I love a classic New York steakhouse, and the Capital Grille has that “wow factor”! Their famous dry aged meats are AMAZINGLY soft and juicy–I had the “chef’s special” bone-in filet mignon. It was about a 12-ounce portion done perfectly medium rare and I could not care less if the diners around me were appalled that I picked up the bone and gnawed at it like a wild cavewoman. I had to have every ounce of those perfectly cooked meat. It is rare that you can find an eatery that lets you get a bone with any sort of cut of beef, so I jumped on this opportunity!
I ordered the truffle fries, potatoes au gratin and brussels sprouts with bacon and chestnuts as my sides. The sides were huge and I would say each one was bigger than an entree in most other fine eating establishments. The fries had wonderful fresh herbs scattered all over them and were fried perfectly golden. The potatoes au gratin were extra creamy with a touch of horseradish in the sauce for a little kick and crunchy onions on top. The brussels sprouts were nice and firm with tender cubed roast ham and sautéed in a wonderful OVOO that knocked my fishnet stockings off.
For dessert, I tried three of the Capital Grille’s classics–Coconut Cream Pie, Cheesecake with fresh berries and Warm Double Chocolate Cake with Port-Infused Cherries and ice cream. These are all made on the premises and are unique recipes. The Coconut Cream Pie looked like a snow-covered mountain with a large slab of whipped cream and a homemade coconut cookie on top. The crust had some almond paste inside which made it extra rich and chewy. (This is the dessert that is the stuff of coconut lovers’ dreams!) The cheesecake had a creme brulee type carmelized coating on top and a creamy consistency inside. It was not too sweet as many cheesecakes are and tasted like it was made ten minutes ago! The big juicy raspberries and blueberries on the site had a gorgeous red berry sauce on them. The warm chocolate cake was done with extra dark chocolate and was super moist and hot on the inside–not unlike a souffle–and served with homemade vanilla ice cream.
Will I go back to Capital Grille? In a New York minute! Be sure to check out the private dining room downstairs which used to be a bank vault and still has the giant round metal vault door on it! Capital’s web address is www.capitalgrille.com and there are several locations including the wonderful East 42nd Street location which I recently attended a private lunch for Grenada Tourism at. I love the way all the food items can be perused on an iPad at your table but yet the decor is that dark wood classic steakhouse look featuring portraits of heavy hitters from the finance district in days gone by. Reservations are recommended; phone number is 212-374-1811
