar. Legal Seafoods as a company takes their food and service very seriously and it shines through especially in this location! It is also located on the waterfront sort of tucked away so its a nice romantic spot or the perfect spot to meet friends. When the weather is nice they have outside seating which isn't great for people watching but being so close to the harbor its great! I cannot say enough about the bartenders in this location too! I am a stickler for good service and they are the highest that I compare others to. Pros: food, drinks, service Cons: - more

I went to LTK with two main expectations; an adventurous seafood menu to choose from, and then a delicious seafood dinner. Pros: Steak cooked perfectly Cons: Server more

I was most disappointed, and embarrassed as I brought some out of town guests to try LTK for the first time. Pros: different menu items Cons: poor value, poor service, poor drinks, noisy, crowded more

A date and I went there over summer '07 and while I am just remembering to review Legal Test now, I am surprised how similar the previous reviews match our experience. Pros: Great location, great food Cons: Poor service staff more

Working in the WTC East, I am fairly limited when it comes to lunch options although the area is on the up and up and Seaport's dining scene is definitely improving. Pros: cool location, nice staff, good drinks, good apps Cons: service takes forever, inconsistent food, constantly messing up orders more

I went there for lunch on a Saturday with 2 friends. We had called ahead to make reservations so we were seated promptly. Once we placed our orders, it took 20+ mins to get the food, even though the appetizers (clam chowder & oysters) - should have taken 5 minutes max to prepare. The next snag was that my friend got more oysters than she had ordered. Before touching it, we pointed this out to our waiter. He good-naturedly admitted to his mistake, but said not to worry about it; we would not be charged, and that we could even throw out the extra ones if they weren't good, heheh. We weren't disappointed; the oysters were good, and each of us was happy with the rest of our meal. I liked with my order - salad nicoise with seared tuna, even though it was strange that the romaine lettuce was tossed with caesar salad dressing. Maybe that's why it's ""fusion"" and a ""test"" kitchen? Anyways, the final snag came when we got the bill and we WERE charged for the extra oysters. When we called this to our waiter's attention, he mumbled an apologetic ""oops....I'm sorry"" but stood there helplessly looking at us. So of course we said it was fine and paid for it. We did indeed enjoy the extra oysters, but it was weird that he didn't keep his word (he was so confident and smooth in the beginning). So, LTK is worth the trip if you are willing to be patient - hopefully they'll train their staff better and iron out these glitches with time. Pros: Seafood, for fusion-enthusiasts Cons: Service, out of the way location more

The explanation of some of the dishes was a bit confusing but overall the expereince was pleasant and different. We were given the option of watching tv at the table or using an iPod station. The food was good and the dessert excellent. more

We didn't eat the night we were there but the bar was busy and the drinks were great! The bartender was friendly and made a good blueberry martini. The pomegranate margaritas were great too. Pros: Drinks Cons: Location more

My wife is in the wine business and as a result eats at all of the high end restaurants in MA. As her husband I am often treated to many of these eateries on her expense account. Recently we discovered LTK in South Boston and I have to say this is quickly becoming one of my favorite places in Boston. To date we have dined there three times and we have never been disappointed. They have a fresh and exciting menu with items you wont find in many restaurants and they always have fun and exciting daily specials. If you are looking for a fun place to take and impress a date or just looking for something different you have to try this place. This is one of the few places where you can get a three course meal with wine and still come in for less than a Fin-spot and that includes a 20% tip! Pros: The Menu, The Food, The Ambience.... Cons: They don't take reservations more

It would have been three stikes and you're out, but not this time, it only took two. Service was unorganized as well as the seating. The first dish we tried was the angry lobster, which made us angry due to that it was explained to us as something it was not. (We were told it was a lobster out of the shell tempura style over noodles). Well, when it came to us it was the whole lobster tempura battered over noodles, so messy! Exactly what we were NOT looking for. Pros: nice area....... more

The decor is nice, the waitstaff is a little flaky (one dropped several dirty plates while we were there) and the food is decent, its just not the innovative, exciting ideas you'd expect from a TEST KITCHEN... don't get me wrong, I LOVE Legal Seafoods, which is why I was so excited to try this place out, but it lacked pizzazz... Pros: Decor Cons: Flaky Waitstaff, Average food more

Legals realized it might not be a bad idea to convince 20 somethings and 30 somethings to go to one of their restaurants. Unfortunately it's just not worth heading to the seaport to try this place out. Pros: Reasonable Drink Prices, Vareity of fun Fish dishes, Outdoor Seating Area Cons: Strange Reservation Policy, Slow Service, Out of the way Location more

