McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood & Steaks Awards

McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood & Steaks Restaurant Review:

A focus on locally caught seafood is an unexpected touch at this polished, savvy fish house located inside Harrah’s Atlantic City. An entire section of the menu is devoted to “Jersey Shore Favorites,” such as linguine with clam sauce and a captain’s fried platter. However, the restaurant casts a wide net, and also features a "Fresh List" of more than 30 seafood varieties, from Alaska halibut to New Zealand grouper. Although McCormick & Schmick’s doesn’t trade on haute cuisine, count on it for reliable and sophisticated preparations alongside the crowd-pleasers, such as calamari with dipping sauce and Maryland crab cakes. The oyster bar presents samplings from every notable oyster bed known to man. Small plate options are available, and the kitchen can serve up a mean cowboy rib-eye. The wine list is interesting and affordable; the bar scene lively. The dessert list is short but tempting. Try to resist the upside-down candied walnut apple pie with a candied walnut crust, warm caramel sauce and a scoop of cinnamon ice cream on the side. Service is professional, efficient and friendly without being intrusive.