McCormick & Schmick's

Food Guy, Food Gal, and Food Gal's Mom did dinner and a movie Saturday night. Dinner began at McCormick & Schmick's, in Troy. All three partook of the included sourdough bread. Food Guy had New England Clam Chowder and Stuffed Shrimp (shrimp stuffed with crab and brie). Food Gal had the Jumbo Shrimp Scampi with a glass of Willamette Valley Pinot Gris. Food Gal's Mom had the Gazpacho Soup and the Fried Shrimp Platter (shrimp, cocktail sauce, fries, ketchup, and coleslaw). Dessert was sampled by all, a chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich and creme brulee.

---

Food Guys says: My meal was ok. The clam chowder was pretty good. Rich and creamy with a good amount of clam and potatoes (4 forks). The main course of shrimp came with mashed potatoes and green beans. The beans were still a little crisp for my liking, but they were pretty good. I always like mashed potatoes, so there are no complaints with those. My biggest problem was with the shrimp. The stuffing of crab and brie was delicious. I could have had an entire plate of it. But the shrimp were small and pretty dry (3 forks). Just like Food Gal, I really liked the ice cream sandwich. The restaurant had neat, little semi-private booths that might be a good thing to try, but we sat at a standard table. Also, our waiter was prompt and quite friendly. Overall, I wasn't all that impressed. I rank this restaurant:

Food Gal says: The sourdough bread was great (5 forks)! My shrimp scampi was not all that good, I thought the shrimp tasted "fishy." The presentation of the dish was gorgeous, but this was not a meal I would have again (1-2 forks). The ice cream sandwich was also fabulous (5 forks). The Creme Brulee was very creamy, but I don't typically eat this dessert, so I am not sure what it is supposed to taste like. My mom's fried shrimp and fries were pretty tasty, but expensive. The entire meal was on the pricey side. Since the main course was lacking for me, I rate this experience as not necessary to repeat: The Pinot Gris from Willamette Valley was a wine I had and thoroughly enjoyed previously (3 corks), but this time it wasn't that tasty. I am not sure if the difference was the wine itself or the food/wine combo. It almost tasted as if it had been open longer than it should have. This time I rank it:

Food Gal's Mom says:I really enjoyed the Gazpacho soup, it was similar to one I had a Kruse & Muer's and really enjoyed. I liked the coleslaw that came with the fried shrimp and french fries, but wasn't overly impressed with the shrimp or fries. The Creme Brulee was very creamy, but I think it needed more vanilla. On the down side, I typically like a strawberry margarita, but their blender was broken!?!