The Capital Grille

User Rating: 1 out of 5 stars

It was a special weekend get-a-away for my wife and I and we wanted a memorable place for dining. We arrived there on Friday, July 25th at 8:45 p.m. First thing we noticed as we walked in was the lack of walking space between tables. It was a mission to get to our designated table. The people behind us had to move up so we could sit down. It was claustrophobic, noisy, no privacy, my wife and I could not speak because the conversation in the table next to us was too close to ignore. We started with their signature ''calamari'' for appetizer. It arrived at our table less than 60 seconds after we ordered it. The menu describes the calamari as "pan fried and sauteed in garlic butter.'' Our calamari was heavily breaded and extremely soggy. We could not eat it. We mentioned it to the waiter and he said, "I'm sorry you didn't like it," and took it away. We go out to eat very often and we know exactly what a "pan fried and sauteed" food is supposed to look and taste like. We also ordered a French Onion Soup which arrived just as quickly. The cheese on top was burned and the soup itself was lukewarm with an ok taste. For dinner my wife had the Chef's suggestion of Pork Chops. It was one big chop, but since it was breaded, she didn't realize that half was ''fat'' until she took a bite. I had a NY Strip which was very good, but plate presentation was deplorable and nothing like on their website. The steak was simply thrown in the plate with not even a piece of parsley for color. A side of steamed broccoli came separately & it looked like everything but, steamed broccoli. Small pieces of overcooked broccoli were mixed together in what looked like 1lb of seaweed. It looked so unappetizing that I did not even touch it. We had a $53 bottle of Pouilly Fuisse which we served ourselves twice. We didn't take a chance on ordering dessert. Nothing about this place made us feel special. There was absolutely no attention to detail, total lack of culinary artistry from all angles, no finesse, no polished service, we felt practically invisible. Our waiter seemed rushed. He only came to our table to take our order, bring the food, and fill our wine two times. If you want to spend big bucks on a great steak meal (our total bill was $180) and really have a memorable experience, go somewhere else. What a bad feeling we had walking out of this restaurant. What a waste of precious time. We can never undo that awful experience which for us was supposed to have been such a special weekend.

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User Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Listen, if you are going here you should know what you are getting. It's expensive and it's a little snooty. The clientele is not as refined as a Mortons, more of a young crowd. Great place for a date and then hit Blue Martini right next door. Reservations are a good idea most evenings although sometimes you can get by without them. The one in Miami is far better, but if you want to ditch the drive, I can't say as I would blame you.

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User Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Bring Plenty of Money and Watch It: The Capital Grille is located near the Galleria Mall and is usually very crowded. One word of caution: while at the bar check your bill carefully. On two occasions drinks were put on my bill that I never ordered! The food is excellent - but is over priced. The same goes for the wine list. There are some better places in Fort Lauderdale - but not too many that are as expensive as this one. One amusing sight is to sit at the bar and listen to some of the lines visiting businessmen use in trying to pick up some of the ladies!

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