The Legacy Restaurant

The best food around. Situated in a charming historical former residence, The Legacy is beautiful and the owners have done a wonderful job of preserving the look and feel of the original Wells house. If you appreciate history, beautiful surroundings  and superb food, this is your dream dinner spot. The food is excellent. My favorites for almost 30 years have been the lobster bisque and the stuffed shrimp. The fillet Marsala is also a favorite. All the desserts are homemade by Joyce and absolutely delicious. Trent does an amazing job with the entrees and if you ever get invited to a wedding reception or party there, be sure to go. Their hor d'oeuvres are just as delicious as their dinners. Call for a reservation, especially if you're planning to eat later. They'll close early if the place clears out. It's well worth the drive to Elm City, especially if you want to impress a date. Menu on their facebook page.

Looking for a restaurant that is a lot more shabby than chic? The Legacy is a giant old Southern-style house in "downtown" Elm City. Hubby took me here on our first date.
Like a lot of other restaurants that I've dined in that are inside old houses, the now defunct Michael's in Winston-Salem, Four Square in Durham, Second Empire in Raleigh, The Legacy offers a very private dining experience, with only one two other couples dining in the same room.
This house has a grand entry way. We were seated in the dining room to the left, along with two other couples.
Our waitress promptly arrived and presented us with dinner menus and a wine list. She then reviewed the specials.
I ordered a lamb dish with Moroccan curry couscous. Hubby ordered a steak. Both dishes were A-OK. Nothing spectacular. This restaurant looked as though it needed a menu makeover- nothing exotic, just something a bit more local perhaps.
What was spectacular was the intimate dining and conversation. Our waitress knew an awful lot about both The Legacy and the food. She visited our table frequently and was very smartly dressed and professional.
Perhaps we'll visit again soon. It is shabby and in need of some cautious updates, but the food and service were solid. Oh, and it is a beautiful drive through the country from Raleigh to get there. Romantic? Yes. I feel in love after dinner at Legacy.