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Capital Grille, The

MY REVIEW: The meal was fabulous and the service outstanding. One complaint---A top restaurant needs a dress code. When I came in the the first thing I saw was a man at the bar in a baseball cap, a women in shorts and a man in shorts. I don't want to go back to the days of coats and ties, but when you go to a classy restaurant there should be some kind of standards.

NAME: eatsoutalot
SUBMITTED: 8/22/2012   LAST VISIT WAS: Aug. 21, 2012
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: I decided to celebrate my wife's birthday at this upscale steakhouse. We don't often go to this type of restaurant but I wanted to give her a special meal. Well, we ended up having one of the best meals of our lives. What made this especially memorable was our waitress, Susan.

The decor is not quite as dark and stuffy as similar steakhouses. We started at the bar with a drink from their happy hour menu. Good selections, great prices. Marcos, the bartender was very friendly and helpful.

The hostess staff was friendly. They walked us to our table which had been decorated with birthday confetti. Susan came up to our table and wished my wife a happy birthday. We had a smoked salmon appetizer. It was a little pricey for 4 slices of salmon. I had the bone in Kona sirloin steak and my wife had the cedar plank salmon. They were both outstanding. The Au Gratin potatoes were rich and very cheesy. We finished off the meal with creme brulee and coconut cream pie. It was a fantastic meal and we will definetely ask for Susan on a return trip. The entire meal was $150+ but well worth it.

NAME: RandS_dine_alot
SUBMITTED: 5/20/2012   LAST VISIT WAS: 5/2012
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times

MY REVIEW: We dined at Capital Grille on Sat night because of an advertisement in the mail for a "Generous Pour" of certain different wines. After getting a "sampling" of the first wine requested, we asked the waiter why we were not getting a "generous pour". He explained that the intention of the promotion was to have a sampling of one or more of the wines listed on the presented menu. It was meant to be a "flight of wines", basically. The words "generous" and "sampling" have opposite definitions. I think the Capital Grille needs to change the wording of their promotion.

NAME: bvt
SUBMITTED: 8/1/2011   LAST VISIT WAS: July 30, 2011
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times

MY REVIEW: We celebrated my husband’s birthday, along with nine of our friends at The Capital Grille. Although it was mid-week, the place was full. We were delayed in being seated; only because our group grew from 9 guests, to 11 once we arrived. The hostesses were friendly, and kept everyone laughing, and talking while we waited for the staff to prepare a larger table.

Our host was Jimmy, and our server was Rodd, they were both delightful, and humorous throughout the evening. The service was flawless, and the food was excellent. The staff took pictures, and made every effort to make the evening special for everyone. My husband said he could have not have had more fun. Although we expected to see customers dressed for a more upscale venue, we loved the restaurant's ambiance and décor. One party in our group said his steak was not cooked as he'd ordered, and sent it back twice. However; when he received his check, the steak was omitted from his bill. I would highly recommend the Capital Grille to anyone seeking a relaxed, semi-causal eating experience.

NAME: angoram
SUBMITTED: 2/4/2010   LAST VISIT WAS: 02/02/2010
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: Friends and I went to the Capital Grille last night, the first time in more than a year. It was hard to find a parking place due to the valets blocking off most of the parking lot.

I guess they have recently lowered, or dropped their dress code, because lots of people were not dressed business casual, I saw lots of men in t-shirts, and the place was packed. Before the evening was over, our waiter Seth, told us there was even a wait.

Even fine dining can be a hit or miss sometimes, and it really helps when you have a great waiter like we did. Seth guided us through the menu, and we took all his suggestions. The cold seafood platter, with lobster, shrimp and oysters were a hit, as were the spicy calamari. The lobster and crab cakes are what every crab cake should be – moist, full of tender chunks of crab and lobster, with just enough breading to hold the cake together. Actually, it fell apart with the touch of my fork. It was perfect! My Filet Oscar was perfectly cooked, and the asparagus al dente.

Seth kept our wine glasses toped off and the meal flowing at our leisured pace. We were all so stuffed that we passed on desserts, so we will be back. We will also request to sit in Seth's section for another memorable meal.

