Sac Foodies

A few years back while in San Diego on business, I had the pleasure of dining at McCormick & Schmick’s.  Many times when dining out, you may only get two or three seafood selections to choose from on the menu.  But at McCormick & Schmick’s you have dozens (yes, dozens!) of fresh options to choose from.  I loved the restaurant so much, I ended up dining there twice on a three-day trip.  So you can imagine how excited I was when the Sacramento location opened up last year at 11th and J. Finally, there was a good seafood restaurant in the downtown area.

For dinner, you can usually find me noshing on some halibut or succulent scallops, but last week I had the pleasure of enjoying my first lunch at McCormick & Schmick’s with a few of my colleagues. I will let the other Sac Foodies share some of their thoughts from the lunch, but I’m going to start off with my highlight…the Crab and Bay Shrimp Tater Tots with Jalapeno Tartar Sauce. First, how can you go wrong with anything that resembles Tater Tots?  Delish! They were easy to eat and the combination of the savory Tots with spicy tartar sauce was heavenly.  This is a definite “must-have” for starting your meal at McCormick & Schmick’s.

 Brittany Mohr: In addition to the Tater Tots, the Creamy Potato and Blue Cheese Soup was absolute heaven. As a first timer at McCormick & Schmick’s, I was wowed by the seafood selection but reeled in by this soup. On a particularly windy day, like the ones we had last week, a cup of this was a perfect combination of traditional comfort food and gourmet flavor. You know I’m a fan when the craving for more Creamy Potato and Blue Cheese Soup lasts for nearly a week. In fact, it sounds pretty good right about now, too!

 Christine Moravec:  The Kona Kampachi Sashimi with Avocado, Soy and White Truffle Oil was also a great starter.  Light enough so you could still fully enjoy a meal after, plus the yellowtail was no doubt high-grade and the combinations of flavors definitely satisfied!  I also feel compelled to add that my first experience at McCormick & Schmick’s was for happy hour at the Chicago restaurant, and I was impressed then too by their bartender’s “special” drink recommendations.  Plus, their happy hour menu is awesome:  two-dollar cheeseburgers, no joke!

 Jenna Kirkwood: As another McCormick & Schmick’s first timer, I too was blown away by the seafood selection (and also a bit by the wind that day). Their fresh selections include everything from Alaskan King Salmon to Arkansas Catfish, so there is sure to be something for everyone. I’m a huge fan of any kind of sauce that can be used for bread-dipping and we had two delightful dipping opportunities during our lunch – the Canadian Black Mussels Steamed in a Coconut Red Curry Sauce and the Creamy Potato and Blue Cheese Soup – both divine soaked up with bread. Above all – get the Tater Tots! You won’t be sorry.

By Kim Bedwell