Capitol Grille – Where You Might Spot a Politician 🏛️🍽️

📍 Its prime location near the National Mall makes it super convenient for tourists 🧳👀. Plus, since it’s a frequent spot for politicians and staffers, dining here feels like a true DC experience 🎩📸. (Though it also has branches in plenty of non-political cities too!) 🇩🇰 Last time I came here was to help a diplomat with Chinese research for a book he was writing 📚. Honestly, he was so professional it made me feel a bit useless 😅. But after the project wrapped up, he gifted me a book (not his own) and offered to treat me to a meal—my choice of restaurant. So I picked here! 🇺🇸 This visit happened to be on Independence Day 🎆—which also marks the 10th anniversary of my wedding banquet. What a coincidence! We ordered two bottles of wine 🍷. I prefer really dry reds, but these were still a bit sweet. The Lassegue was less sweet than the Palermo—better of the two. Prices were basically double what you’d pay at a winery… but that’s typical for restaurants 💸. 🧆 Appetizers: Tuna tartare and fried calamari 🦑. The ingredients were simple, but the frying was super tender. 🍮 Desserts: Crème brûlée and a key lime pie of the day—nothing too special. 🍽️ Entrées were all delicious (mostly because I know how to order 😝): 🐟 Grilled halibut – Very tender, but hard to mess up this fish. A safe, upscale choice. 🥩 Dry-aged filet mignon – Usually foolproof, but maybe due to dry-aging, even my rare order was a bit dry. Topped with cheese—not too heavy, and full of flavor. 🥩 Another filet mignon, but sliced and served with mushrooms and figs 🍄🍂—tender and tasty. 🦀 Filet Oscar with crab meat – Drizzled with hollandaise sauce—rich and satisfying. 💁 Service was impeccably professional—classy and polished 👔. Even Georgetown’s top spots might be outshone ✨. One warm touch: The server heard me teaching my mom how to pronounce “crème brûlée” 🍮🗣️, and joined in to help. When dessert was served, he quizzed my mom—she stumbled but finally got it right 😂. Felt like passing a pop quiz in class! So fun 🥳. #WashingtonDC #CapitolGrille #DCRestaurants #PoliticianSpotting #FineDining #NationalMall #Steakhouse #SpecialOccasion #DCtourist #WineList #DateNightDC #UpscaleMeal #ServiceMatters #FoodAndPolitics #DCExperience #AnniversaryDinner #IndependenceDay