Legal Sea Foods has always been one of the most authentic, quality restaurants in New England. With the launch of this LTK Bar and Kitchen (Legal's Test Kitchen) they have departed from that tried and tested formula with what appears to be a genuinely different concept.

LTK is located in the rapidly up-and-coming dock area near the World Trade Center. This is one of Boston's renaissance areas, with new condos, businesses and hotels springing up like mushrooms, as the Big Dig comes to it's drawn out conclusion. Situated at the base of one of the new high-rise condominium blocks, the restaurant is all steel, brick and high-tech materials. They even have docking for your ipod and portable internet stations for the digital addicts in your group.

There are a lot of things that really are different about LTK. The menu consists of a variety of small plates rather than larger entrées (although there are some available for dining traditionalists), a really innovative way of serving wine and a relaxed dining space with the emphasis on informal dining rather than traditional white table cloths.

The restaurant has a great bar and a good wine list. You can buy wine by the glass in two, four and six ounce pours. The two ounce size is very modestly priced at about three dollars. When you get your mind around this idea the opportunity to try a variety of wines in the small size opens up. Two ounces is about a third of a typical wine pour and is just enough to give you a good taste of a particular wine without overdoing it. Apparently the LTK bartenders have had experiences where a large group attempted to try virtually every wine on offer. That certainly gave their corkscrews some serious exercise.

The small plate idea is very much in keeping with the way most of us dine today. If you ask almost anyone, they will confess that they enjoy sitting at a bar dining on an appetizer with a glass of wine, rather than committing to the more formal process of a full meal at a restaurant table. LTK addresses this with small plates, an eclectic menu and the choice of wine glass size. This adds up to a formula that is very appealing to both folks on the run and those who enjoy a less structured dining experience, which is most of us.

None of this would work without effective implementation by the LTK wait staff. Here they have scored a bull's-eye in the selection of their personnel. We were tremendously impressed by the relaxed, pleasant and cheerful staff who were more than prepared to go with the flow rather than impose the restaurant's constraints on the diners.

We chose a selection of items from the menu which are shown to the to the right of this text. Interestingly, it's hard to say that we ate a true cross-section of the items available. The menu is eclectic, with some very interesting dishes and is wide ranging. Don't take my word for it, click on this link to see the entire menu. I was very impressed with the culinary innovation, excellent execution and groundbreaking thinking that had gone into the menu. If anyone suspected that LTK was another kind of seafood restaurant, then they are in for a pleasant surprise.

Overall, I think that LTK is truly different from previous attempts to provide the American equivalent of "Tapas" (small plate) style dining. The restaurant is intriguing and innovative. It makes you feel you really are part of some culinary test kitchen. I enjoyed my dining experience enormously and wondered how long before there will be an LTK somewhere near what I live. This is clearly a superior concept that will run and run.

You will find wines by the bottle are reasonably ranging from $19 - $49. Veuve Cliquot Grand Dame was the only exception at $135.

The layout of the wine list was as unique as the small pours - you can find wine in categories ranging from smooth & mellow, fresh & tangy, yum - fruity to spicy and dark & robust. It's just as fun to read as it is to drink - well almost!