Is escrow.com a legitimate and trustworthy service?

Very legit website. As Mircea said - looks can be deceiving. Like almost everyone else, I have used the website in the buying and selling of domain names when you don't know the other party well. If you will be transacting on Escrow.com - do make sure and hash it out before, as to who will be paying the escrow fees (a stone in the shoe for many, once they 'assume' the buy would be paying it, or vice versa).