Capital Grille has always been one of my favorite spots for a corporate dinner. It is actually a surprise that I have never gotten around to writing a review on a previous visit. I guess it does not really matter as this visit to Capital Grille was quite unique. Keep in mind this review is based on the NYC Financial District location.
It has been a while since I last dined at Capital Grille, about 3+ years, so things have changed, ever so slightly. The one change that hit me off the bat, was that the menu had calorie counts for each dish. The good.. I can attempt to eat healthy! The bad.. I see that Delmonico Steak with 12 Year Balsamic vinegar has over 1000 calories. More bad.. the lobster mac and cheese has over 1500 calories. Clearly healthy is not going to work here, so let’s throw that idea out the door and have some fun.
Like it was even a question, this meal started off with the Grand Plateau, a seafood tower consisting of Jumbo Shrimp, Oysters, Lobster and Crab Legs. What makes this tower exceptional is that the shrimps are peeled, lobster tails cut with the meat ready to eat, and the crab legs have been drained of all water so you can avoid the splatter when cracking them open. The Grand Plateau was not on the menu, we had to specifically ask for it.
Before I get to the entrees, I will mention the sides. We got the lobster mac and cheese, what, did you think that 1500 calories would stop us? Adding to that we had the truffle fries, creamed spinach and asparagus. Hey I wanted something healthy, but mind you it came with hollandaise sauce.
On to the steaks we go. Looking through the menu, I was having a tough time deciding on which steak I wanted. It came down to the dry aged sirloin and the dry aged steak au poivre. Based on the waiter’s suggestion I sided with the dry aged steak au poivre, medium rare. The steak was pepper crusted. Unfortunately when the steak came out, it was medium well. Normally, I am not one to send back food, but I was having a difficult time eating the steak, so I had no choice but to send the steak back. The staff was extremely friendly about it, they even brought out a hot order of creamed spinach with my steak. The second time it was perfect, but I had loaded up on the lobster mac and cheese while waiting so I could only get through ½ the steak. To end off the meal I ordered my favorite dessert the crème brule.
Capital Grille continues to be a go to spot of mine. Even with the slight blip with the steak, the staff made it into a non issue. I purposely mention this because I have been to steak houses where the waiter claims “that is how we cook our steaks.” This place certainly caters to the customer and cares about you walking out happy.