In case you didn’t know, I LOVE seafood. Given the choice, I’ll almost always pick a seafood entree over a meat one. Just don’t make me work for the prize. Crab legs and lobster that I have to crack open and dig out the goody myself? No thanks. Legal Seafoods is offering a special selection of wines from Sonoma County through June 10 and invited me in to sample them along with some of their best menu items. Thrilled doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel about the seafood I sampled.

Instead of ordering off the menu, we asked manger, Steffen Gaebler, to choose items he loves for us. Beginning with the clam chowder and mussels, dinner was off to a delicious start. If you have a large group, the mussels are a perfect choice as the portion is very plentiful. We paired these with a glass of the Terlato Pinot Grigio and the Benzinger Chardonnay.

The selection of wines from Sonoma County include four whites and five reds. Most are available by the glass for about $11 and by the bottle for around $40. Flights are available for around $12, which includes a 2 oz. pour of three different kinds of varietals.

Next we sampled some menu specials: Soft shell crab (pictured at the top) and the jumbo shrimp. I’m picky about soft shell crab – it has to be done just right or I can’t stand it – this was perfection. And the hint of balsamic on each bite was wonderful. The jumbo shrimp was paired with a sauce that has an Asian flair to it – just exquisite.

We were sitting outside, as the weather was pleasant and the view of downtown is spectacular, but at this point the wind forced us inside the restaurant. Once settled inside we sampled the Legal Seafood crab cakes (love them) and the “mixed grill” of scallops, trout and swordfish. Chef even brought out the Chocolate box for dessert, which we promptly mopped up.

Facts about Legal Seafood:

• They have terrific prices on bottles of wine that you can’t get anywhere else.

• They have free refills on coffee and cappuccino.

• They only keep seafood for three days to ensure freshness, even though the government allows restaurants to keep it for eight.

• Even though they are a big corporation, their buyers and the fisherman they buy from seem to go back a generations in partnerships.

I’d love to tell you how fantastic the red wines from Sonoma are. But I can’t. I fell hard for the Terlato Pinot Grigio and just couldn’t swap to anything else. And this is coming from a red wine lover. Although you may think only whites compliment seafood, Legal Seafoods recommends the Pinot Noir with the Salmon and the Cabernet with tuna or swordfish. This special wine selection goes until June 10. So hurry in to sample these tasty wines from Sonoma County at Legal Seafoods.

Tip: They validate for self-parking in the lot around the corner (3 hours max). I hate valet, but in this case I recommend paying the $5 (discounted rate when dining at LS) to avoid the not-so-fun walk around the corner.