Originally Posted August 19, 2007

Back in the day before coffee shops were a dime a dozen in this town, I had designs to start my own coffee shop up. I even went so far as to draw up a business plan and scope out locations for opening said coffee shop. It was going to cater to and champion blues as nothing was cooler than blues music. Sadly that plan turned to dust, but there is a home for the blues in St Cloud and its at the Legend’s Grill and Bar.Legend’s is located in the Holiday Inn Hotel on the corner of Highways 23 and 15. For the purposes of a restaurant review I put my musical tastes aside, but the live blues bands can be pretty awesome to see. For this review I picked a slower time to go and employed the help of my wife and children…the usual suspects. I know the owner of the hotel, so hopefully he does not read this or at least sees my commentary as contructive… as it always is. There were some definite highs and some lows which left me mixed on experience, but let’s get going.

Food: 5 (Mixed reception)

When we arrived I was expecting the whole G&B feel good food menu. Sure, standard American fare was all over the menu, but I was also seeing some more intriguing options. Nestled in the pasta section I found Thyme Roasted Chicken with Cheese Ravioli. Robin had her usual in such locals, a bacon cheeseburger with fries. The Kids menu had the usual 6 or 7 items most families can count on when they eat out, so the kids had Mac’n’Cheese and chicken fingers with fries.

First the Thyme Roasted Chicken. I was not nearly as excited about the dish when it arrived. They seemed to have forgotten half of it in the kitchen because for the price I was expecting to be fully fed. Instead I was greeted with what can be described as a “premium” portion.

Higher class restaurants like to dress up small portions with glitzy presentations. These shows are often camped in commercials and comedies. You know, for $50 they get a little wedge of something in the middle of a huge plate and are left wanting something real. That kind of ostentatious dining does not fly in the land of meat and potatoes. On top of it all the the raviolis were not particularly warm. Since the garlic bread was overly dry I would surmise my dish spent a titch too much time in the window under a warming light. It was a pretty presentation though with a healthy balance of color (Thanks to the spinach leaves) but it was not particularly tasty.

Robin’s burger was moist enough and served with a slice of cheddar rather than American cheese. Actually you had a choice of cheddar, American or Swiss. It was definitely a healthy size and at $3 less than what my meal cost, it was a better buy.

One of the highlights of the meal was the barbecue sauce that was served up with my daughters chicken fingers. It was simultaneously not sweet nor tart. It had a smoky flavor to it that was far from bold but thorough. I am fairly certain that I have had it before someplace else, so it is not likely homemade.

Price was higher for my meal, but I was amazed to find that kids eat free. Is this everyday? I am not sure but it would explain why there were a few tables with multiple children at them. The kids meals were originally priced at $4.89 which would have been a good price for all that they got, but for FREE is even better. Robin’s bacon cheeseburger was $8 and my chicken thingy was $11. Drinks were apparently free as they didn’t appear on the bill. Thanks, Mr Bar Back!

Service: 5 (Mixed reception)

The server we had was actually a bar back, so maybe the service would have been better if an actual server graced our table. The only server who was there kind of said hello to us when we walked in, but that was the last we saw of her until after the food was close fully consumed. (The rest of the family that is, mine was gone all together too fast.) Anyway, between the server and the bar back they had a few families and a few bar patrons to attend so I was not particularly demanding. The bar back offered to get us a high chair for my daughter, but after trying to hold on to a thrashing hungry toddler for ten minutes I had to take it upon myself to find the high chair. After finding it, he asked if I wanted him to carry it. Forget it, buddy. I needed this sense of accomplishment to be all mine.

Atmosphere: 7

The restaurant clearly draws its life from the bar at its center, but the restaurant has a few architectural features of note. There is a glass walled conference room for meetings that is rife with sports memorabilia. Overall the restaurant is dominated by six uniquely arranged areas. This is good for all types of occasions, whether that be a romantic dinner for two, a lunch meeting, a family scrum, or even a blues concert. It has an open floor plan which directs attention to the stage area with little more than cursory decorations.

It appears that they are good at keeping the place clean regardless of how many other toddlers threw their french fries and their brothers Mac’n’Cheese on the floor. Nothing turns the stomach more than seeing until past meals rubbed into the floor and walls, so I was happy to see they take pride in cleanliness. Good luck with the barbecue stain, hope it comes out for you.

Overall: 6

I was generally happy with the food and would anticipate eating there again. Next time I will stick to the American portion of the menu as I know I will be getting my money’s worth. It is a bar through and through so as long as expectations start there, there will be no disappointments and next time I will have to catch a show.