We gave it two tries. After seeing about a dozen empty tables and still being told there was a 25 minute wait for a table, we went up to the bar and had our cocktails served to us in plastic cups. The table was ready in about 3 minutes, before we even settled up at the bar. The servers are very nice but very scattered and dont seem to know what is going on. There was a lot of confusion with the hostesses and wait staff as to where to put your name in for a table and who was waiting on your table once you were seated. The food was mediocre at best which is so hard to say, I have been a loyal fan of Legals for years and was hoping to see LTK carry on the quality but shaking it up by trying something new. We tried the pizzetta once and the pesto was so oily and tasteless we had to let the oil pour off. The ipod docks?? Please, the house music is louder then most clubs to start with and the tables are packed in next to each other. Pros: Location in the Seaport, decor, parking Cons: Food, service more

Having enjoyed numerous meals at Legal's in several cities, my experience at their new LTK was a considerable disappointment. Service was spotty, but inasmuch as they've only been open a few months, I can forgive that. The clam chili, while it contained some clams, was a long way from anything I've had that was chili. The angry lobster was particularly bad. Too heavily breaded (not the Tempura-style expounded by the waitress) and doughy at that, the lobster was tough and stringy. What it sat on, below the snow peas, was a glutinous mass of pasta-like substance over cooked, over sauced, and generally off-putting. Because the ""TK"" in LTK stands for test kitchen, I can only surmise that my meal was a failed experiment, and one I would never want to repeat. Cons: service, food preparation more

I've always been a fan of Legal's, but LTK is not up to par. The food is good, but I think the portion sizes have gotten smaller over the several weeks it has been open (you can't go wrong with the tuna burger). The service on the other hand is terrible. Don't get me wrong, they seem to try and they are attentive, but it is slow and nobody seems to know what they are doing including the hostess. I was told it would be a 45 minute wait for a table of 4 so I went to the bar and literally 30 seconds later they said the table was ready. I was psyched I didn't have to wait, but thought it was crazy how they didn't have a clue. Also, if you are paying decent money for getting served, I don't want to have to use a credit card machine at the table. That should be the restaurant's job. Sometimes trendy is not a good thing. All and all, if you go knowing the service is horrible and you are not in a rush, then it is a good place to go and get good food in Southie. more

We are great fans of Legal Seafoods but we went to LTK last night and were hugely disappointed. The first thing we noticed is that the much-touted electronic menus and Ipod docks were nowhere to be found. Maybe they were in another section of the restaurant? The best part of our meal was the calamari, which was phenomenal, but things went downhill from there. The pomegranate margarita was only ok, while the regular margarita was truly awful. The food we ordered was also mediocre- shimp wok was smothered in ginger and way too spicy (for someone who loves spice) and the vegetable box wok tasted buttery, and not like a stir fry at all. The dessert (peanut butter torte) was not very tasty either, although when the waiter asked us how we liked it and we told him that it was only ok, he did remove it from the bill. The service, although attentive, was mixed up (someone brought us dishes not meant for us four separate times) and our waiter took a beer off the table that was not nearly empty yet. All in all, very disappointing considering Legal's great track record. We won't go back. Pros: Comfortable booths, great calamari Cons: Mediocre food, mediocre service, mediocre desserts more

Picture Legal Seafood Restaurant, throw in some gadgets that are generally useless and only present at some tables that populate an odd 70's decor. The wait staff (unlike Legals), though mostly competent - all seemed somewhat sluggish. Now throw in some great Asian food ideas and some Legal dishes interspersed with some unique drinks. This is what LTK looks like menu-wise, how about the dishes? I sampled two of the asian style dishes which were just OK, but overwhelmed in sauce that was both too spicey and watery. The fare seems good if implemented correctly, but maybe the dishes need to mature - it is after all relatively new. With prices that rival Legal's normal locations and an ambiance that is bizarre (some tables had TVs), the food does not warrant another visit from this reviewer. Pros: Legal Seafood association, attempt at unique fare Cons: Poor execution, odd scene and high prices for average dishes more

My wife and I have been very disheartened lately with the new management related ruin of one of our local seafood places so we decided to try out LTK. The food was spectacular - scallops and calamari were cooked perfect. Steak tips were also perfect. The staff were friendly and attentive without being overbearing. Pros: Food, staff Cons: Maybe a little expensive, but worth the extra $5 per person. more