Capital Grille-Clayton 12-7-19

The Capital Grille is a high-end steak house chain.  Mike and I have been to the one in Las Vegas many years ago, and Mike has dined at the one in Washington D.C. (which is where, I assume, they started, hence the name).  We knew the menu and prices before going.

This is a place where you know you will spend money, so you eat and drink well.

First let me talk about the wine list.  I like to research the wine menu from home because then I have time to look things up (price, taste, reviews, etc. of each bottle of wine).  I found Capital Grille's electronic wine menu very difficult to navigate.  You have to download their app just to look at the wine list.  Then it is very difficult to see the entire wine list.  I could see wines that were "trending."  I don't care what's trending...if I was a "trendy" person, I'd be at a totally different kind of restaurant.  I chose a bottle from the few dozen bottles I could see and neither Mike nor I found it great.  It was a red blend from Sonoma called Pedroncelli.  It was very fruit forward in the nose but it was just too simple.  There was nothing to it and it didn't really enhance the food.

When we arrived we valet parked our car (which is nice because the valets use texting app and when you are ready to leave, you just reply to a text and they bring your car around to the front).  Parking in Clayton is always problematic.

We tried checking in at the front desk and
they couldn't find our reservation.  This was odd because I had made the reservation weeks ago and they had even called me on Tuesday to confirm the reservation.  We showed them our reservation number and they honored it, even though they couldn't find it.

While waiting for our table, I checked out the lobby.  It has a huge wine cellar in glass in the middle of the area.  Also, there are "wine vaults" with names engraved on them.  Most of them are businesses, but a few are individuals.  People could choose specific bottles and keep them in their "vaults" (a little shelf with a door and a name plate) until a later day.  I found the vaults rather arrogant...especially right in the front lobby.

We were seated in the middle of the dining room.  It is a nice, somewhat fancy room where the waiters are all in matching suit jackets and black pants.  We started with a cocktail.  Because their wine list is so vast and ever-changing, it is only available on a iPad.  I am glad I had done my research and could just tell our waitress what bottle we wanted, because I would have hated sitting there scrolling through page after page of bottles of wine and not being able to do the research about them.

Mike and I both opted to have some french onion soup. It was super good...hot, cheesy with deep onion flavor.  The only problem was that it was huge.  Soup (after you've been eating out of it) is not something you can save.  Mike even made a comment that the bowl was big enough to be a meal unto itself, as they also bring you a large bread basket with a variety of breads and crackers.

The waitress gave us the info. on specials that were not on the menu.  Mike opted for a filet with a side of crab legs and some scalloped potatoes.  This is one of those steak houses where all the side dishes are big enough for two people, so you are pretty much forced to share a side dish.  She told us they had fresh 2 lb. Maine lobsters.  When she walked away Mike told me I should get the lobster.  I said, "No" because they are usually always super expensive ($60-80).  When the waitress returned, Mike asked her what the "Market Price" was for the lobster.  She said "$22.50 per pound."  That is expensive, but it is comparable to the price of most of the steaks, so I decided to go for it.  I ordered a 2 lb. steamed lobster.

When our entrees came, my lobster had been expertly handled.  All the claw and tail meat had been removed and placed on top of the shell.  This made it so easy to eat...no hammer or crackers required.  It was delicious.  Mike gave me one of his crab legs.  It was super sweet and yummy.  I like lobster, but I love crab.  I know lobster is supposed to be superior and more rich, but the sweetness of crab just can't be beat.  Mike said his filet was very good, as it was perfectly prepared.  The scalloped potatoes were good...nothing special.

We remembered that desserts here weren't something you wanted to pass up, so we saved some of our entrees to take home, so we had room for dessert.  Mike got the creme brulee cheesecake with berries on the side.  I got the flour-less chocolate cake with espresso powder on top.  Mike added his customary cappuccino.  Neither of us could finish our dessert, so they packed this up, too, and we took it home.

It was a nice meal in a fine dining restaurant.  The service was very attentive without being intrusive.  The food was very good but nothing was different, interesting or inventive.  The clientele was mostly white 40+ upper middle to upper class people.  I was happy to see a group of about 10 ladies (of a wide variety of ethnicities), all in red shirts (maybe a work Christmas gathering??), having a wonderful time.  They weren't the typical white 2-4 people at most of the other tables.

On a final note...later I asked Mike how much the meal had been.  I knew it was expensive, but the bill seemed to be higher than what I had figured in my head.  When I looked at the receipt, we had been charged $65 for the 2 lb. lobster, not $45.  So, that was a bummer and kind of taints my feelings about the restaurant.  I don't know if we'll ever return.  There are many nice steakhouses in St. Louis that we like just as much as this one (Citizen Kane's, Kreis', Fleming's, etc.).  It is a saturated market and if you want me to come back, you need to be flawless and maybe have something or do something different.  I can't say that Capital Grille stood out above the rest.