The Capital Grille

We were invited to The Capital Grille to sample its new Spring “Plates” menu on Monday. The concept behind the menu is to deliver the same quality The Capital Grille is known for within the constraints of lunch.

I had never been to The Capital Grille so before my eyes even found the “Plates” menu, I found the steak. I seriously love steak, you guys. Like bad. So when our waiter, Greg (best waiter I’ve had in some time – he was knowledgeable, friendly, patient, and funny), said “dry-rubbed” steaks my heart fluttered.

After teasing us briefly with the thought of steak, Greg explained the “Plates” menu. The menu allows you to choose one item from the Soup & Salad, Main, and Sides column. I immediately gravitated towards the Lobster Roll as my main dish because I thought it 1. sounded tasty, and 2. would be the most food because I am a fat kid. This style of menu option usually leaves me hungry. Other options included Mini Tenderloin Sliders and Shrimp and Piquillo Peppers with Crisp Bomba Rice. For my Soup & Salad course I choose the Field Green salad. Other options included Asparagus Soup. For the side I had to get the Truffle Fries because how do you pass up truffle fries? You don’t. Other options included Grilled Spring Vegetables. Greg also recommended I try the Grapefruit soda. I usually drink either water or water with vodka in it for my drink but I decided to get crazy at lunch on Monday. I’m glad I did because the Grapefruit soda was not very “pop” like but crisp and refreshing (think spritzer) with a slight hint of bitterly sweet ruby red grapefruit.

While waiting for lunch and sampling warm bread from the bread basket, (the butter has fleur du sel on it!!) I glanced around. The Capital Grille is grandiose and filled with rich wood tones, extravagant light fixtures, and heads of animals. Good times. It also has an extensive wine selection.

My salad arrived and had a nice assortment of vegetables, most notably red and yellow cherry tomatoes, and dressed with a light yet creamy dressing. I wish there were more delicate greens and less romaine as I’m not a huge fan of romaine but I digress. Next came the main and side courses.  The Lobster Roll was pretty traditional with lobster meat light dressed and stuffed into a top-split bun. I could have gone for a bit less claw meat as I think the texture isn’t as meaty and succulent but it still did the job of transporting me to thoughts of a lunch with an ocean-view. My dining companion and I decided to split our main courses so I also got to try his sliders. If these weren’t done medium-well (his choice) it would have been incredible. Actually even though is was done past the temperature I like, it was very good. The tenderloin was tender and flavorful and the spread was a perfect accompaniment without over-powering the natural flavor of the meat. The truffle fries were also quite tasty. Thick-cut fries were generously drizzled with truffle oil and tossed with cheese and parsley.

And because Greg was awesome, he let us try two desserts: Cheesecake made with mascarpone and caramelized like crème brûlée and set in a shallow pool of strawberry compote. And also, a Coconut Cream Pie. The cheesecake was not your NY-style cake. It was light, sweet, and fluffy. The Coconut Cream Pie was also not your traditional triangle. It consisted of yummy pie crust filled with a coconut custard and topped with a mile of house made whipped cream.

I left The Capital Grille within an hour and completely satisfied. My next visit will include more steak though.