Locals tend to avoid dining north of Bay Street unless they're hitting In and Out Burger for a fresh-fried fix or Gary Danko for a swanky dining odyssey (although those in the know hit Ana Mandara for their spicy cinnamon rum cocktails and super-rad Mekong Delta Basa fish). We've always heard mixed reviews about McCormick and Schmick's, the Ghirardelli Square seafood-with-a-view destination, but when they got a young new chef in January 2002, we decided it was time to check things out.

What we found was that 27 year-old Chef Armen Jeghelian's new digs are a solid pick for pleasing a crowd, especially a crowd that insists upon a sweeping Bay view and an arsenal of menu choices. We're talking out-of-town visitors, picky relatives, business associates of uncertain taste, and anyone else who might be somewhat tricky to please in a dining milieu.

- Excerpt from McCormick and Kuleto's by Tracie Broom