A Night Out to Remember at McCormick's Fish House and Bar

McCormick's is one of Mary's favorite restaurants. She is a lover of the lobster and vows that in Denver, she cannot find a better lobster than at McCormick's Fish House and Bar.  I am going to divulge a very precious piece of advice to you that only the dedicated lobster lovers know.  If you would like to partake in a lobster at McCormick's, then when making a reservation, also reserve a lobster for your table.  You don't even have to give him a name:)  

Years ago, on our second dining experience at McCormick's Fish House and Bar, Mary ordered a lobster and to her chagrin was informed that they were out of them.  The server then advised to reserve a lobster ahead of time since they only have a limited number due to them being flown in fresh, daily.  Never, did we make that mistake again. 

Accordingly, I made the reservation for our table and Mary's lobster a couple of days ahead.  We were seated at one of the wood, highback booths.  As long as you don't have a fidgeter on the other side of your back who moves the entire booth every time he or she moves, then it is a perfectly lovely table.  We lucked out this night, no fidgeters. 

We glanced at the menu and realized that it had changed for the first time in six years, however, adding numerous local vendors and raising the sophistification of the food a tad, turned out to be a lovely and welcome surprise!  I shared our delight in the menu changes and the support of all of the local vendors to our server.  He conveyed that he was proud that a corporate restaurant like McCormick's openly supported changing their menu to incorporate the local food movement.  He also was happy that the negotiated lease agreement long held by their building owner would keep McCormick's in its' prized Lo-Do location while others' were not so lucky.  Due to the redeveloping of Union Station, Denver's train station, into a major transportation hub, he informed us that building owners close to Union Station were starting to raise their tenant's rent, which means that Dixons and Gumbo's Louisiana Cafe are closing their doors.  These are two restaurants that have fed Denverites food for years.  After a discussion about how sad it is that everything boils down to making a dollar, we decided to enjoy our night and the fact that McCormick's still will be here. (Read author's sidenote at bottom of page for an update). 

Now, when we dine at McCormick's we like to make a night of it.  I don't think of myself as a notorious gangster, but one thing that I do have in common with Al Capone is that our favorite drink is the Sidecar.  I prefer mine straight up with no sugar rim.  Earlier in the day, Mary had shared that she needed a signature drink like mine that she could order at corporate mixers.  She likes Sidecars, but didn't want to copy.  My reply of, "Who cares if you are copying if you like it" lead her to resolve that she actually preferred Sidecars on the rocks as opposed to my preference of straight up, so thus, she had her signature drink. We started off our dinner with ordering two Sidecars, slightly different and discussed the various options that we were considering. 

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So almost a year ago, I became a Pescetarian, meaning that I am a vegetarian who eats shellfish, salmon and tuna.  Somehow, I reason that shellfish don't have as developed of pain receptors as other animals and the nutritional value of salmon and tuna is too vast for me to give them up at this time. I will blog about becoming a Pescetarian in another blog.:) So going to McCormick's isn't as hard for me as it would be for a true Vegetarian. 

If you are a lover of the raw oyster as I am, I will offer another bit of helpful advice. Keep a running log of which oysters you prefer and don't in your phone or in a notebook that you carry with you.  McCormick's offers at least eight types of oysters daily and most other raw bars and reputable seafood restaurants have at several varieties.  On my log, I keep the name of the oyster, where it is from, and if I liked it, loved it, or didn't like it and the reason why I didn't. 

We needed to order some food and of course, a bottle of 90 points La Crema Chardonnay, at a very good price.  We will skip the Jordan Chardonnay tonight.  Perusing the oyster list, I saw a few that were familiar.  Referring to my oyster log, I knew that I loved Indian Point Oysters from Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.), British Columbia (BC).  Deep Cove oysters from P.E.I., BC was also on the list so we chose that one as well since it is from the same area.  Wise decision!  With a little cocktail sauce and fresh horseradish, one cannot go wrong!  We realized that we had never tried the Champagne Mignonette sauce that also comes with fresh oysters and so ventured a try.  Very nice, except the finish is too vinegary (word?), thus, diminishes the flavor of the oyster.  We'll stick to the cocktail, horseradish combo.  After we finished off a dozen oysters, our appetizers arrived.  Mary ordered Kobe Carpaccio (slivers of raw Kobe Beef topped with capers and an aioli served with toasted Udi's sourdough bread), her words, "Magnifique!"  I ordered the small salad consisting of fresh spinach, shaved parmesean and a light lemon vinaigrette, so delightful!  

Next, the main event...one and half pound steamed lobster with drawn butter; local Olathe corn-on-the-cob; and a side of Broccolini for Mary...Cioppino for me!  Succulent, flavorful lobster and perfect accompanied sides made Mary's night. As Mary loves lobster, I love Cioppino and Bouillabaisse.  I tried McCormick's Fish House and Bar's Bouillabaisse a few years ago and didn't care for it.  On the new menu, they now had Cioppino and supposedly a new recipe so I ordered it.  So glad that I did.  It was YUMMY!  The base was chunky tomatoes and carrots with some heat to them and a wide variety of fish -- King Crab Legs, Clams, Mussels, and Salmon.  The Cioppino accompanied with very tasty toasted bread and I am in heaven.  Simply lovely!  A bit messy too, but the hot towels with fresh lemon offer a perfect solution.  

Of course, we didn't end there.  Yes, we can eat!  We ordered a Lemon Pannacotta with Blackberry Sauce, Pannacotta is my all-time favorite dessert, so I am not sure that this meal could have been any better.  Oh yes, topping it off with a double espresso and a lemon twist, yes, then it was the perfect food night.

After a three hour dining experience and a beautiful day of hiking, we hauled our satisfied, tired selves home to our beds.  That was a good day!

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Author's sidenote:  I found an article confirming that Dixon's is indeed closing in September, 2011, but I could not confirm that Gumbo's is as well.  I just read an article stating that Tilman Fertitta, Landry's CEO, is attempting to purchase McCormick's and Schmick's chain.  Hopefully, if that occurs, he still will keep McCormick's Fish House and bar, a 20 plus year veteran, as is like he did when he recently bought out the Claim Jumper restaurant, Bubba Gump Shrimp and Oceanaire.