Although I tend to frequent independently owned restaurants, as Key West has plenty of them, once in a while a chain serves a purpose. You know what you are going to get. This weekend, before the big hundredth birthday bash, we went to McCormick and Schmick’s for dinner with my in-laws.
It is a big place, with a hopping bar area, and was very busy on Saturday night. (Most other places at Reston Town Center were packed,
too.) It is a haven for big parties, and thus it is LOUD. Fortunately we had one of the side booths, which isn’t so much a booth as it is a table set in it’s own mini-room with a curtain. I’m not exactly sure in what scenario you would close the curtain – a proposal, maybe? Though, I think you can do better as far as “romantic” goes for proposals. But the table was lovely, and made it possible to actually have a conversation with the other people at my table (since I like them all, this is a good thing.)
But how were the food and service? Service started a little sketchy – when asked if we would like bread, we got the smallest piece for the table, but she rebounded and refilled the bread plate over and over again – and ended up to be quite good. The food was very good. Appetizers included a Cesar salad (yum), mixed green salad with candied walnuts and blue cheese (yum), a side order of grilled asparagus (really, really yum) and a wedge salad sans bacon (yum). All were quite tasty.
As for entrees, FKGuy had the fish and chips. He had a cold and apparently only fried would do. It was a
good choice, as the fish was tender and the batter was crispy and flavorful. Plus, fish and chips is just good cold weather food. (Yes, I know everyone in the mid-Atlantic seems to think that 40’s is mild. For a Floridian, it is not.)
I had the rigatoni with salmon, with asparagus, mushrooms and artichokes in a pesto cream sauce. It was exactly as it sounds – heavy,
flavorful and delicious. Also good cold weather food. The only healthy one at the table was my father-in-law with grilled swordfish and sauteed spinach, which looked delicious, but I was too invested in my pasta to taste it.
Dessert? Are you kidding? We ate fried food and pasta in cream sauce. There was no dessert happening. Overall, it was good meal. Both food and service were good. Would I go back? Sure. McCormick and Schmick’s is located at the Reston Town Center in Reston, VA, although they also have many other locations throughout the country.
