Oakbrook - McCormick & Schmick's

My mom and I visited the Oakbrook location for lunch on the way to the mall, and were quite disappointed. Not sure what everyone else's experiences have been. I have never been to the Chicago locations on Rush or Wacker - can anyone tell me if they are any better?



The tuna tartare had way too much mustard for the small amount of tuna provided, partnering with the briney capers to completely overwhelm the tuna taste. Couldn't really tell how fresh the fish was.



Our other appetizer, a sampler of oysters, were gritty and didn't have that fresh, almost sweet, saltwater taste that I have grown to love. It's a good thing we didn't opt for the large oyster sampler.



My San Francisco style seafood stew was served with a big glob of white rice in the middle. What the heck was up with that? Last time I checked - San Francisco style was with a sourdough baguette. Luckily, I swapped the unappetizing rice for the sourdough bread given to use to begin our meal, which was a much better complement to the stew. The stew was a little too salty though. A couple hours after my meal, I was parched. In my desperation, I stopped by the same Nordstrom water fountain twice in the space of ten minutes.



My mom's lobster and shrimp ravioli was just average, with a little too much cream sauce and not enough lobster meat in the ravioli. Both of our entrees were daily chef's specials , so we thought they would be worth trying. Overall, we were disappointed and don't plan on returning. On the off chance that we do, I'll opt for a simply grilled fish and hope that it's fresh.



On top of all that, our waiter had a very blasé attitude throughout our meal. Asking us if everything was ok, as if he couldn't care less, and yawning as he mixed our tuna tartare. Excuse me, I'm sorry if I'm boring you...

The only time he asked about our meal was at the end, when he saw my uneaten rice and asked "Oh, you didn't like the rice?"

I didn't feel like explaining that they completely misinterprested "San Francisco style" and simply smiled weakly and said "It's better with the sourdough."

McCormick & Schmick's (Oak Brook)
3001 Butterfield Rd
Oak Brook, IL
630-571-3700

I stopped there a couple of years ago for oysters. They looked somewhat like yours. There was so little meat and I had to basically scrape them off the bottom of the shell. It's what I would expect if 7-11 sold oysters. Next time go further west to Highland and go to Parker's.

When McCormick & Schmick's first opened in the Gold Coast, I went there several times and thought it was pretty good at the time. I hadn't been there in a while, but earlier this year I had lunch at their location at Old Orchard in Skokie. It was dreadful. The biggest fault was slow service and food that arrived no longer hot, but the preparations themselves weren't particularly impressive either. I haven't been to the location in Oak Brook, but I can only surmise that there are some issues with quality and consistency in their chain.

However, it surprises me to hear that the Oak Brook location should suffer from these issues, because there is so much competition in that immediate area. Parker's, mentioned by saps above, is at Highland and I-88, practically around the corner from McC&S, and Reel Club is in the mall (Oak Brook Center). Both are superb, and are two of my three favorite seafood restaurants in the entire Chicago area (along with Mitchell's Fish Market in Glenview). And there's also Braxton at the mall; I haven't been there in quite a while, but I used to like it as well.

Thank you both for the suggestion of Parker's. I'll make sure to try it next time I'm craving oysters in the suburbs. I would think a brand like McCormick & Schmick's would try harder to preserve brand image...but maybe not.

Hurdler4eva wrote:Luckily, I swapped the unappetizing rice for the sourdough bread given to use to begin our meal, which was a much better complement to the stew.

Sourdough bread looks good.

M&S has been a disappointment for a while--a place whose whole stock and trade is fish ought to know how not to overcook fish, but you could have said the same about Nick's Fishmarket--but the location on Wacker Dr. has struck me as marginally better than the one on Chestnut, in fact satisfactory, if you ever have to go to one and the choice is between those.