Capital Grille, Fort Lauderdale: Steak and Sportscars
The Capital Grille has been a staple of Miami's Brickell area for years. The Fort Lauderdale branch is relatively new. There are now 23 of these around the country, competing with the Palm, Morton's, Smith and Wollensky, Del Frisco's, and perhaps Ruth's Chris (though one might consider Ruth's Chris an also-ran). The beef is dry-aged and top-notch.
On a Wedenesday night, the restaurant was jammed with an interesting and moneyed crowd. Perhaps a bit older than would be the Baron's preference, but still some fascinating characters. A review of the nameplates on the private liquor cabinets should give the visitor a sense of the sort of customer the Capital Grille is pulling in. You will recognize some of the names. The restaurant's close proximity to Lauderdale hot spot Blue Martini seems to be helping with business (and vice versa).
A viewing of the cars paralleled on the valet ramp alone was worth the trip. Lined up nose to tail were two Bentley GT Contintenals, a Ferrari 360 Spyder, a 575 Maranello (stunningly beautiful), an Aston Martin Vanquish, a Maserati Quattroporte, a Carrera 4, a Range Rover Sport, and an assortment of Bimmers and Benzs that were boring by comparison. Perhaps the sight of a an Aston Martin does not interest you. It does interest the Baron. Especially if it has an ejector seat.
Having dined many times at the Capital Grille in Miami, the Baron settled in for a good dinner. The Fort Lauderdale branch did not, for the most part, disappoint. So let us dispense with one hitch straight away. The wine service. The wine list had a Stag's Leap Artemis Cabernet, 2001. The Baron prefers Italians, but in dining with others, one sometimes is required to compromise. Still, a California cab is more than suitable for a steak. Now 2001 was a good year for Napa cabernet sauvignon. Unfortunately, the bottle presented was a 2002. The waiter was promptly sent back to the cellar to determine if there were any more '01s. One must always be careful when ordering wine, which is why the label should be presented prior to the bottle being opened. Is there a difference between the '01 and the '02? Of course there is (aside from the fact that '02 is still too young to drink). The waiter came back and advised the cellar's stock of '01 Artemis had been depleted. However, Captial Grille was charging the same price for the '02. The Baron was in no mood for such tomfoolery, but the Baron was also in need of a drink. We will chalk the incident up to either the waiter's inexperience or the cellar staff's failure to advise the floor staff of the vintage change. Let us not judge too harshly based upon the one incident. The anecdote is included here more as cautionary tale than complaint.
And so, on to the food. A trip to Capital Grille is not complete without the fried calamari. Fried calamari, you say? Abused and overused appetizer for the masses? Regularly botched, rubbery, greasy, salty, flavorless rings of frozen squid? Do they at least throw in the tentacles? Yes, you get the tentacles. That is always your first warning--the exclusion of the tentacles indicates that an establishment's clientele is too squeamish, and likely too unsophisticated, to handle the best part of the squid. Or perhaps that the restaurant is buying the rings already cut and frozen. Neither is a good sign. The genius of the Capital Grille's calamari is the hot cherry peppers. The calamari are properly battered and flavorful, though still a bit greasy. Probably a result of the garlic butter. Nearly anything is good with garlic butter. However, the hot cherry peppers make the dish. Rich, spicy, and intense. If you can't handle the tentacles, the Capital Grille's steak tartare is always good, as is the shellfish platter.
But this being Captial Grille, the feature is the beef. One of the chef's recommendations, though apparently a standard menu item, is a 20 ounce dry-aged New York strip, rubbed with finely-ground Kona coffee beans, topped with caramelized shallot butter, and served with a side of sauteed onions. The steak, ordered medium rare, came out rare, and still mooing. But come on, it was three inches thick. And oustanding. The Kona coffee rub proved to be an inspired touch. The coffee flavor was subtle but still discernable. Highly recommended.
As for sides, the asparagus was bright green and crispy, as it should be. The Capital Grill's creamed spinach is good, but not as good as that found at the Palm. No one has better creamed spinach than the Palm.
Aside from the wine incident, the services was professional, though a bit cloying. There were innumerable interruptions by both the waiter and the manager to inquire whether everything was satisfactory. Obviously, there should be one such inquiry after entrees are served, but service should be unobtrusive. The Baron's dinner conversation was interrupted one too many times. Still, better to have obtrusive service than neglectful service. This is more art than science and something that will probably get worked out over time. This branch of the Capital Grille has been open less than a year.
Overall an excellent experience, and a welcome additional to the Fort Lauderdale dining and social scene. Certainly worth the trip for the calamari and the Kona-rubbed steak, items not to be found elsewhere.
