2020 K St. NW (202) 496-1111 Hours of Operation and Prices Lunch: M-F 11-4, Sat-Sun noon-4; Entrees: $7-$17 Dinner: M-Th 4-10:30, F-Sat 4-11, Sun 4-10; Entrees: $12-$28 Other Information • Credit Cards: All major • Reservations: Recommended • Dress: Casual • Parking: Valet (fee) evenings • Nearest Metro: Farragut West • Handicapped accessible • Legal Sea Foods also has a branch at 2001 International Dr., McLean, Va., (703) 827-8900.

Actually, that's its strength. I'm afraid to eat raw oysters most places, but I feel safe at Legal. I have no hesitation here to order my tuna rare or my clams on the half shell. Legal's policy is to inspect all its shellfish for bacteria. It buys fish directly at the docks, demands the last-day catch and monitors its temperature every 30 seconds along the way to the restaurant. That's the secret to appreciating Legal Sea Foods: Its buying and handling are brilliant; its cooking is institutional.

Order a piece of fish - scrod or swordfish if you're a nostalgic New Englander, bluefish or haddock if you are a real fish lover, tuna if you prefer swimming in the mainstream, salmon or char if you like mild, pink, farm-raised fish. Have your fish grilled, or if you want to be a little bolder, order your fish Cajun style; it's also grilled, but rubbed with teasingly spicy yet barely hot Cajun seasonings. Of course Legal serves wonderful lobsters, pearly and tender, appropriately steamed or - a bow to the South - baked and stuffed with crab. A more modest option is a lobster salad roll, the traditional, flat-sided hot dog roll buttered and toasted, packed with an extraordinary amount of succulent lobster in a minimum of mayonnaise. Don't forget the fabulous fried onion "strings" and the terrific fried soft-shell clams. In general, keep your order simple, and think New England.