McCormick & Schmick's

McCormick & Schmick’s...
My Mom is a huge fan of seafood so I thought there was no better place to spend her Birthday than McCormick & Schmick’s. This time around, it really was someone’s Birthday! McCormick & Schmick’s was started by Bill McCormick and Doug Schmick in the 1970’s. 
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On their site, you can also view information about the relation of seafood and a healthy lifestyle. You know I’m all about that! The first time I went to McCormick & Schmick’s, my professor took our class there for a Culinary and Restaurant Design course. He gave us a detailed tour of the restaurant and it was my first experience in a commercial kitchen. I remember seeing the fresh lobsters in the walk-in and getting a demonstration from the chef. My professor explained that they print their menu twice daily as it changes based on the freshest, highest-quality seafood that is available. It was a real-life experience I will never forget! I think I might have seen my professor when I left the restaurant last night, but I wasn’t 100% sure if it was him?!
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When we sat down at our table, the thoughtfully created menu read “Happy Birthday!” with my Mom’s name printed across the top. Amazing attention to detail! What a special memoir for her Birthday!


Another thing unique to McCormick’s is how they use fresh squeezed juices in all of their cocktails. I don’t know too many restaurants today that take the time to do that. Here goes the pictures…

Amuse Bouche

They started off by bringing an Amuse Bouche of shrimp, mangoes and cilantro. I'm figuring out that amuse bouche is served if it's your Birthday. Something to keep in mind...

Maryland Crab Soup

Maryland Crab Soup: Tomatoes, carrots, peas, lumps of crab meat (they were generous with this) and a perfectly spicy flavor that I think was probably Old Bay seasoning. Delicious! It definitely hit the spot!

Wedge Salad: Iceberg lettuce, cucumbers tomatoes and Russian dressing (the gentleman eating it didn’t like blue cheese or bacon so he made his own combination!) 

Chef Karen’s Featured Selection: Sizzling Wild Coho Salmon:
Grilled to perfection and served tableside with Asian Black Pepper Sauce, onions, mushrooms and swiss chard. My Dad ordered this dish. If you guys think I'M a food critic, you haven’t met my Father yet! Here’s what he had to say about this dish, “the blend of vegetables was unique, the salmon came out sizzling…delicious!” The Manager noticed me snapping away with my camera and even came over to place the dish on the table so I could get a great shot!

Clam Linguini:
Manila clams with white wine, garlic and fresh herbs. If you didn’t already guess, this was my dish. You guys know how I feel about linguini! Yum! Just the right amount of garlic, a kiss of herbs and a delicious white wine broth. A+!

Jumbo Sea Scallops from New Bedford, Massachusets: (I like that they tell you where the seafood is coming from!)Huge seared scallops served with sweet pea risotto, lobster cream sauce and a balsamic reduction. My Mom loves scallops and one of her favorite dishes is risotto! I feel like this was created just for her Birthday. Before she even looked at the menu, I knew this was her order!

Chocolate cup w/ fresh whipped cream and berries:Decadent, the berries were plump and fresh! From the picture, you can see how tasty this was.

CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE CAKE: Flourless chocolate cake with raspberry sauce and crème anglaise. Okay, let’s talk about this for a minute. This was rich, creamy smooth and tasted like pure dark chocolate fudge. I’ve had a lot of dry, crumbly tasteless flourless cakes in my life. This was the freshest flourless chocolate cake that I have ever tried. I highly recommend it! CaitlinCooks approved

VANILLA BEAN CRÈME BRULEE: Classic vanilla custard topped with caramelized sugar. I would LOVE to tell you how this tasted, but someone wouldn’t share! It was devoured in about two minutes and my Mom isn’t even a dessert person. 
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At the end of the night, Dad left me with a quote for the blog – “I ate at several high-end restaurants in New York City this week and McCormick and Schmick’s was my best meal out of them all. From the Manager to the waitress Mary, everything was perfect.” You heard it folks, from the toughest restaurant critic out there, McCormick & Schmick’s passed with flying colors! :-)
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P.S. : McCormick’s is FAMOUS for its “Happy Hour.” If you’re on a budget and still want to try it or if you just like to save a dollar (who doesn’t want to save money, come on?!) you absolutely have to try their Happy Hour. Why?! The fresh squeezed juice in the drink specials, the high-quality ingredients at a big reduction in price, the atmosphere of everyone relaxing after work. 
Do I have to say more??? Here’s a sample of what your local menu might include during Happy Hour:
- $4.95 Bahama Bay Breeze
- $1.95 Cheese Quesadillas
- $2.95 ½ Pound Cheeseburger
- $3.95 Tempura Sushi
- $4.95 Steamed Mussels
What?! Mussels for $5?! No other high-end restaurants offer a Happy Hour like this (*cough* some I might have wrote about before *cough* not mentioning any names!) Since it varies, you can check out their website and select the location closest to you to view the Happy Hour Menu. Try it out and tell them Caitlin sent you!

XoX,

Caitlin Cooks

www.YouTube.com/CaitlinCooks