Legends Bar and Grill
One of the oldest restaurants in Anthem is still serving up great dishes, and remains a place to sit down and unwind. The restaurant features a quaint bar section as well as an expansive outdoor seating section. Although it is not the original owners from the original opening, local Anthem area residents still currently own it. Many potential diners may shy away unaware of some of the culinary options that are available. The restaurant has been spruced up from the early days, but still has some of the original charm.
We started out with the Anthem Nachos ($9). This is a stack of their homemade tortilla chips that is then piled on with cheese, guacamole, pinto beans, sliced jalapenos, diced tomatoes, and a big helping of sour cream. It is finished off with a sprinkle of fresh cilantro. The ratio of chips to toppings was perfect, allowing for diners to get a little or a lot of the ingredients, as they desired. You can also add a protein for an additional $3.
The next item was the Warm Pretzel Rolls ($6.50, $3 during Happy Hour). The plate comes with three hefty pretzel rolls that are sliced diagonally and served with a cheese dipping sauce. The pretzel rolls have just the right amount of crisp outer crust, and still a generous dough center. If you are a fan of warm pretzels, this is a must dish to order and a great value during their happy hour.
We then moved on to the main dishes for the evening. We had a large group with us, allowing for many dishes to be sampled. The first entrée was the French Dip Sandwich ($11). This is a warmed hoagie roll, with thinly sliced Roast Beef and Swiss cheese. It is served with a cup of Au Jus for dipping to add some extra beef flavor. The roast beef was tender and it was very easy to bite through the sandwich. It was difficult to stop biting into the sandwich though. It had great flavor and just enough crunch to the bread to make it firm in your hand. We opted to upgrade for an additional $1 and subbed out the French Fries for Onion Rings. The onion rings, had the appearance of being house made, as they were of various sizes and shapes and the breading while tasty was not uniformed through out the dish.
The next sandwich was the Rueben ($11). Sliced corned beef, piled high on Marble Rye bread, with sauerkraut and sandwich spread. We also opted for the Sweet Potato Fries for an additional $1. The sandwich was also quite large and could easily be shared. The corned beef was also tender and the entire sandwich is exactly as a Rueben that you can imagine. The outer texture of the bread was finished on the grill cook top adding crispness as well as more flavors. The sweet potato fries, are crinkle cut, and while tasty could have spent a few more minutes in the fryer for our taste. I would recommend asking for them to be cooked well done, to ensure better crispness.
The Summer Salad ($9) was a blend of spring mix greens, and topped with sunflower seeds, sliced pears, mandarin orange segments then tossed with a vinaigrette dressing. It was a light and bright salad that had some sweet flavor notes in each bite.
The Hawaiian Burger ($11) was up next. They have a wide variety of burgers and they also have some variety when it comes to the patty. You can get the traditional beef or Turkey, Chicken, and even Black Bean. We chose to try it with a Turkey patty and were delighted at the flavor. On the Hawaiian Burger the patty of your choice is topped with grilled pineapple, Teriyaki glaze, Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and mayonnaise. It comes on a buttery bun and I recommend cutting it in half or even quarters to enable you to heft it up to your mouth. The order comes with a large helping of French Fries and if you can finish the burger and all the fries, kudos to you. It is a lot of food, for not a lot of money. There are several places in the Valley that serve a burger similar, but it is nice to have the option of the different kinds of patties here in Anthem. The teriyaki glaze and the pineapple added that pop of sweetness that goes well with the protein.
The final dish was the Seafood Pasta special ($14.50). It was a big bowl of Angel hair pasta in a cream sauce. It was loaded with shrimp and scallops. It comes with some crunchy pieces of garlic bread to help tie the dish together. The seafood was cooked perfectly and the flavors all worked together in concert. It is a large bowl of pasta and there was plenty to take home for another meal.
It is nice to have a local restaurant that serves a variety of food, especially when it is done well. The wait staff was pleasant and as efficient as possible on a busy evening. The portion sizes are large, so be prepared to either share or bring some home. They have several specials throughout the week, so be sure to stop in and ask about them. Being the first restaurant in Anthem makes it a legend in the community.
Location and Website – 3655 W Anthem Way # D115, Anthem, AZ 85086 http://www.legendsanthem.com