McCormick & Schmick’s

Well, at the very least, I guess I can now say I’ve eaten at McCormick & Schmick’s. We were given a gift card that we could use either here or at Morton’s Steakhouse down the street, but we picked M&S because they’re open for lunch. (Morton’s is not open for lunch.)
Lunch consisted of shrimp cocktail, mushroom flatbread, fish tacos and the fish and chips plate.
The shrimp cocktail gets two thumbs up! It’s no shrimp cocktail from St. Elmo’s, nor is it shrimp cocktail like my dad makes it, but it was good and fresh, and they accidentally gave us the large size for the small-​size price, so that made it taste even better.
The flatbread tasted like a slightly fancier Gino’s personal pizza: those ones they sell at the grocery store that go on sale every once in a while at 10 for $ 10. Now, don’t get me wrong — I ate the whole thing and I enjoyed it. But I wouldn’t get it again.
I was told that the fish and chips were tasty; I didn’t have a bite, but they looked alright.
Ok, now for the fish tacos. Some would say that it’s my fault to begin with by ordering fish tacos at a steak restaurant, and at a steak restaurant in the Midwest, to boot. Fine, whatever. But no matter: these are some whack, sorry fish tacos. The fact that they were served with flour tortillas is the first strike against them. The second strike comes because they contained several things but tasted like nothing. Seriously, there was a lot going on with these fish tacos: battered fish, sauce, cabbage, vegetables. And yet, all they tasted like was flour tortillas, which taste like nothing. (I’ll interject and say that GOOD flour tortillas taste heavenly, but these were straight up doughy Mission tortillas.) Sigh. The tacos came with a little pot of black beans, and those were nice. But the fish tacos were no bueno.
We ordered black coffee, and it was good. The server was quick to freshen our cups, and even sent us home with a to-​go cup of coffee. That was a nice touch.
Speaking of our server — he was great. The service in general was good. They must be in the habit of asking if you have a reservation — when we visited, the attendant asked us, and we were like, «Uh … no. Do we need one?» Which was silly because when we looked into the dining room, it was empty save for one family!

Everything was delcious. I went with 4 freinds. Service was excellent and the food even better. we had the calamari app w/​lemon aoli and the stuffed seafood mushroom app– they were both good. I orderd the pecan glazed talipia (20.99 $) with sweet potato cous cous — it was all delcious. my friend had the crab cake (27.99 $) with sweet potato orzo –both were yummy. My other friend had the flounder which was yummy. The guys in our group had the steak and the stuffed shrimp they said both were good and both looked delcious. we had a reservation at 7:30pm and they sat with a couple of minutes. we were to full for desert

I had a 7:30 reservation on New Year’s Eve. I showed up early and was told I could sit in the bar while I waited for my table. I went to the podium at 7:30 to check on my reservation. The man at the podium said it would be a few more minutes. At 7:45, I asked the lady at the podium about my table. She indicated that my reservation was cancelled because I was sitting at the bar. I never made any indication that I was eating at the bar. When I was finally seated, I waited 10 minutes before deciding my server wasn’t going to show. I got up and left. I was really hoping to try McCormick and Schmick’s, but I won’t be returning to this location. Is it just me or are restaurants in hotels automatically worse?

No. Just no.
Don’t waste your money. Go to Burger King instead. The service and food will likely be better.

Over-​priced mediocre food and snobby servers.

I would have have rated 4 stars but I rated 5 because don’t know why this place gets such low ratings. For Indianapolis, this is an excellent restaurant. Great menu and a shout out to Windy who’s served me twice and was exceptional.

I do not typically write reviews but this was an exceptional dinning experience. I travel for work and eat at many resteraunts. The food was esquiset, the service was top notch and price/​value was on the mark.

We came here the Sunday before Veteran’s Day to take advantage of their special menu. My husband is retired from the United States Air Force and we always appreciate when businesses honor our country’s servicemen and women. He ordered off the special menu. I got the seasonal dish from the regular menu, Sea bass with sautéed cabbage and whipped cauliflower. Surprisingly, it was one of the best seafood dishes I’ve had. It also happened to be the day after our wedding. We mentioned this to our waitress and the manager came over to congratulate us and graciously asked us to pick any dessert we wanted, his compliments. They made our visit completely satisfying and memorable.

