Magnificent Meal At The Capital Grille

For the end of the Summer 2013 Restaurant Week, we wanted to go out with a bang. That didn’t mean the most extravagant or expensive meal of the week, but just one that would just put the seal on a magnificent seven days of dining in our favorite city. And that’s why we decided it was finally time to visit the Capital Grille.

We’d heard the praises of the Capital Grille from our trusted friend Pete Hanowich, who hosts wine dinners there on the regular. But we’d never had a reason to go ourselves, until Sunday night of Restaurant Week.

And summer is the perfect time to visit the Capital Grille: up until September, they are featuring their Generous Pour 90 in the Shade wine tasting, which gives you up to seven wines (all rated 90 or better) with your meal. The best part? It’s only $25 per person, which for wines of that level is really a steal.

On the other hand, if you’re not interested in a tasting menu, you can check out the full menu which is…. rather large.

Ahem. Rather *super* large.

Our server Leah walked us through the selections, and once we had made our dinner decisions, she designed a wine tasting flight that was just the right match for our meals, with a Pinot Gris, a Sauv Blanc, a Pinot Noir, and a Syrah, plus a port at the end to match with dessert. I love a server who knows her wine, and in the immortal words of Donnie Iris, “Ah! Leah!” You were just the right server for us!

Prior to our meals, we each got a side salad. Michael opted for the Caesar, with crunchy parmesan crisps. This was a pretty perfect Caesar salad, in that it was flavorful without having an overwhelming amount of dressing.

I got the field greens with shallots and champagne vinaigrette. I loved the freshness of the ingredients and the richness of the shallots.

And then came the entrees. The dining deals were fantastic for Restaurant Week: $35 for a soup or salad, entree, and dessert, or $45 for the same with a ‘premium’ entree. (Just a heads up, we had to ask to see the Restaurant Week menu, but it was definitely available right up through the final day of the celebration.)

We both had our eyes on the premium entrees. Michael settled on the Chilean sea bass. I’ve never had this dish before, so he was eager to share it with me. Chilean sea bass is fluffy in texture and buttery in taste. This practically melted in your mouth, and the citrus dressing was exactly the right accompaniment.

But for me? Well, I wasn’t going to go a whole Restaurant Week without *some* kind of steak. I got the surf & turf filet mignon with grilled jumbo shrimp and herb butter. This was just the perfect final meal of the week. This steak was SO tender you barely needed a knife to cut it. It was juicy, meaty, succulent, and silky all at once. I loved the pairing of the shrimp with the Sauv Blanc, and the steak was amazing with a sip of the Syrah.

Each entree came with a side, and we decided to each get a different one. I’m so glad we did – these portions were enormous! The mashed potatoes were garlicky and delicious, and the green beans were fresh and crispy and seasoned again with shallots.

Believe it or not, we managed to save room for dessert.

We’d sampled the flourless chocolate cake at the Kick-Off Party, so Michael just had to try a full serving. It was soooo chocolatey and rich and delicious.

And I opted for the Strawberries Capital Grille, which are ultra-fresh strawberries served with vanilla ice cream and a Grand Marnier-embellished sauce. Just the right match for a glass of port and such a refreshing end to the week!

From start to finish, we were impressed with the Capital Grille. The interior is lovely albeit rather mysterious (I’m not going to lie, I felt kind of like I’d stepped onto the set of Clue). The food was incredible, the wine pairings well thought-out and wonderful, and our server was truly one of the best around. She answered all of our questions, kept the flow of dinner going, and did a stellar job with the wine tasting portion of the night.

Without a doubt, this was the best choice we could have made for our final Summer 2013 Restaurant Week adventure, and we will definitely return soon!