McCormick & Schmick's Seafood & Steaks

My husband and I went here for dinner. We had been to the Baltimore location previously and had a great experience there. We elected to sit at the bar instead of the dining room. Upon sitting down, we did not get greeted or menus until about 10 minutes. Looking around at other people at the bar, they had empty drinks and dirty dishes in front of them. There was no obvious bartender. There was a gentleman at the other end of the bar making drinks. He made several drinks and never really left that station. A handful of other workers would come behind the bar to stock or to use the computer but we were uncertain who we could ask for help. Finally we were greeted and given menus. I asked the 'bartender' about their menu and the kitchen prep areas due to having celiac disease. He went on to recommend certain items and sides that I could safely eat. He said the mashed potatoes were not gluten free. Initially I thought it was odd because potatoes are naturally GF. I decided on a seafood dish and substituted the potatoes for a side salad. My husband got oysters and was disappointed by the flavor and they did not detach and flip them in the shell. This made it impossible to slurp them back gracefully. When the food was brought out, mashed potatoes were present and the salad had blue cheese on it. I confirmed with the bartender and he said he did tell the kitchen no mashed potatoes. As a celiac, I cannot have blue cheese either. The food was sent back. The new food came out and the order was correct. I was originally hesitant because sometimes kitchens will replate the food item without taking the allergy serious . (Celiacs cannot tolerate cross contamination with gluten). The food was good. As I began to finish, I was looking at the melted brie on my plate and found a small amount of mashed potatoes on my broccoli. To me, this was proof the food was replated. I notified the bartender and stressed how this wasn't okay. He apologized and said he confirmed with the kitchen that the mashed potatoes were GF. I said okay thank you. My husband and I were frustrated from the wait, the oysters and then the potential gluten scare. The restaurant may have been dealing with staffing issues but it was overall a poor experience and we will not be returning. We were staying in the area for several days,due to a nearby conference, and every other place we went to had such better service and professionalism. I recommend any other restaurant to go to.

If you are looking for a nice restaurant overlooking the bay in the National Harbor, I recommend McCormick & Schmick's. It was a bit tricky finding gluten free options, but I was able to find several options. The Ahi Tuna was delicious and was perfectly cooked. The combination of mashed potatoes and bok choy was perfect.