McCormick & Schmick's

McCormick & Schmick's
One East Wacker Drive
312-923-7226

Lie to us, Time Out, lie to us. Ok, you did…but not the type of lie that I’m talking about. (Let me back up). You listed McCormick & Schmick’s $1.95 happy hour burger in your “cheap burgers” section, and while you did inform us that this burger required a two-drink minimum, you failed to mention that Amstel Light’s cost five bucks, and you really can’t go much cheaper. So, that $1.95 burger ends up being about $12.00 at least and that’s before tax and tip. So when I say “lie to us,” I mean, come on…if you’re struggling to complete a list of five cheap burgers, just pretend that you tried the burger at Wiener’s Circle, or Gold Coast Dogs for chrissakes, and tell us that it’s a “tasty, inexpensive morsel” (or something).

Indignantion out of the way, let’s get a couple close-ups of that burger.



Ooh that’s nice.

The photos were taken on Nat’s Blackberry, and I must say, this is the closest any of our burgers have to come to looking like they appeared in a porno flick.

So, before I get to the burger, the side story to all of this is that getting this burger was a real snap decision and we were on a tight timeframe. Assuming the place would be somewhat formal, Nat actually forewent riding his bike back home although he rode it to Hyde Park that morning, just to stay in work clothes. I flipped my freedarko t-shirt out and pulled the tag out so it appeared logo-less. And as it turned out, the burger was completely appropriate for our initial attire. We sat mere feet away from plenty of tourists and businessfolk actually at M&S to get a proper seafood meal. We wondered if we were ruining their experience by looking like schlubs and enjoying <2-dollar pieces of meat. All said, the burger really wasn’t that bad. It was sort of like going to a friend’s barbecue, having him vaguely attend to the meat while drinking and flirting too much, and then serving you the best of, say, six or seven on the grill. That’s what this burger was—the best of a friend’s barbecue. The fries, however, were absolute garbage. The worst we have tasted so far, and definitely of the papersack variety. I suppose if Nat and I ever go into business together and find ourselves dicking around the loop, then sure, we might go back and spend $12-20 on burgers and drinks to stay “cheap.” But for now, I would be better served forgetting this burger ever happened.