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| - Let's just start by saying that I rarely eat at chain restaurants. So the fact that I ended up at Capital Grille for Valentine's day is actually a little embarrassing. But the combination of a $100 gift card that was about to expire, a fond memory of steak tar tar and homemade potato chips at their bar, and a failure to make any other sort of reservation landed us there at about 8pm on Sunday night. I really wasn't feeling like anything fancy, so we decided to sit at the bar, nosh, and watch the Olympics.
First, cocktails. Mine: an expertly made Manhattan that was approximately the size of my head (hurray for oversized martini glasses!) My husbands: Hendricks, rocks, cucumber. Our bartender offered to go get cucumber slices from the kitchen as it was a garnish they typically had at the bar. Score 1 for Kevin the bartender.
Next, food order. This had the potential to be the low point of the evening when they informed me they no longer had the steak tar tar on the menu. Or the ketlle chips. I now wanted to cry. We settled for a caprese salad, beef carpaccio, and the lobster crab cakes. Salad came out promptly, was very tasty and nice presentation. And then...nothing. The other apps lagged for like 15 minutes and the bartender was visibly irritated at the kitchen and wait staff. Luckily I had a full drink in front of me and it was the skating pairs short program on TV so I really wasn't complaining. When the food did show up it was actually worth the wait. Nothing I would have changed about it at all.
For the dessert portion of the evening we decided to try a Colheita port, which the bartender described as a single vintage tawny port. My husband loves tawny port and they had one that was fairly reasonable but still in the Colheita category. Rounded it out with the flourless chocolate espresso cake. Sadly, we were informed they no longer carried our port selection. And then, not so sadly, they poured us a much more expensive version for the price of the other one! Oh, and the dessert itself - freaking amazing. Best chocolate torte I've had in a while.
The actual shocker of the evening was that they took the appetizers off the bill without us saying anything about it. This really wasn't necessary but I think it shows that this place really does have class and that they wanted us to know that wasn't up to their standard of service. Well played.
Oh, and, right before we left the bartender leaned over and said "Come back on a day when it isn't a holiday and we'll get the kitchen to make you some steak tar tar. They do it for me all the time." Bless you, sweet bartender man. And thank you for a lovely Valentine's day.
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