Restaurant Week Part V: The Capital Grille
Warning: If you are a fan of Capital Grille, you will be sorely disappointed by this post.
Since I moved back to Sarasota almost two years ago, I had heard fantastic things about Capital Grille. There were rave reviews about how it was one of the best meals they ever had and if they were going to have a cheat meal, that was the meal.
So you can imagine my surprise when I discovered that, both times I dined there, I was served food that could not justify the exorbitant prices. The presentation was flawless, however, it takes more than just beautifully plated food to satisfy me. It's like seeing a really hot guy, but then realizing that he's shallow and dumb as a rock.
It's got a great ambience, and the servers all look very impressive in their ugly yet professional looking uniforms. For Savor Sarasota the Appetizer options were the Bleu Cheese and Bacon Wedge Salad and the Clam Chowder. Both were good, but quite frankly, if you had put that chowder in front of me next to a bowl of Campbell's Chunky Clam Chowder, I probably wouldn't be able to tell which was the more expensive one.
All the entrees my table had were let downs. The Signature Burger had nothing special or Signatury about it. It was just a plain, good ol' cheeseburger. I was more excited about the Truffle Fries that came with it than the burger itself, and even then, those were not even the best Truffle Fries. Brittani got the Dry-Aged Sirloin Steak Salad, which she liked, but I did not find even remotely impressive as far as flavor goes, and I ordered the Seared Citrus Glazed Salmon. I couldn't eat it. I took two bites and pushed it away. The salmon was a bit overcooked, both the sauce and the fish itself were bland, and there was really nothing that could have saved that dish for me.
The ONE redeeming quality I would have to say was the desserts. They offer either Creme Brulee or Flourless Chocolate Espresso cake. Both were excellent and something I would consider getting again. The Creme Brulee was light and creamy as it should be and the cake was dense, rich, and bittersweet. Other than the fact that I was not charged for the salmon I didn't eat, the dessert was the only other thing I thought Capital Grille did right this time.
At first I thought perhaps both of the times I had been to Capital Grille, it had just been an off day or something. But after speaking with several friends who went there for dinner, their thoughts closely matched mine. By and large, it was ok, some things pretty good, but the price was not an accurate reflection of the quality. In my friend Miriam's words, "It was just not slap-yo-mama good." They had gotten the NY Strip and the Filet Mignon and both were not prepared at the temperature they ordered. I understand maybe one being the incorrect temperature, but when 4 different people received steaks at the wrong temperature, there's something wrong. Any good cook who supposedly specializes in steaks should not be THAT off. While other friends still insist that they had only the best experiences, what that tells me is that the quality is inconsistent. And if I'm paying that much for food, I'm not interested in inconsistency. I don't want a $50 meal at a 50% chance that it might be good.
Since I moved back to Sarasota almost two years ago, I had heard fantastic things about Capital Grille. There were rave reviews about how it was one of the best meals they ever had and if they were going to have a cheat meal, that was the meal.
So you can imagine my surprise when I discovered that, both times I dined there, I was served food that could not justify the exorbitant prices. The presentation was flawless, however, it takes more than just beautifully plated food to satisfy me. It's like seeing a really hot guy, but then realizing that he's shallow and dumb as a rock.
It's got a great ambience, and the servers all look very impressive in their ugly yet professional looking uniforms. For Savor Sarasota the Appetizer options were the Bleu Cheese and Bacon Wedge Salad and the Clam Chowder. Both were good, but quite frankly, if you had put that chowder in front of me next to a bowl of Campbell's Chunky Clam Chowder, I probably wouldn't be able to tell which was the more expensive one.
All the entrees my table had were let downs. The Signature Burger had nothing special or Signatury about it. It was just a plain, good ol' cheeseburger. I was more excited about the Truffle Fries that came with it than the burger itself, and even then, those were not even the best Truffle Fries. Brittani got the Dry-Aged Sirloin Steak Salad, which she liked, but I did not find even remotely impressive as far as flavor goes, and I ordered the Seared Citrus Glazed Salmon. I couldn't eat it. I took two bites and pushed it away. The salmon was a bit overcooked, both the sauce and the fish itself were bland, and there was really nothing that could have saved that dish for me.
The ONE redeeming quality I would have to say was the desserts. They offer either Creme Brulee or Flourless Chocolate Espresso cake. Both were excellent and something I would consider getting again. The Creme Brulee was light and creamy as it should be and the cake was dense, rich, and bittersweet. Other than the fact that I was not charged for the salmon I didn't eat, the dessert was the only other thing I thought Capital Grille did right this time.
At first I thought perhaps both of the times I had been to Capital Grille, it had just been an off day or something. But after speaking with several friends who went there for dinner, their thoughts closely matched mine. By and large, it was ok, some things pretty good, but the price was not an accurate reflection of the quality. In my friend Miriam's words, "It was just not slap-yo-mama good." They had gotten the NY Strip and the Filet Mignon and both were not prepared at the temperature they ordered. I understand maybe one being the incorrect temperature, but when 4 different people received steaks at the wrong temperature, there's something wrong. Any good cook who supposedly specializes in steaks should not be THAT off. While other friends still insist that they had only the best experiences, what that tells me is that the quality is inconsistent. And if I'm paying that much for food, I'm not interested in inconsistency. I don't want a $50 meal at a 50% chance that it might be good.
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