Neither of us had had lunch and we were both hungry, so after picking him up from work we went to the nearby McCormick & Schmick's this evening. Since the night was cold, the place is new, and it wasn't yet 6, we thought we might avoid a mob scene and even find street parking. We did both--but don't count on the latter any other time. SETTING. The layout is much different from McCormick & Schmick's outlets I've been to in Pasadena and San Francisco. Instead of flashily barnlike and sprawling, the place is much more clubby and vertical (I was told there's a second-floor dining room). This, plus the paneling and acoustic ceilings, meant there was no din and you could actually talk and hear the taped background music (mainly jazz and show tunes, mostly piano). Booths in the center section are very private, and even tables in the largish west dining room are well-spaced. In short, the atmosphere is soothing, and it remained so even when more diners began arriving as we were leaving. How it would be at capacity I'm not sure, but so far, so good. PRICES. Menu was typically big, changed daily or twice daily. I wouldn't call the prices high, especially considering the location, though they're not cheap. Bill for two, with three first courses, two main courses, two desserts, and two glasses of wine, was $96 plus tip. We could have spent less or more, but we felt we got decent value. FIRST COURSES. Two fresh Rhode Island calamari pieces stuffed with spinach, mushrooms, and Dungeness crab meat were large, tender, and delicious, as the server said they would be. Two Louisiana lump crabcakes with roasted-red-pepper aoli impressed me less. I made the mistake of taking some of the very spicy sauce with my first bite, and it overpowered the crab. Apparently, roasted red peppers weren't the only kind of pepper in it. Then I found that the medium-sized cakes themselves had a modest Cajun fire, too. I didn't want that and had purposely asked about it ahead of time (the reply was inaccurate), so the dish suffered in my estimation--though my companion, a Cajun aficionado, tasted and told me the crab was quite fresh. The hefty serving of slaw with the crabcakes was nicely crunchy and well-seasoned. A number of the fish dishes are given Louisiana-sounding names, so that seems to be a chefly predilection--guide yourself accordingly. My companion also had an oyster sampler--six raw on the half shell of different Northwest and Northeast varieties, plus a steamed clam. They were laid out on the plate in the order they appeared on the menu, so he knew what kind he was eating. He's crazy about oysters but not that familiar with varieties (I, not at all except by name), so it was educational. He liked most of them, especially the big Malpeque and Steamboat ones and the Wellfleet. He was disappointed that there was no fish soup without cream (dairy intolerance). The server said in future the restaurant plans a Manhattan clam chowder. Surprisingly considering the chain's West Coast origins, there wasn't a cioppino in sight among the starters, though there was a pricey ($21, I think) San Francisco stew listed among the main courses, which sounded close. MAIN COURSES. Feeling perverse on this chilly night, I thought of ordering the meatloaf on the strength of the chain's stability and the notion that surely it would have to do a good job with the few nonfish items. (There are two or three temptingly described, homy-sounding chicken dishes and some steaks, too.) Maybe that's true, but the server said the "hot fanny" or "hot Fanny" gravy with it was pretty garlicky, so I passed. Garlic's OK in its place, but somehow not with meatloaf. Instead, I ordered the pan-fried, Parmesan-crusted Boston lemon sole with capers and lemon butter, which the server said is a McCormick & Schmick's standard on all the chain's menus, and which I thought therefore should be perfected. At first we both felt the fish itself lacked some flavor, and certainly the lemon juice in the butter was scarce, but once I squeezed more juice from the provided lemon on it the fish perked up. Then I could taste the cheese crust (discernible without being overpowering), and the capers remained delightfully piquant as capers will be. All in all, I enjoyed the dish (well priced at about $13), which came with a large serving of mashed potatoes and some properly cooked asparagus spears and julienne carrot. Our other main course was black-sesame- and wasabi-crusted Sea of Cortez (Gulf of California) swordfish, somewhere around $19. It was a good-sized piece, cooked just enough to firm up but to avoid the dryness that often afflicts swordfish, either from overcooking or not being fresh. I like my fish sufficiently cooked rather than at the undercooked stage the server said the chef prefers, but my other half (who loves swordfish) made no special request and the result turned out to please both him and me. The crust was great--crunchy and not hot; the server said wasabi burns only when mixed with water. Very tasty dish, particularly with the slivered vegetables served alongside (onions and peppers, I think). DESSERTS. The overpowering M&S dessert tray was brought. I usually like light desserts, especially those made of fruit. There were none. But there were some berries scattered over the tray and lurking inside the crme brle. My recollection from California is that this version is too coarse and eggy, but my memory could be wrong. I said I wished there were something lighter, and the server said maybe she could get the chef to make up some berries--which she/he did: a large glass of unfragrant red raspberries, bracing blackberries (I think), and a big black one that may have been a marionberry (some were said to be in the crme brle). This berry was the sweetest and best of all. A dollop of whipped cream came atop the pile. The tray also held things such as a banana cream pie, a chocolate mousse, an upside-down apple cake with nut bottom and caramel sauce, and four or five other offerings, all rich and sweet. My companion chose the mousse. I didn't taste it. He likes chocolate mousse. He liked this. SUMMING UP. We were out in two hours and well fed after a leisurely meal. The wine was poured generously. Server was informative and helpful but a tad too chatty until it got busier. I thought the food surprisingly good. I remembered a certain by-the-numbers feel from my California visits; maybe eating it in a sedate Chicago rather than frenzied California setting made a difference. There are some 24 McCormick & Schmick's locations, mostly in the West (seven in Portland, Ore., alone, where the chain began). This is the first in the Midwest, but the server said more will come. Bill Kelley, Chicago McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurant 41 E. Chestnut St. (at Rush St.), Chicago 60611 (312) 397-9500 http://www.mccormickandschmicks.com
Chicago, IL