The Capital Grille — Restaurant in Boca Raton

To say I was satisfied with my Easter Brunch would be a grand understatement.

The Capital Grill is worthy of all the praise they get, despite the price. If you’re looking for quality, South Florida doesn’t get much better than this. And I’d rather pay more than have corners cut.

I’d highly recommend reserving a table ahead of time, as it was part of how we managed to be seated in but a moment.

Upon being brought to our dining table, the servers immediately brought out a bread basket. As such, there was no time left unspent- from the moment you arrive, your taste buds are already in a flavor filled wonderland. Their bread basket was rather unique- a combination of different bread types, some more enjoyable than others, with the most flavorful being the Lemon Blueberry Bread, made in house.

Following that solid introduction, the appetizers came out. The Calamari was quite solid- portion size was phenomenal, and peppers added a much appreciated sear. Something rather unexpected appeared next on the appetizer train- Brussels and Bacon slathered in Soy Sauce. Despite my initial doubts, they proved just as delicious as what came before, and will absolutely be a repeat order upon my return. However, one appetizer blew the other two out of the water, and is my highest recommendation- The Lobster Crab Cakes. At a perfect golden brown, with lobster chunks that melt in your mouth, it gives the rush of a cake with none of the overwhelming padding. Words cannot do the flavor of this dish justice, and I could spend hours trying to justify it, but it is simply a must order.

Following was, unfortunately, the weakest element of my meal. I was incredibly excited for the Smoked Salmon on Japanese Avocado Bread… unfortunately, my issues came with the structure, far too large to be comfortably consumed. The taste was phenomenal- I’m unsure if I’ve ever had as fresh avocado, but I cannot recommend it due to the serving of the dish. Thankfully, there are other options to fill this slot, such as a Fresh Salad or Clam Chowder. For those who can stretch their maw like a snake, it’s probably the best thing on the menu, but I wasn’t feeling the size.

And then, life was changed, reborn again, for out came the Lobster Frittata.

A meal that could single handedly convince egg is indeed an all day food, not a breakfast food. Never have I had Hollandaise Sauce so sublime, so perfectly portioned and easy to pour with my bites. Asparagus, wonderfully soft, melting in my mouth with all the usual difficulty associated with the food having vanished. My Frittata came on a bed of Hash, allowing them to cleanly slide onto my fork and giving each bite of the main course a delicious cheese complement. Speaking of the eggs, as expected, they were perfectly soft and seemed magnetically drawn to the fork with the way they came off the dish and into my maw. And the highlight, of course, was the Lobster- zero work, with all the flavor. For a Lobster dish, the price is also fairly affordable- both the Avocado appetizer and the Lavish Lobster came out to just a 60$ brunch, which left me filled for the remainder of the day. Not an uncomfortable full, either- a true satisfaction few restaurants can match.

The servers were not only friendly, but diligent. The aforementioned bread basket was out the instant we sat, and drinks were promptly refilled upon any notice of an empty cup, which took no more than 30 seconds to be spotted.

The atmosphere in the room was uptight, the formal dress code helping contribute to a sense of majesty few other restaurants have matched. Few other places I’ve eaten at have made me feel as if I’m a billionaire, but The Capital Grille makes me believe I’ve got the capital. However, if I may critique, the decor was a fair bit bland, with no one particular element that stuck out.

To conclude, even if a good distance from the beach, my variety platter of fish and crustaceans did not disappoint and far exceeded my expectations. The large bill does not freak out, rather, it’s a reminder of the quality...