Love the new décor and colors. They have the worlds best Apple Pie. Out for our 20^th anniversary we went to McCormick and Schmick. Starter Steak Carpaccio. Not usually a fan of raw meat but it was awesome. Alway order for the mixed green walnut salad. Entrée Almond Crusted Trout and Fillet. The trout was super and a huge portion. I wasn’t offerd a taste of the steak im assuming it was good, it wasnt on the plate for long. Desert back to the worlds best apple pie with a walnut crust and the chocolate bag. Chocolate bag… bad name wonderful dessert. Great night great service.

This place was chosen as a date night spot for the husband and I. We made reservations for 5:30 and was seated immediately when we arrived. I am not sure how long of a wait it could have been had we just showed up. Our appetizer was fried stuffed mushroom with crab. They were perfectly fried and the sauce that accompanied it made it a great starter to our meal. I ordered the pork chop which was served with a white cheese macaroni. I have to say it was on the salty side so my husband graciously switched his ultimate grilled seafood of stuffed shrimp, grilled shrimp, scallops, salmon and cheese mashed potatoes. It was fulling and delicious. We did not have any alcohol so our meal for two with tip was just over $ 100. About what was expected. We will come again.

Something went terribly wrong. I ordered the sea bass which I was super excited about and given the price of $ 37 I know it had to be delicious especially for Indianapolis. I was a little surprised at how long it took to prepare as the restaurant felt very empty to me especially for a Thursday night. I was sitting in the bar area so perhaps the actual restaurant was a little more full. I could smell the fish from around the corner and honestly thought to myself… «who ordered such a stinky fish?» Turns out the fish was mine. I tried not to make a scene as I just wanted to eat my dinner and head back to my hotel room. I cut into the fish and noticed that it was very hard to cut into. Seabass should be very light and flakey. I ate a little bit and should have just spit it out as it was the most foul tasting thing I’ve ever eaten. I should have known just to not eat the fish based on such a foul stench. I’m so mad at myself for actually taking a bite. I pretend to move the fish around in my plate and the stench was so strong and there was another table sitting across from me and they made some comment about the horrible smell. There were also two guys at the bar who turned around and told me I need to leave and give back the fish immediately. The table across from me then told me that she ordered the trout and she had to send hers back as well. This was a smell I’ve never smelt before — like old rotten dead fish. Just AWFUL. So I obviously I call the waitress over, have her take the fish and ask for the check. Clincher here is that they charged me for my $ 17 shrimp cocktail. I just couldn’t believe it. The host/​manager guy comes over and asks me what the problem is and I’m literally just about to walk out of the restaurant. I couldn’t believe he was making a scene about something so horrible and him trying to charge me for the shrimp cocktail.
What horrible customer service. They didn’t even apologize. What they didn’t know is that I’m a recruiter for a huge company and wine and dine students all the time and was actually going into the restaurant to get a feel for the vibe to see if I would send students to eat there with our professionals. They will never see another penny of mine and I will never send my company professionals there. Worst experience ever! I’m terrified that I’m going to get sick now. I honestly hope the chef or general manager contacts me about this review as I just still cannot get over what happened.

This place is so fancy. Our server Daniel was by far the best server I have ever had anywhere. He was extremely polite, very professional, and gave us his undivided attention when he was helping us. I noticed he did this with his other tables which is amazing. I will request him every time I go there now!
The food was phenomenal. I ordered the lump crab tower (considered an appetizer) and 3 oysters from the oyster bar for my meal, and all I can say is it was so fresh tasting and perfect. I was not over stuffed afterwards or anything. Crème bruleé was on point too for dessert.
He filled up our wine whenever it was low and he was walking by, even though our bottle was on the table. My boyfriend got the stuffed arctic salmon. I tried his and it just melted in my mouth.
One of the best dinners by far.

