Legacy Records has been on my radar since its opening, but no recommendations or reviews had encouraged or motivated me to go, until on of those last minute I-Can't-Think-of-Anywhere-to-Go-that-We-Could-Get-Into-at-This-Point scenarios landed in my lap, and it became the mosts suitable destination. It's pretty remote, located over in the Netherlands of far West Chelsea, more notable for its galleries and clubs than restaurants, which perhaps was part of the inspiration. You'd think the place would have a rock 'n roll feel, but it's much more understated than that. Although that could've been partially because it was practically empty; there was but one other party of two brunching simultaneously. The soundtrack,
however, played up the theme to the hilt: it was so raucously loud conversation was nearly impossible, which was noticeably bizarre since the restaurant was so empty. It kind of felt like being in some cavernous venue before a concert while they were doing sound-check: all the cacophony of the band with none of the presentation. 
The room is stately. It looks a little "Mad Men", retro touches abound and the room is very handsome and well-organized. I can't say whether it was because it was so dead that the service had just kind of given up even trying, but although each intermittent interaction with staff was absolutely pleasant and efficient, no one really went out of their way to being a little more liveliness to the vacuity. We were brought menus, which are limited enough at dinner, but the brunch one was even more succinct. Vegetarians here are fairly screwed, relegated to a whipped ricotta on miche, a grilled avocado dish, or two salads... one of which they had "run out of." Which seems highly weird, 'cause I have a tough time thinking they had been very busy earlier on, but at any rate, the Little Gems with charred snow peas were not available, and there are
We went lunchier with mains, drawn to the Tuscan fried chicken, in part because my tablemate was Tuscan. It was a stellar dish, as far as fried chicken goes, craggy and crunchy and burnished a deep russet. The meat was so juicy I'm not sure how it didn't sog the crust. It is served with a small medley of sharp pickles and a moderately hot dipping sauce, but was basically just a big pile of (albeit excellent) fried meat. Additionally, our other selection of spaghetti with Dungeness, again, featured nary a hint of chlorophyll. The spaghetti itself was excellent, cooked to a perfect al dente and the lumps of crab fresh and sweet, but the whole meal just read very carb- and protein-heavy, with a distinct lack of freshness. I guess a lot of people eat this way; I don't. So while execution might be en pointe, menu balance leaves a lot to be desired. Too that it would've probably been a little difficult to scream any off-the-menu requests to our server, given the volume of the music. (That's actually kind of a lie, because I DID request some veg side option, but he looked at me quizzically and basically shut that inquiry down.)
really nice had I conserved some of my Counter Culture iced coffee to enjoy alongside it, but it had long run out: stuff's good- it's hard to drink slowly. I'm not sure if this brunch, which wasn't cheap, was good enough to encourage a return to try out dinner, which is always pricier. There was nothing to make me constitutionally opposed, however, so especially if summertime bequeaths are greater proportion from the farmer's market, I might flip it over for Side 2. 
https://resy.com/cities/ny/legacy-records?date=2019-06-18&seats=2