I was a regular at TCG until covid and had not been there for close to 3.5 years. When my husband and I were in mid October 2023, we were surprised that some things had not changed (which was good), and other things had changed (for the worse). Nothing has changed about the vibe, which is steakhouse, dark, same artwork, and the same well trained, seasoned servers -many of the servers we knew from years ago were no longer there. To our amazement, a server approached our table and said "gentlemen, it's been a long time, how have you been?" And it was Elizabeth, LIZ, who was one of the most seasoned professional servers. She had been our server over the years, and she then said "you like vodka martinis shaken very cold with olives on the side, right?" And we nodded our heads yes. "And you don't eat meat, right? And we again said yes, in amazement, that Liz remembered our drink and entree preferences after such a long time. But in many ways, this is what makes TCG iconic and special: the service is outstanding, anticipatory in nature, professional in execution. You truly feel that your server cares about your enjoyment of the meal, and cares that you are there. We had two dirty gooses, and when Liz brought the first round, she advised that these were the last we could have because they had run out of Grey Goose Vodka. Hmm, I expressed out loud, someone clearly fell down in their game and did not order sufficient quantity of this vodka. Our first example of a problem with management. We enjoyed our Grey Gooses, at $18 each, exceedingly well shaken, a full to the brim martini glass, with 3 stuffed olives on the side. We then shared their jumbo shrimp cocktail, 5 truly jumbo shrimp, served with their sauce. As we continued to eat the delicious cooked on site bread, using the sweet butter provided and dipping some of the bread in the jumbo shrimp cocktail sauce. Liz then presented the specials, announcing the scallops special. It was described as 5 jumbo scallops served over a bed of polenta, with mushrooms. She also remarked that they had not had scallops for years, apparently some problem with the distributor. We eagerly said "yes, we will share the scallops, can they be plated for two in the kitchen?" And Liz replied yes. The scallops came out and we were ama.zed We each had 2.5 scallops served over a minuscule amount of polenta. We each looked at each other, and were speechless. We then committed our first mistake. We ate the scallops. We ate it slowly. We cut the scallop into tiny tiny pieces. But you know what, the quantity of the scallops did not increase, nor did the amount of polenta. We then committed our first mistake. We ate the scallops. We ate it slowly. We cut the scallop into tiny tiny pieces Oh, we ordered a side of asparagus which was as we recalled - a large serving, prepared well, and well worth $13 We shared The Capitol Grille Cheesecake. It was divine. $13. And then the check. We were flabbergasted when we saw that the scallops were $65! What? Did someone go crazy? Didn't anyone from management look at what was being served? Wow, this was incredible. We closed out the check, tipped Liz well for her professional and warm service. We then approached the hostess podium and I asked to see the managing partner, whose first name is BOBBY. I was told he was not on site. what, the quantity of the scallops did not increase, nor did the amount of polenta. Oh, we ordered a side of asparagus which was as we recalled - a large serving, prepared well, and well worth $13. We could have eaten two portions. We shared The Capitol Grille Cheesecake. It was divine. $13. Incredible. A second round of martinis made with Tito's Vodka. And then the check. We were flabbergasted when we saw that the scallops were $65 Didn't anyone from management look at what was being served? Wow, this was incredible We approached the hostess podium and I asked to see the managing partner, whose first name is BOBBY. I was told he was not on property, and I asked to see the MOD...

UPDATE (Part 2): After the GM read my initial review (part 1) I was directly contacted by the regional GM within 24 hours of my experience. We had a constructive conversation about the things that went wrong (and occasionally right) and what the corrective action should have been. He requested if I'd be willing to go back and give them a seconds chance and I told him not if I have to pay another $300 just for only them to get the benefit of making more money and me changing my review. He understood where I was coming from and without hesitation said that he will be putting a gift card in the mail to cover our meal for my girlfriend and I to give them a second chance. We received the gift card within a week, however we were out of town for about 3 months and the gift card expired. We went to the restaurant and explained to them the scenario, and without hesitation, they said it would not be a problem and they can honor the gift card. Overall the food was properly cooked, the bartender was extremely friendly, knowledgeable, and funny, with drinks coming out in a quick fashion. I truly can not say anything negative about the second experience. With that being said, I docked the restaurant 1 star in the rating because of the gift card amount. We spent just over $300 on the initial experience for dinner and only had two drinks (about $35-40 worth total), including the 20% gratuity. For the restaurant only giving $150 in the gift card does not sit right with me; you should not be just reimbursing for the meal, you should be reimbursing for the experience. Given the 50% difference in gift card amount vs. What our bill was, we were forced to go during lunch hours where the menu is much cheaper vs. us re-experiencing a pleasant dinner at the restaurant. In my opinion, the gift card amount should have covered the cost of the food and 20% gratuity at normal dinner pricing, less the cost of the alcoholic beverages since nothing was wrong with them (yes management was aware of thr breakdown during our phone call). Overall, my opinion is you should be covering the total cost of the experience, not the meal. After all, having a brunch menu at the bar and having a nice ambienced dinner at a table are not the same experience. I hope they fix this for the next person.

Part 1: (initial experience) This was such a huge disappointment! I ordered the 22 oz. Bone-in Ribeye, medium rare... it came out medium well and unevenly cooked. Two bites were medium rare, one bite medium well. My girlfriend got the filet mignon, medium, and half of it came out medium rare and the other half came out well-done. The Au Gratin Potatoes are supposed to melt in your mouth yet we had to put force behind our forks to get the potato slices to even break. The Creamed Spinach was not creamy at all and tasted stale. The cocktails were properly made (at least there was that) and Tess, our server was really nice, efficient, polite, and always ensured we never had to ask for a refill. With that being said, this was the most wasteful $300 we have ever spent! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND GOING TO HOUSTON'S INSTEAD! The food is much more flavorful, properly cooked, and a fraction of the cost. Definitely won't be coming back here unless they make some serious changes! I hope management addresses all of these issues. I've uploaded pictures of all of the meals I have previously mentioned for proof. If you found this review helpful, please give...