One of Downtown Crossing’s claims to fame is its vibrant culinary renaissance–from wine bars to culturally diverse restaurants, to theatre-centric menus for taking in a show. Perhaps the most anticipated restaurant of late is Legal Crossing (LX) at Millennium Place. A completely unique, one-off concept, LX is the first Downtown Crossing location by Legal Sea Foods’ Roger Berkowitz, designed exclusively for Millennium Place. There’s been quite the buzz surrounding the opening, with little information being released. To our avail, Executive Chef Rich Vellante spoke with Millennium Place exclusively and as residents, you get to bypass the hush-hush and get a sneak peek into the inner workings of LX.
According to Chef Vellante, LX will become ‘the kitchen’ for Millennium Place residents, complete with private menus, personalized drink lists and additional dining options in The Club (SPOILER ALERT: a little birdie tells us this includes lamb ribs and shrimp empanadas). Drawing inspiration from the restaurant concept and location, Rich crafted the menu to reflect the “melting pot” of downtown cuisine, catering to a metropolitan, upscale, and knowledgable guest demographic. As for the beverage program, Master of Wine Sandy Block is designing two wine lists: one that focuses on “classics” and includes familiar varietals from well-known regions (“Wines of pedigree and reputation,” he explains), and the other to be made up of “Discovery Wines.” These will hail from regions that casual imbibers explore less often, like Austria, Greece, and Argentina, and grape varieties that are only familiar to true oenophiles. The menu will offer pairing suggestions with each plate, featuring one pick recommendation from the classics list and one (for the more adventurous diner) from the “Discovery Wines.” And on the spirits side, a list of innovative cocktails designed by Executive Director of Bar Operations, Patrick Sullivan.
In Rich’s words, “Much like cooking, all the ingredients of a restaurant have to complement each other—the design, menu, beverage program, service level, everything.” The man behind the curtain—er, kitchen door, Rich boasts a well-rounded culinary background, having earned his degree from Hamilton College, studied at the French Culinary Institute in New York City and spent two years cooking his way through Italy, covering several provinces using traditional, farm-fresh ingredients and seafood. Locally, after being a chef-owner of a three-star restaurant in Metrowest Boston for six years, he joined Legal Sea Foods and rose through the ranks. Since 1998, he’s held the title of Executive Chef, overseeing culinary operations in all of Legal’s 33 restaurants and concepts. And since then, has been intricately involved in over 20 restaurant openings
along the East Coast. Each new restaurant brings with it specific challenges, Rich notes, but regardless, the team at Legal Sea Foods has an unwavering commitment to serving the freshest, highest quality seafood and cuisine and keeping guests coming back for more. Every decision made is born from their strong corporate culture and overarching goal, endearingly referred to as ‘Return of Guest.’ Well, mission accomplished.
Legal Crossing is slated open in early 2014. And we can’t wait.
