Legal Crossing and Other Reviews from the Week

The new Legal Crossing "offers spice, nods to Asian cuisine and fashion-forward cocktailing—a mashup of any sibling restaurants' strengths that seemed to suit the urban Ladder District location," writes Donna Garlough for The Improper Bostonian, referring to the restaurant's family of Legal Sea Foods offshoot siblings, from Legal Harborside to LTK. "Most of the time, the combo is harmonious." Try the Bang Bang cauliflower ("wildly delicious") or the fried oysters ("briny and fantastic"), but avoid the paprika shrimp with Chinese sausage ("muddy and bland"). [TIB]

It's just a quick overview from the Globe's Kara Baskin for brand new La Brasa, but she gets into detail about the effects of the "Motown brass" music selection: "A toddler boogies tableside, wagging his fork to a James Brown beat." There's also a sashaying hostess and a hip-swiveling bartender. The food: "Spicy, wood-fired snacks and shareable plates." [BG]

The Globe's James Reed gives a three-for-one review, checking out three restaurants that also feature entertainment, from ping-pong to shuffleboard. There's the "extremely loud" Blazing Paddles, where the comfort food is "respectable" and the soundtrack is Top 40. The new State Park is "an addictively fun place to unwind" in Kendall Square, and it's "all about Southern comfort." Sacco's Bowl Haven/The Flatbread Co. gets both bowling and pizza "exactly right" with a "refreshingly time-warped" experience and "terrific food." [BG]