In approximately half of the 50 states that make up our nation, it’s a comforting thought that you can get a satisfying meal, including an adult beverage of your choice, for under $10. That’s the option caused USA Today to declare McandSchmicks (as its Twitter handle calls it) the Number One happy hour in the country.
Especially popular with business travelers, many of McCormick & Schmick's some 80 locations are located in downtowns across the nation. Each is unique, with individually styled interiors, and many occupy buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. One of the Boston locations, for instance, is located in Faneuil Hall, a hotspot since the days of the Founding Fathers.
Happy hour offerings and hours vary between locations as well. Most fall within typical happy hour time frames, usually 4 to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, but some locations offer happy hour pricing on the weekends as well, and some host a second late night happy hour. The downtown Los Angeles location’s happy hour runs from 3 to 10 p.m., weekdays, while the New York City McCormick & Schmick's hours are 3:30 to 7 p.m. The three restaurant locations in Washington, D.C., have perhaps the longest hours of all, offering happy hour specials on drinks and food daily from 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., and late night from 9 p.m. to closing most evenings. Each location, even within the same city, is a little different so it pays to call ahead, or check the website.
Menus differ considerably as well, but one standard found on every McCormick & Schmick's happy hour menu is its famous $3.95 cheeseburger with fries. Made from half a pound of high quality beef, this burger blows anything you can get at a fast food joint out of the water – both in price and taste.
Happy hour prices start at $2.95 for dishes such as bruchetta, red pepper hummus, and sweet potato fries, and top out at $4.95 ($5.95 in some markets) with fish tacos, firecracker shrimp, quesadillas, and Buffalo wings. Most locations offer black mussels steamed in white wine and fresh herbs – a must-try in these seafood oriented restaurants. The flash-fried calamari is also an excellent choice, where available.
Seasonal specials make their way onto the happy hour menu at most locations. Look for sushi, dim sum, and oysters on the half shell.
Unlike many happy hour food menus, the dishes offered at McCormick & Schmick's are full size, with large portions suitable for sharing.
McCormick & Schmick's happy hour drink menu is extensive, typically featuring specials on beer, imports, wine, well liquors, classic cocktails and martinis, running from $4 to $7. Where local laws forbid special happy hour prices on drinks, as they do in North Carolina, for instance, several drink specials are offered all day. A minimum drink purchase of $3.50 is usually required to order food from the happy hour menu.
McCormick & Schmick's limits its happy hour pricing to the bar and lounge areas, and to patios at locations that have them.
For locations and happy hour menus, visit the McCormick & Schmick's website.
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