NAME: Tex57
SUBMITTED: 1/28/2009   LAST VISIT WAS: 01-09
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times

MY REVIEW: Wife and I arrived 10 minutes early for our reservation on a Saturday evening and were seated immediately. Wife had informed them we were celebrating our anniversary and we were treated to a complimentary photo and table greeting. The wait staff was attentive, but not over zealous and addressed us by name.

Wife had the Filet Oscar and it was incredible. It was so tender she actually cut a piece off with her fork for me to try. I had the Steak Poivre and it too was excellent, although not as delicious as her filet. We had mushrooms and augratin potatoes for sides. The portions are huge, one side is plenty. We were going to order a creme broulet for desert but as we finished our meal, the waiter brought out a complimentary anniversary desert, the cream broulet. It was excellent also. Over all, a very pleasant experience. We will go back. The tab including 2 glasses of wine, with 20% tip added was an even 200 bucks.

NAME: Klewi
SUBMITTED: 6/22/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: 6/08
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: In my opinion, the best steakhouse in Houston. I'm an average Joe-- just finished undergrad, getting ready to go to law school and for the most part, I am not accustomed to over-the-top service. I don't feel incredibly slighted if the waiter doesn't refill my glass every 10 minutes but will say something if my glass is empty and the waiter has not come around. That being said, I didn't have any problem with the service at Capital Grille for Valentine's Day when I took my girlfriend out to celebrate. The service was great-- not overbearing but attentive and informative. That's all I require for service.

The food was unbelievable. We shared the crab and lobster cakes which I thought were absolutely amazing. I've had crab cakes at a few restaurants in Houston, some top steakhouses, top New American restaurants, top French bistros, etc. but these were the best I've ever tasted. The Delmonico steak (bone-in ribeye) was also the best steak I've ever had in my life and I've been to most of the big steakhouses in Houston. Unfortunately, my girlfriend ordered a veal chop without the sauce and it looks kinda dry and gross. Looking back, she probably should have used the sauce.

My one gripe with this restaurant is the sides. They are just not exceptional like everything else. The mashed potatoes were extremely plain and comparable a certain fast food joint from Boston. The mushrooms were just bland. For dessert we had key lime pie and that was pretty good overall.

Overall, I judge restaurants by food and service. When going to a restaurant such as the Capital Grille, I realize I might spend $200 on two, which is why it is such a rare occasion that I do frequent such a restaurant. Price is not relevant to the experience. For service, in terms of when we were seated and our server himself, I'd rate it a very solid 7.5. For food, I'd rate it a 9.0 and the 1 point deduction coming from the sides only.

Save this restaurant for the special occasion you'll have once a year.

NAME: wolfgang puck
SUBMITTED: 6/12/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: 2/08
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: We went to Capital Grille to celebrate our engagement and were thrilled with the choice. We started off with champagne in the bar, which is lovely. Then headed to our booth. Our specially requested booth had been taken by a rather rude customer who insisted he be seated first, but luckily the quick on her feet hostess prepared another one for us that was perfect. Seeing as though we were celebrating and in a good mood, we didn't mind getting a second choice booth. We started out with the crab & lobster cakes, which were the low point of the evening for sure. They were overdone, and over-breaded. OH! Speaking of bread, the bread basket is wonderful and varied.

I ordered the 10oz filet and my fiance' had the NY Strip. He had to send his back as it was underdone (he ordered medium-rare and it came out rare), but once he got it back it was perfection. My filet was wonderfully cooked medium rare seasoned just slightly with pepper and a light brown sauce. We shared a side of the creamed spinach which was easily enough for 4 people. It was very good as well. The wine list is very vast and very reasonably priced! We were impressed with the selection and ordered a wonderful Cab about 50% over retail. Which if you dine out a lot, you know that's a decent mark-up.

After we finished our dinner, our waiter brought us over a absolutely delicious flourless chocolate cake, on the house, to celebrate our engagement. It was a wonderful gesture made all the better by several of the wait staff coming over to congratulate us.

Capital Grille certainly isn't a cheap night out, but for special occasions, it's certainly worth the splurge.

NAME: Monkey101979
SUBMITTED: 5/7/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: April 2008
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: This is the best steak house in Houston. The service staff and the food never lets me down. When entertaining clients I have to have to know what I am getting. I'm never disappointed the Grille! Keep it up!

