It’s been about 25 years since I first dined at a Capital Grille and it has been my favorite for that long. When Alfred and I lived down the block from their Philadelphia location, it would be our weekly ritual to grab seats at the bar, share a bottle of wine and order our favorite steaks. Filet Mignon for Alfred and Rib Eye for me. Before we had children, we had Bella, our little furbaby puppy and Alfred would always save a big chunk of his filet for Bella. The waiter would know it’s for our dog, so he would just saran wrap the steak and Alfred would stick it in his pocket to bring it home for her. The wedge salad, truffle fries, creamed spinach and wild mushrooms would round out our meal. You had to roll me out of there. They serve the best steaks and 25 years later, they are still my favorite.
The Capital Grille has been a staple in Alfred and my date nights. When we lived NYC, we were were walkable to their midtown location. We even had our wedding reception there. Now that we are in New Jersey, we still turn to The Capital Grille’s Paramus location whenever we crave a good steak dinner out. It is our go-to for birthdays, anniversaries and other celebrations.
Passion Fruit Mojito
Dirty Goose
Wedge with Bleu Cheese and Smoked Bacon
Parmesan Truffle Fries
Tuna Tartare with Avocado, Mango and Sriracha
Lobster and Crab Cake with Lemon Basil Aioli
Roasted Wild Mushrooms
Creamed Spinach
March 10th was admission decision day for Blaise’s applications to boarding school. I was bombarded with so many mixed emotions. I tried to put on a brave face and feel excited for him, but the reality is that my baby is going away for school in a few months and I miss him so much already that it’s crushing me. Heartbroken mama feelings aside, Blaise found a school that he is so excited to attend and we are so very proud of him. Celebrations are in order and of course it has to be at The Capital Grille.
Everyone has their favorite cut. Blaise has his NY Strip, Ben, Bodi and Alfred have their filet mignon, I get my bone-in rib eye and MIL always orders seafood at a steak restaurant so she gets the scallops. If Blaise had his way, he would probably get his steak medium-well. We implore him to stop at medium and he obliges us. Throughout all these years, The Capital Grille has been consistently excellent with their food. Their steaks are always tender with a charred crust. It is just so flavorful, meltingly soft and juicy. They use a spice blend unlike any other steakhouse that is savory, salty and just so beefy without distractions. If you really pay attention, there is butter and tallow but it’s subtle enough that the biggest thing you notice is the natural beef taste of a perfectly seared dry aged steak.
Lobster Mac N Cheese
Filet Mignon
Bone-in Rib Eye Steak
NY Strip Steak
Seared Sea Scallops with Maine Lobster and Asparagus Risotto
Warm Apple Tarte
Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake
3 Scoops of Ice Cream
The wedge salad used to come in a huge mound of iceberg lettuce. Today’s wedge had a much smaller cut of lettuce. The last few times we ordered the truffle fries, they came too crispy, like they took it out of the frier a few minutes too late. We requested the fries not be so crispy this time and they made it perfect. Crispy outside, tender inside, golden brown, no burnt pieces and yummy truffle and parmesan hugging every bite. Blaise had his first ever molten-style chocolate cake at The Capital Grille when he was a toddler and it would be something he would order for dessert there every time. The biggest disappointment of the night is that they no longer serve that. Instead, they now have the Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake. It is a dense, rich, chocolate truffle-like mouse made with dark chocolate and decaffeinated espresso. It doesn’t have a strong espresso flavor , which is neither here nor there for me. It was a bit too sweet and fudgy for my liking.
Service, as always, was attentive, professional, seamless and polished. Food and drinks came out timely and water glasses were always full. We never had to flag anyone down for fresh cocktails. Compared to Ruth Chris, Del Frisco, Morton’s, Fleming’s and Peter Luger, my entire family prefers The Capital Grille steaks. We try new places, compare it to The Capital Grille and leave disappointed. And then we always go back to The Capital Grille.
9.5 out of 10 from me.
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