quote:Originally posted by dlawson
My wife and I dined there last night.
It took a few minutes to get seated despite no one else in front of us, but service was fine once we were at our table. Menus are updated daily, depending on what fresh catches are available.
Appetizers and salads seemed very overpriced to me. Salads come in one size and range from $6 to $12, and most of the appetizers push or exceed $10. Entrees do not include salad. My wife ordered a Caesar, which we split despite it not being very big. It was adequate at best, and is in no way worth near $7.00. If you are not a fan of anchovy, beware: they use it in the dressing.
I suppose my main gripe with the place is the pricing as it relates to the atmosphere. For my money, that's "special occasion" pricing, but the restaurant does not have a "special occasion" feel. Although...good, fresh seafood in this part of the country is something of a "special occasion," so perhaps I shouldn't be too hard on the place.
Three friends and I had dinner at McCormick and Schmick's on February 22. When I called to make reservations, I was asked if we were celebrating a special occasion and I told them we were celebrating my birthday. Then I was asked how I spell my first name.
I parked in the garage under the Westin and soon found that I could not walk through the Westin lobby directly to the restaurant as you could when the sports bar was in that space. Part of the hallway you used to walk through is now taken up by the restaurant itself.
We were seated very quickly but, unfortunately, the young woman who took us to our table was sullen (no smile), unfriendly, and unresponsive. When we got to the table, I asked her where the restrooms were and her reply was, "Well, if you'll just wait a minute, I'll show you" in a rude tone of voice. We were all startled by her manner and I told her to forget it ("Oh, that's alright. I wouldn't want to trouble you."). I found them myself later. As she walked by with other diners, we noticed that she behaved that way toward everyone. I wonder if she's still working there.
I loved the fact that our booth, which was along the wall, was recessed into an alcove and had drapes on either side. If we had wanted to, we could have unhooked the drapery tie-backs and dined in total privacy. Since we weren't discussing state secrets (other than my age), we left them open.
We quickly noticed that "Happy Birthday, Sandy!" was printed across the top of all four menus...quite a nice souvenier.
Our waiter was the total opposite of the "hostess"...pleasant, responsive and always on top of things.
We decided to split two appetizers: Crab, Shrimp, and Artichoke Dip with Pita ($11.85) and Coconut Shrimp with Horseradish Marmalade and Tropical Fruit Salsa ($8.80). The waiter asked if we planned to order salads with our dinner. We all said yes and he tactfully warned us that we might end up with too much food since my dessert would be on the house. We ignored his advice and he was right.
Both appetizers were delicious, and the dip and pita appetizer was large, even split 4 ways. Oddly, one unsliced chunk of bread was placed on our table without a sharp knife. We guessed that were supposed to tear it apart with our hands to share it. When we requested more bread, we received another chunk of the same. Wierd.
We all ordered the Apple and Gorgonzola Salad with Almonds and Raspberry Vinegarette ($5.80). The salad was larger than expected but so good I ate all of it. Probably not a good decision since I still had my entree and dessert coming. I ordered the Sea Scallops Massachusettes, Grilled with Cashew Curry Sauce ($23.85). What I got were 4 huge scallops with a mound of crisp thinly sliced vegetables. Clearly, the price was high for the number of scallops I got, but they were the biggest scallops I have ever seen (yet very fresh, moist, and tender) and I was already pretty full, so I was satisfied.
My friends ordered the Atlantic Salmon, Maine with Lemon Dill Butter and Fresh Chives; the Shrimp Ala Diavolo with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Basil, Crushed Red Chiles, and Garlic; and the Tilapia Guayaquil, Ecuador which was parmesan crusted with lemon-butter sauce and capers. All three entrees were in the $20.00 range and moderate in size. Everyone remaked on the wonderful freshness and flavor of their dinners.
It seemed to me that M&S fills you up with the appetizer and/or salad and then downscales the size of the pricier entree. This is just my impression.
The mark-up on wine was breathtaking but hardly surprising.. We shared a bottle of Louis Jadot Beaujolais Villages, priced at $28 per bottle. I buy that same wine for $11 at our local party store. The wine list is extensive.
The dessert tray was enticing and I chose a sort of cake and ice cream parfait dessert served in a large goblet. The cake part was rich, most, dark choclate and it was topped with vanilla ice cream with a dark fudge topping and whipped cream. The other dinners ordered the same. My total share of the bill was $45.00. Hardly roadfood but I was impressed with the freshness and selection of the seafood.
I agree that the place was noisy. It was packed that evening, a Thursday. The bar was full. One of my friends said that she and her husband had twice stopped in on a week night, without reservations, hoping to be seated, but left because the place was full and the wait was too long.
