Darren and I both enjoy fresh fish or seafood especially when we go out to eat.  We are big sushi fans but we like grilled fish, lobster, shrimp and other shellfish as well.  The seafood counter in Stew Leonard’s is a favorite but lately our work schedules have left us little or no time for home cooking.  I am hopeful that when the spring and summer months roll around we can get back to our more normal eating schedule and grill up some delicious fish on our barbecue.  

Since we’ve been eating out often lately, it is no surprise that some of our dining choices have been chain restaurants.  Both of us enjoy quality food but sometimes we have had to sacrifice quality and go for quick and convenient.  That is how we ended up at Red Lobster and Legal Seafood all in the same week.  Both of these restaurants serve up fish and seafood but there is definitely a difference between the two.  Red Lobster (although we refer to it as ‘the claw’) is basically a “Friday’s” of seafood.  While the menu is vast and has all sorts of seafood delights in addition to some ‘turf’, the prices are high, too high in my opinion especially given the quality of the food.  The portions are big so that has some value but still the quality is average at best. I ordered a stuffed lobster and Darren tried a mix of different kinds of shrimp.  Both came with a salad, vegetable and salad.  The restaurant was largely empty but the service was painfully slow.  We didn’t go in there with the highest of expectations but we expected just a little bit better given the money we were spending.  For a restaurant that markets itself to families and seafood lovers, I think it is overpriced for fair service and average food. 

Another day we stopped in at Legal Seafood after an afternoon at the movies and met Darren’s folks for dinner.  Our Legal Seafood experience was much different from Red Lobster.  The staff were friendly and the establishment was much cleanier.  The menu is more upscale in terms of the quality of the food and the selection.  Warm bread was served immediately.  I tried the butter fish which was delicous although a small portion.  Darren had grilled tuna and shrimp while his folks each had the Cioppino which was excellent.  Overall, I think Legal Seafood is a much better choice than Red Lobster and this was our second visit.  If in the area, I will definitely choose Legal Seafood again.  We had a great meal and spent less money than we did at Red Lobster.  Go figure!