The Capital Grille has been a staple of Miami's Brickell area for years. The Fort Lauderdale branch is relatively new. There are now 23 of these around the country, competing with the Palm, Morton's, Smith and Wollensky, Del Frisco's, and perhaps Ruth's Chris (though one might consider Ruth's Chris an also-ran). The beef is dry-aged and top-notch.
On a Wedenesday night, the restaurant was jammed with an interesting and moneyed crowd. Perhaps a bit older than would be the Baron's preference, but still some fascinating characters. A review of the nameplates on the private liquor cabinets should give the visitor a sense of the sort of customer the Capital Grille is pulling in. You will recognize some of the names. The restaurant's close proximity to Lauderdale hot spot Blue Martini seems to be helping with business (and vice versa).
A viewing of the cars paralleled on the valet ramp alone was worth the trip. Lined up nose to tail were two Bentley GT Contintenals, a Ferrari 360 Spyder, a 575 Maranello (stunningly beautiful), an Aston Martin Vanquish, a Maserati Quattroporte, a Carrera 4, a Range Rover Sport, and an assortment of Bimmers and Benzs that were boring by comparison. Perhaps the sight of a an Aston Martin does not interest you. It does interest the Baron. Especially if it has an ejector seat.
Having dined many times at the Capital Grille in Miami, the Baron settled in for a good dinner. The Fort Lauderdale branch did not, for the most part, disappoint. So let us dispense with one hitch straight away. The wine service. The wine list had a Stag's Leap Artemis Cabernet, 2001. The Baron prefers Italians, but in dining with others, one sometimes is required to compromise. Still, a California cab is more than suitable for a steak. Now 2001 was a good year for Napa cabernet sauvignon. Unfortunately, the bottle presented was a 2002. The waiter was promptly sent back to the cellar to determine if there were any more '01s. One must always be careful when ordering wine, which is why the label should be presented prior to the bottle being opened. Is there a difference between the '01 and the '02? Of course there is (aside from the fact that '02 is still too young to drink). The waiter came back and advised the cellar's stock of '01 Artemis had been depleted. However, Captial Grille was charging the same price for the '02. The Baron was in no mood for such tomfoolery, but the Baron was also in need of a drink. We will chalk the incident up to either the waiter's inexperience or the cellar staff's failure to advise the floor staff of the vintage change. Let us not judge too harshly based upon the one incident. The anecdote is included here more as cautionary tale than complaint.
And so, on to the food. A trip to Capital Grille is not complete without the fried calamari. Fried calamari, you say? Abused and overused appetizer for the masses? Regularly botched, rubbery, greasy, salty, flavorless rings of frozen squid? Do they at least throw in the tentacles? Yes, you get the tentacles. That is always your first warning--the exclusion of the tentacles indicates that an establishment's clientele is too squeamish, and likely too unsophisticated, to handle the best part of the squid. Or perhaps that the restaurant is buying the rings already cut and frozen. Neither is a good sign. The genius of the Capital Grille's calamari is the hot cherry peppers. The calamari are properly battered and flavorful, though still a bit greasy. Probably a result of the garlic butter. Nearly anything is good with garlic butter. However, the hot cherry peppers make the dish. Rich, spicy, and intense. If you can't handle the tentacles, the Capital Grille's steak tartare is always good, as is the shellfish platter.
But this being Captial Grille, the feature is the beef. One of the chef's recommendations, though apparently a standard menu item, is a 20 ounce dry-aged New York strip, rubbed with finely-ground Kona coffee beans, topped with caramelized shallot butter, and served with a side of sauteed onions. The steak, ordered medium rare, came out rare, and still mooing. But come on, it was three inches thick. And oustanding. The Kona coffee rub proved to be an inspired touch. The coffee flavor was subtle but still discernable. Highly recommended.
As for sides, the asparagus was bright green and crispy, as it should be. The Capital Grill's creamed spinach is good, but not as good as that found at the Palm. No one has better creamed spinach than the Palm.
Aside from the wine incident, the services was professional, though a bit cloying. There were innumerable interruptions by both the waiter and the manager to inquire whether everything was satisfactory. Obviously, there should be one such inquiry after entrees are served, but service should be unobtrusive. The Baron's dinner conversation was interrupted one too many times. Still, better to have obtrusive service than neglectful service. This is more art than science and something that will probably get worked out over time. This branch of the Capital Grille has been open less than a year.
Overall an excellent experience, and a welcome additional to the Fort Lauderdale dining and social scene. Certainly worth the trip for the calamari and the Kona-rubbed steak, items not to be found elsewhere.
posted by TheBaronOnTaste at 9:13 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home