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When I first heard that a sports bar was opening across from Orlando Regional Medical Center, I didn't see the fit. Casey, the husband of nightlife columnist Kelly Fitzpatrick, set me straight. "If there's ever a time you need a drink, it's when you're at the hospital."
Arriving: Legends is in the spot formerly occupied by Doc's Restaurant. I never went to Doc's, so I can't tell you how much of the décor is new and how much is recycled. Some of the TVs do look like they were just bolted up without concern for the old Doc's feng shui, but on the upside, every seat has a view of multiple screens. Bonus points that the TVs look to be using HD. Too many bars pay a lot of cash for expensive TVs and then stretch a standard-def signal, turning all the players short and fat and grainy.
The biggest TV is actually outside, just off the patio. Games are projected on the side of a neighboring building. It's not the best angle for viewing, but now there's always a "big" game. Back inside, Legends is already an "official" viewing spot for North Carolina and West Virginia fans in the area, but I don't see a lot of memorabilia for Florida teams.
Scoping: Like a true sports bar, there's a mix of ages from college sweatshirts to office neckties and a healthy sprinkle of staff from the neighborhood's medical offices.
Drinking: Happy hour is 3-8 p.m., Monday through Friday, with $2 basic domestic drafts, $2.50 and $3.50 for more upscale suds, $5 house wines (a "big pour," the bartender promises), and $1 off well drinks.
Being so close to the hospital, Monday is "scrubs night" — wear them and you get half-price pizza and $1 off drafts and wells. I've seen scrubs on sale at Walmart, so even if you're not an R.N. or M.D., a wardrobe investment could pay off in cheap beer. Tuesdays are hospitality night with 50-cent wings and half-price pizza. Thursdays are ladies night with half-price flatbreads, drafts, wells and house wines from 8-11 p.m.
Chewing: Legends takes advantage of the full kitchen left behind by Doc's to be a little more ambitious than the average sports bar. The grilled shrimp flatbread ($12.99) also includes spinach, red onion, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses with a cream sauce. The shrimp have good texture and flavor. The crust is nice too, but for $13, it's surprisingly small. A New York strip sandwich with waffle fries is only $9.99, after all.
I had that steak sandwich, by the way. The roll was crusty, but not so much that it was tough to eat. The beef itself was cooked medium, just like I ordered it. Problem — the sandwich also came barely above room temperature. Everyone at my table during one visit got their food that way. Nothing was even "heating lamp warm." Legends did correct the problem with no argument the moment we pointed it out. We all got new, steaming hot meals that also looked a little bigger than the first go-round.
The meatball sub ($7.99) also comes with waffle fries. The meatballs are made with a fine grind of meat that, if not homemade, could pass. I'd seen smothered French fries before ($5.49), but never smothered onion rings topped with cheese sauce, bacon and diced tomatoes (also $5.49). I liked them, but I'd like them better if they were topped with the melted cheddar the menu promised and not "cheez" sauce. Nachos (chicken or beef, $8.49) are made with real cheddar, but could use a little more of it. Still, the veggies are fresh and the whole plate is oven-baked to melt everything together.
Legends also has one all-you-can-eat option, a brave decision for a bar trying to attract sports fans and their many appetites. For $9.99, you get all the fried or baked fish you can eat, one filet at a time, plus garlic bread and coleslaw. I went for "baked," and found the firm, white fish to be moist and flaky.
Going: This has got to be the nicest sports bar bathroom I've ever seen. I'm assuming the fancy glass bowl sinks are also a Doc's holdover. The TVs are probably a new addition, but they're – harrumph – only standard definition.
Departing: Legends needs a little more time to sort out some kinks in the kitchen, but overall, it's a big welcoming space. One tip, the first time you try to park anywhere near Legends, it's a tremendous maze of one-ways and street parking with no openings. That's until you get inside and realize that the bar will validate for the parking garage next door if you spend $5.
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