May 7th, 2004
McGrath's Fish House is located in the parking lot of the Beaverton Mall, with it's front entrance at the end of a rain soaked short walk from your mall parking lot parked car. That's the one thing I don't like about McGrath's. Who the hell decided to put the entrance to this great eatery, clear around the opposite side of their building from the parking, necessitating an irritating walk and short adventure trying to get into the restaurant from the correct side of the building? Try walking into the restaurant for the first time, and if you choose what seems a very logical path, between the bank and the south side of the restaurant, you discover that some complete idiot, for reasons unknown, has not designed a walking access to the front entrance. It really leaves a sour taste in your craw and you have yet to even sit down to order a drink.
THEN, you have to wade through a host of other hungry people who, just as ravenous as you are, wait in the foyer, hungry blank stares on their faces, wishing they hadn't tried to get in the south side of the building. It's raining. Enough to get your clothes spotty, and force you to trudge in with your rain coat draped over your head, looking like a just convicted felon on his way past the photographers. "This is frickin' ridiculous", you grumble to yourself, until you finally start breathing through your nose and notice the mingle of smells.
And no, it's not that tall blonde on your right in the red dress that smells so good, although you think she might if you got close enough. It's the fish. It's the mashed potatoes. It's the chips, dips, and fresh fried shrimp. And scanning the crowd for your party you tend to forget the ordeal of trying to get into McGraths, as someone in the Club managed to get two of three tables smack dab in the center of all the activity. It's enough to melt your annoyance into cheer as all those friendly faces, fresh from grubbing down tender morsels of crab and mushrooms, washed away with plastic dolphin rimmed drinks. It's enough to make you sneak out your camera and snap off a few shots of the fun.
Heck, even the service was OK. And to think I was worried about having a plan 'B', for a trip across the steaming parking lot to the Beach Shack...
Submitted by: Recon