In response to LJ’s request: Robert’s Christmas Dinner.

First to clarify: I never said I was eating alone on Christmas. I eat out because I don’t have family in the area and my friend wants away from her family meal (a madhouse with 40 – 60 in attendance.) So, off to McCormick & Schmick we went.

Arriving around 2, the place was comfortably full. Leaving around 3.30, the house was packed and people were crowding the front. Whilst waiting at the front desk to be seated, someone on the phone was told the next available booking was for 8 pm. So, there are a lot of folk out there looking for dinner on Christmas, even on Christmas.

Started with a very nice Claret (Chateau Trois Moulin, Haut-Medoc 2004) and Chincoteague oysters. Wonderfully briny were those little bi-valves, but why a jaw breaker size dollop of horseradish in the cocktail sauce? All you’d taste is horseradish, if left in.

Dinner was stuffed Rock (which M&S insists on calling Striped Bass) stuffed with Blue Crab (source: Gulf of Mexico; they do everything but supple the DNA of their seafood) sauced with boursin and pan seared Sea Scallops. The scallops came with a ‘wild berry Cabernet’ reduction, rosemary and Goat cheese. The last two ingredients were missing and caraway seeds were substituted. We would have preferred the rosemary. Good none the less.

A couple of questions: why do chefs think the delicate flavours of Rock and crab can support boursin and scallops an almost crusting of sea salt? While both dishes were good, the Maryland classic of Rock stuffed with Crab Imperial seems a better combination if you want to taste the fish and crab.
Desert: a sampler; bread pudding, berry cobbler and Crème brûlée. Nice bites of each, without getting stuffed. A good idea more places should consider.

And now back to EL for real reviews. I’ll stick to free-range gummy worms and irritating other readers (not intentionally, really.)

Final point, my current book: a biography of Mozart. The prose is incredibly dense and it’s taking a lot of meals to slog through. Lest you get the wrong idea, my usual reading fair is more on the lines of Terry Pratachett’s Discworld series.

A Happy Second Day of Christmas to All and bon appetite.

Many thanks to Robert for clarifying his previous remarks. I'll cancel the order for lumps of coal in his stocking.

Elizabeth--I am really jealous. I thought we had a nice Christmas tree, but I do not have an avocado ornament! However, I do have a kitchen full of avocados, thanks to my mother packing them in her luggage! (Tucking them into shoes works well!)

Try Greenfields. That's where I got it.