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  McCormick & Schmick's: Setting a new standard in dining excellence May 25th, 2005 Posted by Hunter Wilson

  A few weeks ago the CNL staff was invited to the pre-opening of McCormick and Schmick’s Seafood Restaurant uptown. I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say that it was amazing.  The interior is extremely ornate and well polished.  This observation gave me the initial thought of “Well I probably cannot afford to eat here that often.” Boy was I WRONG!  It turns out that this place is probably one of the most affordable upscale restaurants in the entire city!  Appetizers range from 7-13$, salad entrees range from 6-8$, and traditional entrees range from 8-29$ with the majority being under 20$.   But wait!!! I haven’t mentioned the $1.95 HAPPY HOUR MENU!!!  Every Mon-Fri from 4-6:30pm and Mon-Thur 9:30-11pm you can order things like Shrimp Quesadillas, Crab Con Queso, a Miniature Hamburger platter, Buffalo Wings, and other delectable dishes for $1.95!!  Now of course this is a happy hour special, so you have to order drinks to get it. But you and I both know that YOU do that anyways!!!

  So what is a McCormick and what is a Schmick" Well these are 2 gentleman that separately ran successful restaurants, and then got together to form the culinary powerhouse and named it after themselves. Hell, if I formed a high speed restaurant like this, I’d probably want my name on it too! The first thing that automatically sets M&S way above the rest is that they change their menu twice a day. And I don’t mean they swap a lunch menu with a dinner menu, I mean they literally have a new menu for every meal which is printed daily. The first thing you see on this menu is the “Fresh List”. This is the day"s selection of fresh seafood, and where it is from. On our visit some of the choices were Tilapia from Costa Rica, Tombo Tuna from Kuna Hawaii, and Halibut from Dutch Harbour Alaska. The rest of the menu lists what is available for that meal as decided by the Executive Chef. The choices for our visit ranged from a Half Pound Cheeseburger to a 14oz Cajun Grilled Ribeye. Flip over to the back and you will spy M&S’s outrageous wine selection! Outrageous because they have the best prices for premium stuff! For example: a bottle of 2001 Opus One Cabernet will run around 250-300 in places like Morton’s, Blue, and Sullivan"s. M&S’s price: 198! The variety was quite broad, as there was probably over 100 different types listed hailing from Napa Valley to South Australia.

  The staff at M&S"s is extremely friendly, professional, and takes NO SHORTCUTS! One of the head bartender’s, Adrian, told me you will not find sour mix behind the bar at any M&S’s. This is because all of their ingredients are fresh, including fresh squeezed juices! I must be honest and say that no review I could write would do this place justice. The best thing to do would be to check it out for yourself. And don’t forget that the 1.95 happy hour menu is a restaurant standard, not some introductory promotion! If you plan on visiting during peak hours, a reservation may be in order.

  In case you missed the album of our visit, you can check it out here:

  http://www.carolinanightlife.com/photos_view.php"ID=1940

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  Hunter Wilson

  Owner, CarolinaNightlife.com1 Posts

  Charles is the Executive Director of Carolina Nightlife and very involved in the nightlife industry in NC and SC. He has been working with venues of all sizes, different brands and products, and countless events across NC and SC for over 8 years.

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