The Capital Grille

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084430

Joined 7 years ago

Remarkable dining experience. Having had a wonderful time at the sister resaurant in Dallas, my wife and I decided to entertain some old friends while at a meeting in Chicago recently. True to form, the service was impeccable, the food perfect, the wine list superb and the overall experience simply great. Being somewhat of a harsh critic, every potential area of weakness was examined as we discussed our dining experience that evening. I don't know how they do it, but I am looking forward to my next trip to a city with this standout restaurant group. Simply marvelous.

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delyco

Joined 5 years ago

Host Staff is superior!!. We dropped into Chicago at the last minute for New Year's Eve (ie we didn't make reservations). The hostess, Erin, immediately gave us napkins to dry ourselves from walking in the snow. Despite the crowded dining room due to the holiday, we were able to relax in the bar until Erin and her staff found a table for us in the state room (less than an hour wait!) At first we took it as a sign that the food wouldn't be great, but that was a wrong assumption. My sweetheart had the Filet Oscar and I had the tenderloin with lobster--both were perfection!

The decor has a feel similar to classic US government buildings (hence the name) and the main dining room is not what I'd call romantic. However, the state room had a very intimate feel--if you're looking for something more of that nature, I would certainly ask.

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ericottarted

Joined 6 years ago

Great Anniversary Dinner!. I took my girlfriend here for our 2 year anniversary and I wasn't sure what to expect from the other comments on this site, but I soon realized that I made a great choice. Although it isn't cheap by any means, it's worth the dinning experience. We showed up for our reservations an hour early expecting we could sit at the bar for a while, but they seated us promptly as it was still early and we were one of the first there @ 5:45pm on a Sat. The greeters were extra friendly and happy to seat us, which left a good starting impression on my girlfriend and I. They seated us in the wine room which was semi-private. Our waiter (Mr. Potter) was awesomely friendly, attentive and patient..

They don?t have draft beers, but they do have a good selection of bottled beer and a huge selection of wines. They even have desert wines, but we didn?t try any. For an appetizer we ordered smoked salmon. It came with Capers, some type of pita chip and a creamy spread?very good. Then, I ordered some clam chowder soup which was awesome. My girlfriend, for her entree, ordered beef tenderloin which came with large chunks of Lobster. I ordered the filet Oscar, which is a fillet steak with a type of light cream sauce and chunks of crab meat on top. It came with asparagus too. We also ordered some type of broccoli medley which was decent

I mentioned to our waiter that we were celebrating our anniversary. He surprised us at the end of our meal with a flourless chocolate cake that was really good. Then, he offered to take our photo, and he came back a few minutes later with the photo framed on a card. He didn?t charge us for the cake or pic either! We were too full to have anything else.

Our total bill for all of the above was $160 w/o tip, but this restaurant left a great lasting impression on us.

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nsk97

Joined 6 years ago

Best Engagement Dinner. My fiance and I just ate at there last night an hour after we had just become engaged. We told the host that we had just gotten engaged and from that point on we were treated like royalty. The wait staff was incredible, we were given the best table in the restaurant, and treated to complimentary champagne, dessert, and a small appetizer. A waiter came to the table took our picture with the restaurant's camera and printed a picture for us before we left. Above all the food was absolutely outstanding, and the service was above and beyond our expectations for this special occasion.

Doesn't Recommend

paws26

Joined 6 years ago

Very Disappointed. I was visiting Chicago with my 16 year son for a few days to look at colleges and we wanted to have some good meals while we were there. We both like nice restaurants and good food so based on the reviews we thought this was a safe choice. We got off to a bad start when the waitress offered me a drink but neglected to offer my son even a soda. He was quite insulted. I also had to brush several crumbs off of the table after we sat down. I had looked up the menu prior to coming here to make sure we would like the choices and we were interested in an artisan cheese plate that was listed. I asked the waitress about it and she said that was no longer available. Another disapointment. She then told us the soup of the day was cream of mushroom and left us to review the menu. When she returned I asked for the mushroom soup as my first course, she then told me it was actually cream of spinach. I didn't want that. We ordered the tuna tartare as our appetizer, my son ordered the margherita pizza and I ordered the braised short ribs pappardelle. The tuna appetizer was very good as was the pizza. The short ribs were awful. The meat was cooked into a blob and the promised horseradish sauce was glopped on and unappetizing. The noodles were ok but there was no flavor.

The atmosphere was hotel stuffy and boring and we thought the place had no ambience. We regretted our choice and vowed to find a better meal the next night (which we did in Lincoln Park area).

All in all, not a good experience and not recommended.

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pops413

Joined 6 years ago

Went for a good hamburger. We read they had one of the best hamburgers in chicago.The burger was good,but the trimmings (i.e lettuce,onions ect) were of low standard taking away from the hamburger.At a top notch steak place you wouldnt expect them to have the same french fries as "steak and shake "lol.Other than that everything was good.Oh fyi the bread and butter are very good.

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finleykathy

Joined 6 years ago

Special Occasion Dining. Wonderful service, great ambiance, steaks were delicious. Calamari was great!

Baked potato was very boring and not worth the money - served with just butter, sour cream upon request. They should take it off the menu and add a twice baked instead.

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markw1

Joined 6 years ago

I'll be returning. I live in Minneapolis and recently visited Chi to see the fam. We went to Capital Grille on a Friday night and loved everything about our dining experience. Our service was incredible. No complaints what so ever. I will be returning ASAP! Highly recommend if you have not yet visited this fine establishment.

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insun

Joined 6 years ago

Best Lobster Mac & Cheese. The Capital Grille is a wonderful steak restaurant. After a fabulous but exhausting night out at TRU, it was nice to sit down to a wonderful full-portioned steak dinner in a warm & inviting atmosphere. Usually, steak restaurants are a little lax on their side dishes, but not so at Capital Grille. First, their cold seafood platter was so fresh and delicious, we ordered another round of oysters on the half shell! Plus, I cannot get enough of their lobster macaroni and cheese. My only comment would be to avoid the kona or aged basalmic steaks, as they are salty and overseasoned. Why eat an aged steak if you are just going to overseason it and mask its flavors? But if you get their simple steaks (especially their bone-in nightly specials), you will get the full flavor of the meat. In addition, we were all curious about their pineapple infused vodka martinis, which was recommened to us by our waiter, and he graciously brought a small tasting for the table. What service! I would take Capital Grille over bland and plain Morton's any day! Great food, inviting atmosphere, and impeccable service.

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pjs2780

Joined 7 years ago

Good for Lunch!. My husband an I had lunch here today and really enjoyed it. Our server was sweet and attentive, the bread basket was filled with a delicious selection and a good variety of flavors and textures, and our entrees (mac and cheese [with shrimp, peas, and ham] and my orechiette [made without a cream sauce on request] with sausage and mushrooms) were both wonderful. We enjoyed our experience and would definitely consider returning!