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| RER 6.12.13 |
You know when you sit down at the table, you close your eyes,
whisper for good luck, and you see what you want? That's what happened the
second time we went to McCormick & Schmick’s at the Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic
City. We found dishes we wanted to try right off the bat, so our hopes were
high.
While I was in college, a group of friends headed down the
hill to McCormick & Schmick’s for a fun happy hour, producing fond memories
of appetizers and juicy burgers. It was that experience, which guided us there.
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| RER 5.2012 |
Our first visit to the restaurant, over a year ago on
another excursion to the casino, resulted in major failure. We had no
beginner’s luck. I can hardly
remember what we got; maybe a New England style clam chowder, which was decent; a
pretty little cylinder of avocado, mango and crab meat, which was stunning and
mildly delicious. But after those appetizers my mind goes blank, probably as a
defense mechanism. I do remember being severely disappointed, an entree being
sent back, and overwhelming blandness.
There was nothing good about what we had that time, but I am
a firm believer in second chances, so on our most recent trip we tried again,
hoping for more success. It was a little better. We ordered less food to try to
increase our odds, and limit possibilities for unsavory results.
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| RER 6.12.13 |
The buttermilk fried oysters with a horse radish slaw and
what was described as a lemon Tabasco aioli, was our only appetizer. The fried
oysters were sweet and crunchy, a little greasy, but the tangy and oniony slaw
underneath cut it. Each texture was pronounced and independent, creating a fun
play of varied chews and crunches. The flavors, however, were all taken captive
by the strong onion taste of the many many green onions floating throughout the
slaw. Even the aioli did not help to abet the intensity, as it was dull and
almost ruined the texture and flavor of the oysters. Somehow the different
elements were fighting too hard against each other and there was some dissonance
of flavor, which diminished the potential of the appetizer.
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| RER 6.12.13 |
The entrees were far less interesting. I suppose we were
trying to play it safe, keeping up our poker face. I had parmesan crusted
flounder, drenched in lemon caper butter, with wax beans and a healthy side of
butternut squash risotto. The first couple of bites were like relief; the orzo
was cheesy and textured, the fish was crusty and crunchy, the beans were
buttery and luxurious. But after a few more bites, I began to feel the weight.
All flavors, textures, and delight, were lost to salt and butter. Those two
ingredients cloaked everything else and made my stomach turn with the richness.
It was difficult to finish, but addictive and damaging.
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| JAR 6.12.13 |
The salmon rigatoni with a creamy pesto sauce was no better.
It had the same lingering richness of the flounder dish, heavy with cream and
lack of flavor variation. Despite the salmon pieces, the bits of asparagus,
chunks of artichokes, the only addition, which changed up the texture and
taste, was the meaty mushrooms. All other life was drowned out by the too
creamy pesto and superfluous cheese. The large rigatoni pasta was cooked well,
and the whole dish would have benefitted from a lighter sauce, reminiscent of
summer.
We skipped dessert, which is difficult and amazing, but we
had learned our lesson with McCormick & Schmick’s, our stakes were too high.
I do not think we would eat there again for a full meal. Perhaps in future we
can indulge in the fun happy hour specials and deals, but our expectations for
that would be lower. I guess you can’t always win!
RER
6.19.13
