So long, McCormick and Schmick’s

As you’ve probably already heard or read, McCormick & Schmick’s original location on SW First has shut its doors.

Citing the economy and the inability to negotiate a new lease with the landlord the venerable restaurant closed on Wednesday for good. I hate to see this happen, regardless if the quality had gone down somewhat.

The First Portland Catalogue, published in 1979, had this to say about the restaurant:

McCormick and Schmick’s is a wonderful new addition to the Portland restaurant community…and is decorated simply with hardwood floors, high ceilings and a long bar.

Have no fear though – Portland still has many steakhouses to choose from, and in fact, will be the focus over at Portland Food and Drink as Food Dude samples some of the better ones around Portland.

According to the site, Food Dude will visit four steakhouses in four weeks and compare Morton’s, Ringside, Ruth’s Chris, and El Gaucho.

Of the four, I’ve only been to the Ringside on Burnside and enjoyed it immensely with it dim lights, Frank and Dino on the hi-fi and great steaks.

Personally, I’m still waiting for the upscale steakhouse food cart. To make it interesting – no utensils – just a nice big slab of meat half-wrapped in butcher paper ready to eat. Grass-fed and local, of course.