I needed a last minute reservation, got on my «make a reservation app» and saw that McCormick & Schmick’s was able to get us in within fifteen minutes and the walk was less than a block. I figure it’s usually decent, so it’ll do.
We get there and though I requested a booth in a quiet area away from the kitchen, I’m walked to a small table next to the kitchen. The restaurant was ¾ empty. I asked to be moved to a booth which perturbed the hostess, but she accommodated. A booth next to the kitchen would have to do. There are twenty or so other open booths NOT next to the kitchen, but whatever…
It took ten minutes for a server to offer us water. Service was extremely slow. The cucumber cooler I ordered had giant chunks of cucumber which were not muddled. My steak was undercooked, the broccoli was also undercooked and the lobster mashed potatoes tasted like a big, mushy chicken bouillon cube! Hardly any potatoes, a layer of a thick broth (couldn’t even call it bisque) plopped on top of potatoes that had too much liquid added. I made the mistake of dessert, fifteen minutes later while still waiting, ran to the ladies room. THAT was an experience in itself…
Go into the stall and a large puddle of urine was on the ground next to the toilet. I used another stall, washed my hands and returned to the table to find dessert still had not arrived. I asked our server to cancel it and notified her of the issue in the restroom.
No apology. No display of embarrassment. Just an, «Okay, I’ll let them know.»
Ruth’s Chris, St. Elmo’s, Mo’s, Harry & Izzy’s, Capital Grille, Morton’s, Shula’s…all would have been a better choice. Will not return, recommend or host dinners there when I’m back in town. Utter disappointment.

Let’s be honest.
You can probably get a date on Indy’s Eastside for less money than you’ll pay for an appetizer at McCormick & Schmick’s, a higher-​end seafood & steak dining establishment located inside the Hilton Hotel in downtown Indianapolis.
I should offer a bit of a disclaimer. My visit to McCormick & Schmick’s was as a companion with an invited media guest who’d been offered the chance to attend a reception of sorts recognizing the restaurant’s redesigned space and menu. As guests, and there were quite a few gathered, we were offered the chance to sample several menu items and, quite honestly, we were treated quite well. It was, after all, a special event.
We met the location’s new general manager and chef, the latter having come in from Baton Rouge. McCormick & Schmick’s is a modestly sized national «chain,» though there’s a definite effort amongst the chain’s locations to localize aspects of the menu. The key emphasis, not surprisingly, is on seafood and steaks. They offer a lunch menu, dinner menu, a happy hour (with tremendous deals), and a dessert menu. They also have space for banquets and special events.
They also offer an oyster bar, several appetizers, a full drink menu, and a handful of pasta options.
My first observation was a rather disappointing one — the outdoor entrance is, in fact, not wheelchair friendly with a couple of steps into the entrance. I’d originally thought they had another one on the other side but, in fact, I had to go inside the hotel to a side entrance that goes through the bar area. This worked out well, but could be a hassle should the bar be packed. Fortunately, I will give kudos to the hostess who’d clearly been told by my companion for the evening that I would be arriving and she spotted me at the side entrance waiting and tracked me down.
Once inside, accessibility improves dramatically. There’s a definite luxury feeling to the décor — being my usual spastic self, I can say I was being mighty careful the whole time I was there. I’d be hard-​pressed to tell you everything that I sampled, but it included cedar-​planked salmon (Absolutely friggin’ incredible), oysters (my first time ever — probably my last), portabella mushroom bruschetta w goat cheese (better than I expected), flourless chocolate truffle cake (good), shrimp kisses (no wonder I’m not affectionate), just plain olé’ shrimp (much better without the kissing), a couple of their steak options (quite good), and a few other things that I never quite snagged the name for. Yes, I’m ending a sentence in a preposition. Deal with it.
It’s noteworthy that their lunch menu is considerably less expensive than their dinner menu, while their happy hour menu is a great introductory way of experiencing the restaurant. The lunch menu is also quite a bit less adventurous is my observation.
As expected, the servers were pretty much on the money. My companion and I joked about one female server, affectionately naming her «Ninja Server,» because she had a knack for spotting you done with a plate or anything and would be there within seconds. There were times she’d remove a plate even before I spotted her doing so. It was pretty incredible.
All the servers were incredibly friendly, though definitely there were a couple stand-​outs (including ninja). I did note that most of the tables they’d put back in the reception area were higher-​top tables and I found myself using one most of the evening. It’s a good thing I’m secure with being in a wheelchair, because the table was high enough I could have hidden under it and pretended we were having a séance.
I had a Sangria mixed wine drink that was an ample serving — it lacked a certain something that I’d have expected, but considering I’d stopped for a beer on the way I was probably better off it didn’t have more kick. There’s nothing more pitiful to watch than an intoxicated paraplegic. You could have probably seen me weaving in and out around the Cultural Trail.
As a matter of point, entrees for lunch start at $ 12 and go up with quite a few between $ 15 – 30. At dinner, you tend to get even more in the $ 20 – 30 range or higher. It’s certainly not absurd, but it’s not a place I would dine every day.
While I didn’t necessarily resonate with everything I sampled, I’m not a seafood connoisseur and had no trouble finding things I’d order again. With a nice interior design, good service, good food, and a spirit of helpfulness, I’m moving the rating up a bit and going with a 4-​star rating while acknowledging that I’d prefer to experience a more traditional dining situation as I think it would give me a better sense of the usual service patterns. For now, I have to go with what I experienced and while I wasn’t blown away these folks did give me a night that I enjoyed and still remember fondly.

