Before I knew how big of a chain this restaurant is, I went to visit one in Texas. Then, I found out they have locations in over 25 States, including NYC! This restaurant never really came up on my radar until I visit Fort Worth, TX…

The interior was large and spacious, with lots of large portraits everywhere. Clean white table clothes on tables with old-fashioned decor, somehow made me think the patriotic atmosphere. That feeling was emphasized when I spotted a huge bronze (?) sculpture of an eagle! Cool! Behind the eagle was their large kitchen where you can see them cook up all kinds of yummy dishes. Since it was not too busy, it was not too loud and relaxing.

We were a group of six, and they sat us at a large round table. We had lots of space without being all cramped into a small table which was really nice. They brought us complimentary bread basket with all sorts of breads. I love how much choices of bread they gave us. They were soft, moist and doughy, pretty good.

I started off with a cocktail. The interesting about the cocktails and other alcoholic beverage is that they didn’t have a printed menu. Instead, the server had an iPad-looking thing that had all the drink menu with photos. She handed me the device and I looked through what I wanted. I went with The French 75 ($14), made with Gin, fresh lemon, champagne, garnished with star anise. From looking at the photo, the star anise almost looks as if a spider is floating on top…but, it didn’t look that way in real life. It was very elegant and bubbly, I enjoyed it. Nice portion, not too sweet, a nice refreshing start to the dinner.

We ordered a few side dishes to share among the table, and yes, I picked what side order should be…insisted by everyone at the table. I guess my reputation as a foodie is growing every day. LOL. And everyone was happy with my choices of the side dishes. The first one was Lobster Mac ‘N’ Cheese ($18). Right under this item, it said “As magnificent as it sounds.” It had chunks of lobster, some small, some really big! Cheese was very creamy and rich, pasta cooked just right. It had certain sweetness to it without being too much. I liked the bread crumbs on top, it added nice crunchy texture. It was tasty for sure!

 

The second one was Creamed Spinach ($11), blended with a béchamel sauce for extra creaminess. And it was definitely creamy! Not too chunky or too mushy, but nice and creamy. It was very tasty with good seasoning. We all enjoyed this one.

The last but no least, Parmesan Truffle Fries ($11) with freshly grated cheese and white truffle oil. It had great aroma and flavor of truffle. The potatoes were soft, and Parmesan was super nice. Addictive and comforting…

I ordered another cocktail to go with the main. This time, I went with The Bohemian ($15). It is made with Absolute Apeach, mixed berry cordial, champagne, and fresh raspberries. It was again elegantly done, but more fruity. I liked this one better. I so enjoyed eating the raspberries at the end. The berries have soaked up all the tasty flavors, making it super delicious!

For main, I ordered one of the salads. I figured, I really wanted to have those side dishes, so I should go light on the main dish. Smart, right? I chose their Burrata salad ($14) with prosciutto, arugula pesto and balsamic glazed pears.

And it tasted as great as it sounded on the menu. The pears were cooked really well, a bit soft but still nice and firm, perfectly sweet. The prosciutto was interesting. First of all, there was only one piece of it. Second, it was very crunchy which was unexpected. It was tasty though, I wish if they had given at least two pieces… Toasted bread had a nice melted cheese on it, went perfectly with this salad. The arugula was fresh and burrata….oh my. It was super creamy, super fresh, it was definitely food porn for me. I really enjoyed this salad.

Our server, Brenda was very nice. She was very informative, friendly and took great care of us. She was very lovely, getting a good service always makes the dining experience extra nice. Towards the end, a manager came around to make sure we were all happy and well taken care of. It is good to see an establishment that cares about their customers. Most of my colleagues had steaks, and they all looked really good! Big, juicy and they all finished them without any issue. We had a nice business dinner here, with nice drinks, tasty food and friendly service. Way to go!

 

The Capital Grille – 800 Main St, Fort Worth, TX 76102