NAME: Smitty
SUBMITTED: 5/7/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: 04/08
FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times

MY REVIEW: My wife and I were very pleased with the service and food at Capital Grille. The service was excellent, at no time was the waiter hovering over us, but if we needed him he was there. I had the tuna steak and my wife had the 10oz filet. Both were cooked just the way we asked. Great surrounding, very quiet.

We will be back!

NAME: Buck & Sharon
SUBMITTED: 4/10/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: April 2008
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: My wife and I went here for our anniversary. We started off with the calamari and my wife, who can't stand calamari, and I LOVED it. The portion was huge and it was just cooked perfectly. I had the dry aged porterhouse and my wife had the filet. My wife very much enjoyed her filet. I was absolutely blown away by the dry-aged beef. It was perfectly cooked and had a deep rich almost nutty flavor to it. (I have been to R*th Chr*s, V*c N Anth*ny's, Fl*ming's and while the steaks were good, the steak at the Capital Grille was by far the best).

The sides we chose were the lobster mac and cheese which for me would have been better without the lobster (but then I don't care for lobster) and the potatoes au gratin which was just ok for me. We finished with the creme brulee, and although I am not a big fan of dessert, I thought it was absolutely fabulous.

The real star of the evening was our waiter, he made some great recommendations (including a Cabernet I really enjoyed), he really provided the best service I have ever experienced. The one down side to the whole experience was that the evening did start out at a high noise level, there was a group of businessman next to us making a lot of noise. Not sure what the management could do to change that other than to tell people to shut it.

Overall, one of the best meals I've ever had. Definitely worth trying the dry aged beef. Yum!

NAME: Studnougat
SUBMITTED: 2/18/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: Nov 2007
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: Perhaps prior reviewers may have seen some 'dip' in food quality and service... but we had not been there in a while and found the service excellent as was the food. The Kona Steak is one of the best steaks in Houston and was outstanding and perfectly cooked - we shared an excellent Wedge Salad and the waiter recommended Potato's Au Gratin were again, excellent. Our waiter, Eddie, was attentive and on top of things, but not overbearing... quite good. Overall an excellent experience, and... we were looking for the worst because of some of the reviews over the last few months... did not see any of that. We will be back!!

NAME: CookieMan
SUBMITTED: 2/16/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: 2/16/2008
FREQUENCY: Visited 2-3 times

MY REVIEW: We've visited on special occasion and not so special occastion, but the last two (2) times my birthday and his, to say that the food and service were there is an a joke. My Filet Oscar on my birthday, couldn't even cut it with the steak knife. His birthday, they couldn't seat us in the dining room, but the bar was almost empty and so we went there. The waitresses could have cared less, they were too busy talking with each other and when one deemed to wait on us, she was too busy putting a table cloth on another table. No water, silverware, no bread or butter. When we were asked if there was something wrong the assistant manager came over and again, could have cared less. I guess when you spend $150.00 on dinner for two, your business is not appreciated. We won't be back, that's for sure

NAME: Carol Lyon
SUBMITTED: 2/5/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: Octtober 2007
FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times

MY REVIEW: Each of our party of 9 were highly dissappointed by the food which "promised" to be exceptional. I would rate the food average at best. For my taste an elegant restaurant suggests enough quiet ambience so as to be able to hear your dinner guests. The raucous atmosphere not only contributed to but equalled the T*GIF quality of the food. Sorry, corn starch is not the main ingredient I want to taste in my "superb" lobster bisque. But what do I expect-- I heard this is one of "w"'s favorite places. Hee-haw!!!!!

NAME: K. Morris
SUBMITTED: 1/15/2008   LAST VISIT WAS: January 2008
FREQUENCY: Visited once

MY REVIEW: We really like this steak house. The lamb is wonderful, not gamey and always perfectly cooked. The filet is always delicious, even when prepared medium well. The service is good and the atmosphere is peaceful and appetizing. Overall, we believe Capital Grille is consistant, and provides a great meal for the price.

They could improve on their Whiskey Sours, not delicious, and I would personally prefer a cold salad plate to the luke warm one we always receive.

Otherwise, go early, and enjoy!

NAME: JB
SUBMITTED: 11/13/2007   LAST VISIT WAS: 11/10/2007
FREQUENCY: Visited 4-6 times

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