They did a great job with a big party, the server was really on top of things.
I was not that impressed with my food. I had a salad that was yummy but the crab cakes were not. Just my opinion people.
Try it for yourself.

So this review is from a visit during the Devour Downtown, so maybe things have gotten better or maybe the menu that was offered for the Devour Downtown was just sub standard.
First and foremost, I want to say the service is excellent! Lots of cool people who care about their job, bartenders, hosts, waiters, all great!!!
Not sure what happened in the kitchen that night but the Devour offerings were just so-​so. The calamari was breaded and heavy, more like something you’d get at a seafood-​for-​the-​masses type restaurant.
The salmon platter too, was a strange combo of sauces and spice that just didn’t quite make it. Underdone to boot, it seems like they just didn’t care once it came to the Devour menu items.
Dessert too was nothing remarkable, a brownie with some ice cream and syrup, nothing I can’t get better and cheaper somewhere else.
A swing and a miss!

Feel torn on this review because I felt extremely official having a lunch meeting here. The setting is professional and the employees are nice, however several things about the visit would make me lean towards not returning for a meal.
First of all, the service was slooooooow. It took a while to get our drinks, let alone our food. The restaurant was decently busy but not packed. Neither my dining partner nor I ordered anything too complicated — we both got caesar salads with salmon, and it took almost 30 minutes to get our food. That was unacceptable to me considering this was over the lunch hour and also considering what we ordered.
As for the food, the salad was fine. Nothing too special. The salmon was good but not overly flavorful or anything to write home about. Definitely was not worth the price in my opinion.
I might return for a Happy Hour, as I have heard those are great and worth the money. As far as meals are concerned though, I don’t think I’ll be back.

Really disappointed to say that the past few times I’ve been here, I’ve been underwhelmed and disappointed. Service is subpar (I felt like our waiter was trying too hard to be «upscale» but it came across as slightly unnerving and not friendly).
On my most recent visit, the Caesar salad dressing was too tangy, the shrimp was ho-​hum and the whitefish tasted fishy/​gross and had NO flavor. Also, way too much butter sauce on the dish/​veggies.
For the price, it’s not worth it. I will be looking to other restaurants in the future to celebrate special occasions.
The one plus I will give them: they recently remodeled and it looks great! Plus they’re one block away from the Circle which is a treat, especially when it’s all lit up for the holidays :)

I highly recommend getting the chocolate bag and sharing with at least 2 – 3 other people. It’s chocolate molded into a gift bag-​type shape, filled with whipped cream, and then topped with strawberries. The whipped cream inside was amazing (this is coming from a girl who normally dislikes whipped cream). I shared it with my brother but we couldn’t finish it. I had to recruit my parents to help and we still have to leave some on the plate. It’s so yummy but just way too much.
All the other food was mediocre. I expected much better for a $$$ restaurant. The lobster bisque was so insanely salty that it was almost inedible. It came with salted clam crackers so they didn’t help. The clam chowder is also slightly too salty but does not come close to the lobster bisque. The clam chowder was nothing amazing. I really hope that we just came on an off day…
The most disappointing part was when we got the check. My dad noticed that they charged us almost $ 4 extra for one of the items. It could’ve been an honest mistake. But when we got the server’s attention, he seemed to know immediately that the price was wrong. To my parents, that was just kind of suspicious. We had 10 items total and they were wondering if we needed to check the prices. It made a disappointing experience a little bit worse.

Really enjoyed the food here. I started w the lump crab tower appetizer, this was ok it had avocado and mango and was topped w crab. I wish I would have opt for a different appetizer. My dad had oysters which he said were fantastic.
For my main course I went with the crab and shrimp stuffed salmon. This was served on top of mashed potatoes and green beans. It was delicious. My husband got the bourbon glazed salmon which was also amazing.
I finished off the meal w a chocolate bag which was a bag made out of chocolate filled w white chocolate mousse topped w berries. This was beyond amazing.
Service was great minus the server bringing the check before we had even received our dessert which did not make my dad happy.
For fresh seafood this is a go to place. I have heard the happy hour is great.