frugal foodies

This week has been busy, and though we're now on spring break (thank you thank you thank you, finally!) we've still got a lot on our plates (pun intended), which is why sometimes it's just easier, and occasionally even cheaper, to eat out!

If you haven't been to McCormick and Schmick's happy hour than you have no idea how incredible a burger can be. It's not really that the burger is the best I've had, though I do love it's simplicity and the fact that it is consistently well-prepared (never a touch more than medium rare), but it's the fact that it costs the same as a bottle of pop from a vending machine that really makes it stand out. The value is incredible! It's brilliant really--the minimum drink order of $2.50 is always covered by at least one $5 beer, maybe two if the mood strikes, so the establishment certainly doesn't lose money on the deal. And boy does it draw a crowd.
On our most recent trek to the $1.95 1/2 lb. burger and fries meal we were sad to find the bar completely full. It's happened before, but with a hungry Ella in tow, waiting for the office party to clear out wasn't appealing. Luckily we didn't find ourselves waiting long because an incredibly kind and thoughtful manager took pity on us and set us up in a secret corner of the dining room. We felt like royalty. Which brought back to my memory the night of our wedding. Well, not really our wedding, just our marriage. What's the difference, you ask? Well, we had to legally get married before our wedding because of issues with Chris' visa. Marrying an immigrant is no easy task, so it's a good thing he's really cute! The night we legally got married we wanted to celebrate, but without making too big a deal. My dad had called for a reservation at McCormick and Schmick's downtown and we showed up sporting nice clothes and giant grins. The host took our name and my mother's arm before showing us to our table. He commented to her on how happy we all looked and asked if we were celebrating something. When she told him that indeed we were celebrating something quite special he acted shocked. (They probably don't get a lot of 5 member wedding parties). Then when he handed me the menu he played it so cool it took me a moment to realize that plastered across the top it said "McCormick and Schmick's would like to congratulate Chris and Emily on their wedding day, May 18th, 2005". My dad had no idea either, even though he had given them that information on the phone! Throughout the night staff members congratulated us, surprised us with special treats and drinks, and truly made the night a grand memory for us. To be honest, I rarely rave about chains, but this restaurant does what many chains fail to do--they hire and train their staff to sincerely care about the their job, and the people they serve. The staff, as far as I can tell, are taught the rules, but are also encouraged to use their own judgement, because sometimes breaking rules is better for everyone. And I promise you, we will go back!

Earlier tonight we went to the Midtown Global Market with my dad and brother Elliot. It's a fun, urban, multicultural approach to the food court. Where else can you buy a Halal lamb shank, then turn around and buy Swedish rice pudding? They often have live music, and the market happens to contain Michelle Gayer's Salty Tart, the bakery that reminds us all why we have taste buds. But tonight we were headed for La Sirena Gorda, aka. The Fat Mermaid, for seafood tacos. I say seafood, not fish, because they also offer calamari, and their specialty, octopus. The recipe, I was told, comes from Acapulco, and is called "The octopus of love". It was incredible! Tender and flavorful, I truly fell in love with it. It cost slightly more than the aforementioned happy hour burger, but it was still affordable at under $10! I love deals like that. Even though I shared some of my saffron rice, beans, and tortillas with Ella, I still feel stuffed. The only down side of the evening came when Chris started to take pictures and was quickly stopped by a security guard. Apparently they want everyone to come see it for themselves--so go!