Erin's Review
We haven't really gone out to eat since Sea Salt, but we did go out for a quick happy hour drink last Tuesday. We've been cooking a lot more, since we are doing a CSA this summer. Good for us, sad for this blog.
Anyway, we decided that we'd try out McCormick & Schmick's because we'd both heard they have a pretty cheap happy hour. The food deals are pretty much the same at McCormick & Schmick's as they are at M&S Grill which is 2 blocks away, but McCormick & Schmick's has a better patio, in my opinion.
I've been to both restaurants a few times before for lunch, and they are pretty good, but nothing that I thought was outstanding. I wouldn't really recommend going there over any of the other options in downtown. They are both fairly pricey and nothing that special. I haven't been disappointed necessarily, just not as impressed as I have been with other places in the area.
The happy hour really is a great deal here - there are about 5 or 6 things you can get for $1.95, and a few things for $3.95 and $4.95 that are more substantial. I got the queso dip, which I have had at M&S Grill before, but I remember it being different. This dip was almost too spicy - the spice overpowered the flavor of the cheese. It was still a good amount for $1.95 though, and came with a lot of chips.
I'm not really sure I'd go back - there are places that have both food and drink deals at happy hour, so I'd probably go there instead. This got us dinner and 2 drinks for $15 though, which really can't be beat unless you go to Drink on Thursdays or Fridays for the free buffet.
Ben's Review
Erin and I made a snap decision last week to go out for happy hour after work. It was a nice day so we wanted to sit outside and my co-worker Mike raves about the great happy hour deals at McCormick & Schmick's (referred to as M&S for the the rest of this post) so we headed over to 8th and Nicollet to get a drink and some food.
I arrived first and got a table outside on the patio. Nicollet Mall is a great place to people watch on a nice evening when everyone is leaving work. Even by yourself you can stay amused for quite awhile by just observing people, it's funny.
After scoping out the menu, Mike was right - the food deals are excellent. Cheeseburger and fries for $1.95. I don't care how shitty the cheeseburger and fries are, they're worth $1.95 to fill me up. There aren't any specials on drinks at happy hour, and you need to spend at least $2.50 on drinks to get the food deals, which isn't a problem since a beer was $4.50. I'm happy to pay that for a beer in order to get a ridiculously cheap dinner.
M&S has a good beer selection, I had a Surly Furious, but they had a variety of beers on tap. I feel kind of like a broken record whenever I write a review that involves me drinking a Surly, but I don't really care - I love that beer and I don't apologize for it. They also had Miller Lite so Erin was happy too.
The cheeseburger and fries were both pretty good, especially considering the price (i.e. the only reason we went there). There weren't as many fries as I would have liked, but that's just me being overindulgent, I certainly didn't go home hungry.
We only stayed for our food and one drink so we were outta there within forty-five minutes I suppose, and for $15 with tip I can't complain.
- Service: Our service was fine, we were pretty low maintenance that day anyways.
- Food: My cheeseburger was pretty standard, (probably a frozen burger thrown on a grill). I liked Erin's dip too - it was spicy.
- Drinks: Full bar with a good tap beer selection. No happy hour on drinks.
- Ambiance: It was nice to enjoy a summer evening outside on Nicollet watching some of the crazies walk by.
- Price: This is THE selling point of M&S at happy hour, you can't beat it.
- Convenience: If you work downtown, this is pretty convenient, otherwise not so much.
McCormick & Schmick's
800 Nicollet Mall
Minneapolis
Recommended for happy hour specials
