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Y! MyWebRestaurant Review
McCormick & Schmick's
Come for the cocktails, stay for the seafood
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
BEAVERCREEK — Beware: If you go to McCormick & Schmick's at The Greene for dinner, but amble into the bar or patio first — you may never make it to your table.
That's because this first Daytonarea restaurant of the Portland, Ore.-based chain offers up its best deals, along with some creative preparations, during happy hour.
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The bar at McCormick & Schmick's seafood restaurant at The Greene in Beavercreek.
A dining area at McCormick & Schmick's seafood restaurant at The Greene in Beavercreek.
Patrons dine on the patio at McCormick & Schmick's.McCormick & Schmick's
- WHERE: 4429 Cedar Park Drive at The Greene, Beavercreek [Map]
- HOURS: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.
- COST: Lunch $6.90 to $12.85, Dinner $16.80 to $21.95.
- DISHES TO TRY: Fried Fresh Calamari ($9.95), Oysters on the Half Shell (about $12 per halfdozen, $20.80 for a sampler platter of 12), Northwest Saute (salmon, $9.90 at lunch, $16.95 at dinner), Halibut ($19.90).
- MORE INFO: (937) 431-9200
- MORE: Reader ratings, complete profile
More information
This place takes cocktails seriously: nothing frozen, nothing premixed, no blenders to be found. If your drink calls for citrus juices, fresh oranges or limes or lemons are squeezed in front of your eyes. Berries and herbs are muddled right in the mixing glass. And the cocktail creations are fresh and innovative, from the Raspberry Cosmimosa (freshsqueezed orange juice, lime juice, cranberry juice, Stoli Razberi vodka, garnished with orange zest, $8.50).
Then there are the happy hour specials, available from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. weekdays (and Monday through Thursday, they bring happy hour back from 9 to 10 p.m.). M&S embraces an innovative concept: no discounts on drinks, but deep discounts on the bar menu, with a rotating selection of $1.95 items that may include fish tacos or a half-pound burger, and a similar selection of $3.95 specials that may include Steamed Mussels, or Crab, Shrimp and Artichoke dip.
There is one catch: You must buy two drinks. But they don't have to be alcoholic drinks — a couple of $2.50 Cokes will do — so you can get out of the place with a full belly and a few bucks left in your pocket.
Oh yeah, the restaurant.
McCormick & Schmick's menu features 30 varieties of fresh seafood from around the globe, from Ecuador to Alaska. Restaurant officials say they receive daily deliveries of seafood and update and print their menus twice daily to reflect the shipments. They also specialize in oysters, offering six different varieties on the half shell. Steaks and pasta dishes also are served — but it's clear that seafood rules at this eatery.
For all the emphasis on freshness, a Crispy Albacore Tuna Roll ($9.90) tasted less than impeccably fresh during one dinner visit. Another appetizer, Crab & Shrimp Tater Tots ($8.75), show scant evidence of crab or shrimp, but plenty of cheese.
A much better appetizer choice is the Fried Fresh Calamari ($9.95), a generous portion of tender rings with a panko-like breading served with three flavorful dipping sauces. It's one of the best calamari preparations around. Oysters on the Half Shell are fresh and briny, offered in six different varieties; order the sampler platter (one of each variety) for $11.95.
Every fresh-fish entree sampled over multiple visits — including halibut and salmon — arrived at the table properly cooked through, but still moist — an impressive feat for a kitchen open only a few weeks. The sauces and preparations complement rather than overwhelm the fresh fish. Steelhead ($19.95), a salmon-like fish from British Columbia, shines in its sauce of horseradish, Parmesan and herbs, the horseradish providing just a hint of faint heat to the fish.
Another star among the entrees is the Northwest Saute ($16.95), a salmon filet topped with mushrooms, asparagus tips, chopped hazelnuts and fresh raspberries in a white wine-cream sauce. The combination works better than its diverse ingredients would suggest, and this is one Pacific Northwest-inspired preparation that travels well.
The Grilled Sea Scallops ($23.85), the most expensive seafood entree on our dinner menu, offered a meager serving of four medium-sized scallops, cooked correctly. But a "spicy cashew curry sauce" was neither spicy nor did it deliver any discernible curry flavor. The fresh fish selections are a better choice.
The restaurant does not give short shrift to side dishes, which may include a wild mushroom ratatouille, or a cucumber-red onion salad in creamy dill sauce, or a sweet corn-chive risotto. They're well-executed and add value as well as visual appeal. And they don't cost extra.
Despite a few missteps, this is an impressive seafood restaurant and cocktail bar — especially during happy hour.
