When popular the popular and elegant downtown seafood eatery McCormick and Schmick's announced plans early last year to open a second Austin store at the upscale Domain development in N. Austin, I was a bit skeptical. I wasn't sure Austin was ready for that duplication. Well, as it turned out, I was wrong. The north McCormick and Schmick's is not just a clone of the excellent downtown restaurant. It has a number of dishes that are unique (as well as many that are common to the two) and it blends well with the cachet of the Domain.

Chef Greg Sterin has concocted a variety of engaging menu choices, many of which change daily based on what ever fish is the freshest. I really get a kick out of the Crab and Shrimp Tater Tots. This dish combines shredded potatoes, fresh blue crab, bay shrimp, pepper jack cheese, and a drizzle of apricot all fried in a batter of Japanese Panko breadcrumbs. The first bite is an instant flavor rush and it gets better after that! I also find the Portabello Mushroom Bruschetta to be delightful. The Portabello is the perfect choice for this because it has so much texture and density. And the flavor from the marinade is spot-on. Another recommendation would be the Lump Blue Crab Queso Fresco. The appeal of this dish lies in its comforting and mellow taste. It reminded me on first bite of a Crab Newburg because of the thick sauce.

On the lighter side, McCormick and Schmick's has a number of dishes that would work either for lunch or dinner. One of the more intriguing is the Cajun Spiced Catfish. The confluence of flavors from the accompanying Jalapeno corn cake, a rich poblano cream sauce and a zesty pico de gallo gives the fish a bit of the old ying-yang. Very hard to pass on this one. Another lighter favorite is the Chicken and Cajun Sausage with Bowtie Pasta in an appropriately ramped up Cajun cream sauce. This is a very singular and tasty dish.

And do hurry on in for some of the seasonal entrees at McCormick and Schmick's. First on the list is the incredibly tasty Wild Copper River Sockeye Salmon. Also known as Red Salmon, this fish just oozes flavor under the care of Chef Sterin. The Texas Peach Butter sauce is a great choice as is the Fuji Apple and King Crab slaw. Another killer is the Wild Chilean Sea Bass in a delicate white miso broth al dente Udon noodles and stir fried vegetables. The sea bass is exquisitely tender yet holds together nicely on the fork. Wonderful flavors here. Also unique to this restaurant are the Pan Seared Sea Scallops. Chef Sterin serves these over oven-roasted salmon and Yukon potato cakes along with a very sinful creamed spinach, and for accent, Fried Leeks and chive and red pepper oils.

On the sweet side, I'd recommend the Quatro Leches cake with mandarin oranges and toasted coconut. And it's hard to stay away from the decadent Heath Bar Fudge Brownie with coffee ice cream and Heath bar bits.

McCormick and Schmick's at the Domain does indeed stand on its own: and that position is firmly rooted in good flavors and good taste.

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