The Power Meal at The Capital Grille

With my Dad in town for the holiday weekend, we made our usual trip to a steakhouse. Being it was just Dad and me, I figured this was a good opportunity to try a true Atlanta power destination- The Capital Grille. While I have been once before for appetizers, my real familiarity with The Capital Grille stems from the plugs Neil Boortz gives this place during his radio show.

The decor of this place is old school and screams money. You get the feeling this is the place where rich men celebrate multi-million dollar business deals. (Even though Steakhead will not be celebrating any deal like this anytime soon, it is nice to pretend once in a while!) Lots of wood adorn the restaurant with several small rooms joining a mid-sized dining room. We were seated in one of these rooms, which only had 4 tables.

As for food, The Capital Grille takes its food seriously. This isn't some trendy eatery with young anorexics waiting the tables. Our waiter was a true steak afficianado who knew the menu inside out. We started with two appetizers- a calamari dish with fried hot peppers, and a lightly-seared tuna sashimi with ponzu sauce, wasabi served over a bed of seaweed salad. Both were outstanding. The tuna dish was a special that night, but from what we hear, it makes a frequent appearance on the specials list.

The steak menu has several dry-aged steaks including a sirloin and porterhouse. Surprisingly enough, neither the filet nor the delmonico cuts are dry aged. Both of us went with the delmonico, with Dad going with a porcini rubbed version and Steakhead getting a "black and blue" version with light Cajun spices. This version is not on the menu, but was recommended by our waiter. While not as thick of a cut as the bone-in ribeye at Chops, it was a very tasty and cooked perfectly.

The Capital Grille is probably not the place I'll take Lady Steakhead, it is a place that would be well-suited for a bachalor party or another "New School Boys Night". The food and service are commendable and the atmosphere will make you feel like a player, even if its just for 2 hours.

Steakhead Recommends: Yes
Cost: $$$$