Costa Mesa Restaurant Week 2011 - The Capital Grille

The Capital Grille is a chain restaurant with locations all over the US. My first encounter with The Capital Grille was at Beverly Hills where Anita Lau of Mad Hungry Woman hosted a Happy Hour Event which was also featured by Allen Taylor Photography.  Allen and I enjoyed the Bar Menu so much that we were thrilled to find out it was participating in the Costa Mesa Restaurant Week. We chose to have lunch here because the lunch menu looked just as good as the dinner but cheaper. We were so lucky we made the right choice. We got a lot of very delicious food at a very good price!
I had made a reservation for 12:45pm. When we got there, the hostess checked us in and then told us someone would take us to our seats. We waited and waited, for 5 minutes no one came! She finally took us to our table herself. Frankly I was not very happy. Once we were seated, it took at least another 5 - 7 minutes before our server finally showed up. I was getting a little frustrated. By then, I told Allen I was deducting 2 stars from the rating! Fortunately things did pick up after that.

We got our usual iced tea and were also served a bread basket.  Loved the sesame crusted bread!  They were warm and crunchy but soft and hearty inside!
Trying to maximize our dining experience, Allen and I usually order different selections from the menu so we can sample as much as we can.  For first course, I chose the Clam Chowder and he chose Field Greens, Spring Vegetables with Shallot Champagne Vinaigrette.

 

The salad was lackluster.  It barely had any dressing on it.  Allen took one bite and put down his fork.  I couldn't convince him to take a few more bites, so I did instead.  Yeah, it could have used a little more dressing.  

The clam chowder was creamy and seasoned just right.  Too often this was made on the saltier side, but this one was perfect.  However, there were much more potato than clams.

My entree was Dry Aged Sirloin Salad with Gorgonzola Vinaigrette.  I was wow'ed that it actually came with a big piece of steak instead of cubes or strips!  Now, sirloin is one of the leanest cut and tends to be a little tougher to eat.  Even though this was not melt in your mouth tender, it was easy on the mouth even at medium.  The chimichurri sauce was one of the best I've had.  I also enjoyed the salad but the steak definitely took the lead! 

 

Allen's entree, The Grille’s Signature Cheese Burger with Truffle Fries, was very impressive.  The burger was flavorful and juicy.  The truffle fries were equally delicious, but we were so full that we barely ate 1/4 of it!  We had to leave room for desserts still!  

There were 2 choices for desserts; Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake and Classic Crème Brulee.  You guessed it, we got both.  I had flourless chocolate cake once and didn't like it at all.  But this one tasted different, in a good way.  At first bite, it was really bitter, and it got better the more I ate.

The creme brulee, according to Allen, was night and day compared to what we had previous night!  In other words, it was yummy!  

While I was taking the food photos, I asked one of the bus boy if he could take a picture of me and Allen, he abruptly said 'No, ask someone else.'  I was so shocked!  I thought he could have done it in a nicer and more polite manner.  Another waiter later came by and took a picture for us (don't know if the bus boy actually asked him to) and gave us 2 prints.  That was nice but I was still pretty hurt by that bus boy!  

We had made another reservation at another restaurant for dinner and decided to reschedule it to a different night because we're both stuffed!  This by far is the best value for your dollar at $20 per person!  I highly recommend it. Bon Appetit! 

Service: 4 stars

Food: 5 stars

Ambiance: 5 stars

Overall: 4 1/2 stars

The Capital Grille 

3333 Bristol Street

Costa Mesa, CA 92626

(714)432-1140