Mark’s Score 9.5
We all have them, those restaurants that look interesting, we keep meaning to try them, but every time we make the effort something thwarts us. Legal Assets is that restaurant for me. I have been aware of this restaurant since its opening during COVID, but for one reason or another I just never got around to eating there until fairly recently, and I am sorry it took me so long.
This restaurant intrigued me from the start because it opened when COVID was at its worst in December of 2020. I remember thinking at the time, “who is crazy enough to open a restaurant now?” Though I wasn’t sure whether they were brave or foolhardy, I made a mental note to visit, when times were safer (if they survived the pandemic). David (executive chef) and Valerie Clark, and Bo, Dianne and Chooch Oristian were the brave souls who chose a time of pandemic to launch a restaurant. To add more risk, to an already risky venture they took the culinary leap of fusing Asian and New American cuisine. Under the rubric of, if you are going to take risks, why not go for broke? Their vision called for an upscale bistro that was unapologetically expensive, in a town already full of upscale and expensive restaurants. My thoughts at time were, “this is going to be an unmitigated disaster or a smashing success.” Fortunately for all of us, it proved to be the latter.
After many years of trying, finally the fates aligned and I stopped at Legal Assets for lunch a few weeks ago. I liked the décor the moment I walked in. I found it evocative of a luxury hotel or even a cruise ship lounge. I was especially intrigued by the copper and glass bar-top lights. They had a vague Art Deco feel.
This being a fusion restaurant I decided to embrace the concept and I ordered a wonton sweet and sour soup appetizer and I paired it with the braised short rib ravioli in a mushroom sauce. I did my own little bit of fusing by ordering a Bordeaux merlot. Ok so maybe the merlot did not pair well with the sweet and sour soup but it was excellent with the ravioli. But the pairing of the sweet and sour soup with the ravioli provided for an interesting contrast of Asian and American tastes and textures. Honestly, generally I am not a fan of sweet and sour soups, but this one was a perfect combination of the two tastes. I could have made a meal of the soup alone. The ravioli in mushroom sauce was truly one of the best ravioli dishes I have ever eaten.
You know it is a good meal when you are sad to eat the last bite, because you want it to go on for just a bit longer. So yes, Legal Assets is not cheap, but as they point out on their website, the meal was worth every penny.
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