Midtown Lunch

I wasn’t immediately excited when I read about the $10 lunch special at the bar of McCormick & Schmick’s. I like cheap lunch specials at a fancy restaurant just as much as the next guy (i’m looking at you burger from Wolfgang’s, but schlepping up to Rockefeller Center didn’t really seem worth it in this heat. Then I saw that a half po’ boy and lobster bisque was among the options – I reconsidered. I love a po’ boy and haven’t had a one since our ML Team excursion to the Grand Central Oyster Bar. Clearly I was past due.

See what ten bucks gets you after the jump.

The special also offers four other options, including a linguini with clams in either a red or white sauce that looked pretty good when I saw the remnants on my neighbor’s plate down the bar. The rest of it, a cobb salad, tuna nicoise and a chicken and brie sandwich all sound fine, but aren’t anything I’d make a special trip for.

The po’ boy turned out to be four plump, crispy fried shrimp with lettuce, tomato and mayo squeezed into a wedge of buttered hero roll. I’d say it was more like a third of a po’ boy rather than a half, since I walked away wishing I’d had three times as much of it.

Instead of more po’ boy, there was a cup of lobster bisque and fries. Both might have been enough to make up for the rest of the sandwich, if they’d been a little better.

The fries were fine, not bad, not great. It’s the bisque that was disappointing. The intense lobster flavor was great and usually I’d be all over something so creamy, but it was just too salty to really enjoy. On the plus side, the deal offers a glass of wine on the side for just $5 more, which goes great with a leisurely lunch in a fancy place. You know, hypothetically.

If I worked close to Rockefeller Center, I’d take this as a win and definitely return (if nothing else for the happy hour) but from where I work, I’d just as soon head to Grand Central next time I want great seafood.

The + (What somebody who likes this would say)

• I like to get a cheap meal at a fancy restaurant.
• I work near Rockefeller Center, so it’s really easy to get to.
• The po’ boy is so good, you wish you had three times more of it.
• A $5 glass of wine eases the pain of not getting enough shrimp.

The – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

• That’s not nearly enough sandwich.
• The bisque is too salty.
• If I’m going to take a train for seafood, I’ll go to Grand Central, or better yet, to Pearl Oyster Bar.

McCormick & Schmick, 1285 Avenue of the Americas (btw. 51+52nd)