Surprise Date Night at Capital Grille

Typically, Friday nights are date nights for my boyfriend and I.  It is a perfect way for us to relax from the long work week and get ourselves in the mood for the weekend.  This past week was particularly draining for both of us so I was definitely looking forward to our Friday date night.  B had planned late dinner reservations for us but said that it was a surprise as to where we'd be going.  He originally made late reservations so that we could both head to the gym after work but with the pouring rain, we both wanted to just head home and unwind. 

When it was time to get ready, B revealed that we would be heading to the Capital Grille for dinner.  I was completely surprised because we only tend to visit steakhouses for special occasions.  Awhile back, B and I decided that we wanted to try out all of the wonderful steakhouses that our city has to offer.  Since then, we have tried out steakhouses on birthdays and other special occasions.  But this past Friday night was just another date night.  I mean, I don't want to say that it wasn't special but there was no real special occasion. But B thought that with such a tough work week, we could celebrate surviving the week.  It was a weak excuse but let's be honest, I don't need much of an excuse for a good meal.

We arrived around 8:30 PM and the restaurant was definitely busy and loud.  We headed to the back dining area and I was impressed at how large the restaurant was.  I've passed by Capital Grille many times during my typical weekend shopping excursions but I never really got a sense of how large it really is.  The size and acoustics of the restaurant and perhaps just the jovial nature of the diners that evening led to a loud buzz of the dining room throughout the evening.  But with the intimate table that B and I shared, we still managed to hear each other above the din of the diners. 

B and I started out by sharing a Wagyu beef carpaccio starter dish.  The Japanese Wagyu beef was well seasoned and sliced finely razor thin.  It was topped with an arugula salad along with thin slices of Parmesan cheese.  The beef was sliced so thin that it melted in your mouth.  The sharp arugula cut the richness of the beef while the Parmesan added some nice saltiness to the dish.  This was a fantastic first dish and a wonderful way to begin the evening.

For our second plate, we decided to split the house wedge salad.  This was a traditional preparation of iceberg lettuce with slices of thick beefsteak tomatoes, crumbled crispy bacon and creamy blue cheese dressing that included generous chunks of blue cheese.  This was completely traditional so it didn't really stand out in terms of innovation but sometimes the traditional dishes can really be outstanding.  I found the salad to be really refreshing and I especially loved the tangy creaminess of the dressing.

As great as the first two dishes were, the main event was the steak.  While B ordered the dry aged sirloin medium rare, I went with the filet mignon medium plus.  Like I've mentioned before, we've been to quite a few of the city's fantastic steakhouses and I've been a bit hit or miss with the medium plus cooking.  I like my steaks to be medium but ever so slightly towards medium well.  Like Goldilocks, I've had completely medium steaks and well done steaks but never quite perfect.  But at Capital Grille, it was just right.  I was thrilled to cut into my steak to discover that my filet mignon was perfectly cooked with a pleasant pink center.  The steak is served au jus and it truly needed no other sauce.  The steak stood out in its natural juices.  In addition to our steaks, B and I split the roasted mushrooms which was served in a small cast iron dish.  This side dish contained a variety of mushrooms (portabella, cremini and oyster) that were roasted with plenty of fresh rosemary and thyme and a touch of olive oil.  The mushrooms were perfectly roasted but a touch on the salty side.  But the saltiness was actually nice with a bite of the tender meat.  I was absolutely enthralled with the steak but despite my valient attempt, I just couldn't finish it.

I really loved each dish at Capital Grille and the service was friendly and not stuffy.  My only complaint would be how loud the dining room is here but I think it was a bit unusual as our server apologetically joked about how loud a few of the neighboring table was.  Capital Grille was a wonderful surprise date night location and to no surprise, it turns out we didn't need a special occasion to enjoy a steakhouse dinner.

Capital Grille has several locations in Massachusetts with multiple locations throughout the country.  In Boston, Capital Grille is located at 359 Newbury Street.