McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurant opened at Mayfair Mall this week and judging by the response from diners, Milwaukee was ready for its arrival.

Founded in Portland, Ore., in 1973 by Bill McCormick and Doug Schmick, when McCormick revived the century-old Jake's Famous Crawfish Restaurant -- a Portland dining landmark -- there are now more than 50 restaurants across the country. The Mayfair location is the first in Wisconsin.

Despite the fact that it was beaten to the punch by the arrival of Devon Seafood Grill at Bayshore and Mitchell Fish Market and Bonefish Grill in Brookfield (and Kincaid's opens soon on Old World 3rd Street, too), McCormick & Schmick believes its local approach will be key to its success.

"We strive to become a part of the community we open in," says Regional Manager Kevin Finegold. "That applies to the architecture as well as the food. All of our restaurants are driven by their cuisine, and our menus are designed to appeal to local tastes."

That localization is most visible in the bar area, which occupies half the space beneath a lovely stained glass dome in the center of the restaurant, located in the outlot near Macy's. The dining room fills the remainder of that area and the space surrounding it.

There are old Packers, Brewers and Bucks photos as well as historical pictures of the Milwaukee area. The dining room décor features more on fish- and seafood-focused prints.

"The nicest thing we have going for us," says General Manager Rick Steavpack, "is that the company lets us localize the restaurant. For the NCAA tournament they've encouraged us to let bartenders and other staff wear Badgers and Marquette shirts, for example.

"We want to make (guests) comfortable with a neighborhood-type feel, especially in the bar," Steavpack says, noting that the restaurant's founders were bartenders before they moved into the dining business.

The dome, the crab and fish-adorned stained glass hanging light shades and the warm wood décor with green banquette seats are not unique to the Milwaukee restaurant, but the localization definitely helps. And it is a unique tack among local seafood chain restaurants.

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12 comments about this article. Post a comment / write a review.

Recent Talkbacks ...

Posted by Stinky on April 15, 2008 at 11:08 a.m. (report)

I took my boyfriend there for dinner last night for his birthday and it was great! He thought his catfish was amazing and the sweet potato hash that came with it was FABULOUS! I am not a seafood eater so I ordered a steak...it was very good. It definitely wasn't of the caliber of Mo's or Carnevor, but it definitely held its own. I loved the decor and would recommend it to others.

Posted by Zbasque54 on April 9, 2008 at 2:57 p.m. (report)

Dined there the other day, the raws Oyster selection was excellent the bivalves were fresh and briny reminded me of my childhood. As I used to harvest the particular Oyster I chose right off the beach, I also tried the San Fransico Seafood stew and it was excellent as well. What a great addition to the Milwaukee food scene. We also appreciated the No Smoking policy. Kudos to Management!! The decor is fabulous if you didn't now you would think what a great local addition.

Posted by th on April 4, 2008 at 7:57 p.m. (report)

When it comes to dining out, supporting your local restaurateurs is the way to go. Not to say that I will never try McCormick & Schmick's--but on the other hand, I would have to be pretty hard-pressed to do so. When we have such great places to choose from in town such as Sandford, Osteria, Crazy Water, Tess and now Hinterland (which some might call a chain, but that seems a stretch, since the only other one is in Green Bay), picking a chain restaurant over one of these just feels wrong. Here's why: All of the places I just mentioned--and those are just a few--offer very special menus, venues and service. These restaurants were not created under the simple notion of one day becoming restaurant giants; expanding to other cities and for the most part, catering to the masses to rake in the bucks. On the contrary; they are special because there is real passion, care and artisanal craft behind what they do--and the end result shows it. The market is saturated as it is, and if our truly great local restaurateurs continue to be faced with an onslaught of competition these big chains present--they face undue financial stress and threats--and doors sometimes close because of these threats, and that is sad. And the truth of the matter is that it isn't even REAL competition. Real competition exists amongst the locals, themselves. That's fair competition. But the competition coming from places like Maggiano's, PF Changs, The Cheesecake Factory--and now McCormick & Schmick's is unfair for several reasons: Because these are large corporations that have more money to spend and frankly, to lose, they are better able to take risks, offer good benefits (and therefore attract better employees) and snatch up choice locations. All right. So you might be thinking, "What's so unfair about that?" And in some ways, you might be right. But the other part of why the competition is unfair is that when it's something you can find in every major city--i.e., a chain restaurant--IT JUST AIN'T THAT SPECIAL. Period. Just as an example, I have unfortunately been to Maggiano's--barely a step above the Olive Garden. No flavor. No thank you. For a perhaps just a little more money--or for even about the same amount, you could check out one the other places I mentioned--a good local restaurant--and have a truly magnificent dining experience. Maybe it's a bit more of a drive for you. Maybe there will even be things on the menu that you will not recognize, but hey--if you like really good food, then for crying out loud, give yourself the treat and the adventure that you deserve. Enjoy something truly special rather than wasting your money on something that is just so-so. Support your local restaurateurs.

Posted by flatlander on March 25, 2008 at 3:32 p.m. (report)

Sure it's great to support local businesses....but do you think the chains import all their staff from outside Milwaukee?? Obviously, no. The chefs, servers and others who work there are locals that your dollars are supporting! And they will have the greatest impact on your experience. How about at least trying something before passing judgement - if it's good, keep going back and if it sucks take your business elsewhere!

Posted by love2eatout on March 24, 2008 at 12:32 p.m. (report)

I appreciated the article about the new restaurant in the MayFair Mall area, McCormick and Schmick's. I took my family to this restaurant to experience it for myself on Easter Sunday. I have to say, it was the best seafood I tasted in Milwaukee, or anywhere else in WI! I frequent the Florida area a lot during the course of a year and it is right up there with some of the best seafood places in the greater Tampa area as well! The decor is fabulous! They have captured the essence of what Milwaukee and Wisconsin is all about. The service and friendliness of the staff is impressive! The serving sizes are well-proportioned and I was even able to bring some home for lunch on Monday! I hope that more of you that are reading this will experience this 'home-town' feel restaurant for yourself soon! Go the weekday happy hour---it seems to be price right and you can take in the flavor of all that this establishment has to offer! Enjoy!