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Sections Home Page Local News AP News Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Photo Gallery Readers Photo Gallery Sports Tempo Weather Special Coverage 2006 Britt Festivals --> Shop Our Valley AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Search Our Valley Special Sections Homelife Magazine Joy Magazine Readers Choice 2006 Oregon Golf Info Oregon Wine Info Our Valley Other Publications Local Links Ashland News eSouthernOregon Newspapers In Education Personals Moving Here Movie Listings TV Listings Volunteer Customer Service Advertise With Us Media Kit Place Classified Ad Contact Us FAQ's Home Delivery Site Map --> Email Story to a Friend May 19, 2006 Medford McGrath's is a cut above The Medford McGrath's is one of eight in Oregon. Eleven more are scattered around the West and Arizona, and two more are slated to open in soon in Colorado and Washington. It's a cinch to plot your travels by visiting http://www.mcgrathsfishhouse.com/index.html as well as study their various menus. My wife and I like seafood a lot and we had been to McGrath's several times over the years. However, we had not been electrified. Good enough? Yes, but our dining experiences were rarely so memorable we felt the urge to hurry back. Now we wish we had. If our superbly trained palates need I declare this is irony? are correct, there has been a sea-change yuk yuk at the Medford store. On a recent visit, we enjoyed food and service which were several cuts above the merely pleasant. I ordered a pricey half-dozen Fanny Bay oysters on the half-shell from British Columbia for $8. Despite my pangs of penury, these little guys fairly shouted, "We are fresh!" as they slid their briny selves over my tongue. Oh, my goodness! Mom got a very nice salad dressed with a delicious raspberry vinaigrette. My daughter went for the clam chowder and we tussled over the bowl until the grim stares of nearby diners — all flicking flecks off themselves — bade us desist. Advertisement Wow! This was perfect New England chowder with a hint of bacon that's sure to please. Dad went for Fisherman's Stew which, like the chowder, becomes part of a dinner with a 49-cent addition. This was done in red broth and perfectly satisfactory when one realizes the shellfish have had a long sleep in a hot pot. The wine list is heavy on Oregon selections and priced at markups which are standard for the industry. A guest can spend $19 or $46 for a bottle, but will be happy in the $25 range. We imagine there are house wines but, after all, why bother? McGrath's also offers Wine Flights which give the guest three two-ounce tastes of quality wines for $6.50-$7.50. This is a welcome inspiration. Having dispensed with the preliminaries, we ordered dinners, all of which come with a choice of garden salad or coleslaw and then a whopping list of starches and vegetables from which to pick. Prices are under control, ranging between $12.50 and $15 with some few bumping against the $20 mark. I had sautéed Halibut cheeks, a delicacy I'd not experienced previously. These were scallop-size pieces of the elegant Alaskan fish done in a "Florentine" style over spinach and bacon with a side of buttery hollandaise. They were tender and luscious, with and without their sauce. The bacon was thick and very tasty as was the spinach. I settled in to enjoy this meal, my only concern a small voice that nagged, "This is really rich and there's a lot of it, dude." Mom chose Alaskan razor clams dusted with Panko crumbs and sautéed. These, also, were tender and yummy--and there were a lot of them, too. My Halibut cheeks dinner went for $19 and mom's razor clams cost $18. There was a lot to take home and I confess I munched a cold slab of day-old clam the next day on my way to work. A mountain of leftover starches and veggies wound up in our Labrador's tummy. And therein is my only teeny grumble with McGrath's. Perhaps a seafood experience should tilt toward the lean and deft, rather than present an incitement to minor-league gustatory abandon? OK, so we are over 60 and McGrath's does serve fine food and is very popular, so what do we know? The experience was top-notch. -- Hubert Smith Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback online casinos news Home Security Systems Windermere Van Vleet Men's Clothing Southern Oregon Loans --> GMAT Prep Fundraisers Send Flowers Texas Electric Choice Entertainment Guide --> Casinos Canada Trunks, Footlocker Online Casino Reviews Online poker at AbsolutePoker.com Advertisement s Advertisement