The Capital Grille — Restaurant in New York

I finally got the chance to experience restaurant week and picked the best place to start - The Capital Grille. The restaurant was beautiful, elegant and classic. In the historic Equitable Building, what was once a mighty bank vault is now the entrance to the private dinning rooms on the lower level. Just stunning, don't forget to check it out.

For starters we ordered the Clam Chowder and Green Salad w/ Parmesan vinaigrette. The clam chowder was soft, creamy and had a substantial amount of clam in each bite. Now, I'm a fan of green salads but this had to be the best salad dressing I've ever had. I loveeeee Parmesan cheese and the vinaigrette was exactly what I was hoping it would be. I ate every single bite of the salad and really could gone for more.

We ordered a Blackberry Bourbon cocktail and an Old Fashion. The blackberry bourbon drink was delish, just the right blend to accompany the mouth watering steak. We ordered just about the same thing, the Bone-In Dry Aged NY Strip 14oz, one with lobster, one with jumbo shrimp and both with mashed potatoes. The mashed potatoes were just melt in your mouth creamy. It was such a great side to the steak. He ordered his steak medium and mine medium - rare. When they arrived to the table his steak wasn't cooked to his liking and the waiter Donavon noticed by the look on his face. Donavan asked him if he wanted to order another steak to his exact liking, he hesitated for a bit but then went with Donavon's suggestion to "eat the steak exactly the way you want it." Moments later Donavan returned with a steak cooked medium- rare that was exactly how he wanted. Thank goodness Donavan asked him a couple of times because it was really worth the extra little wait. I genuinely appreciated Donavan's attention to detail and vibe. Donavan was just a delight, exceptional service, fun and very helpful. His service was 10/10.

Oh and just when we thought we were done, the desserts arrived. Hello chocolate cakes! First bite into the cake and I knew this was the right decision. The cake was served with raspberries on the side which allowed for a wonderful blend of sweetness from the cake and a bit of tartness from the raspberry. I really didn't have enough space to finish the entire cake but I did my absolute best. I highly recommend this location we had a wonderful dining experience and can't wait...

For now I would say stay away from this restaurant. I think they are having staffing issues effecting all levels of service. For a finer quality dining place this was poor. The older man that was the host when we entered was the high point for service. The server was a waitress and not particularly professional. To order took far to long, the cooking of the food took to long, and when it was delivered it wasn't to the right people with sides spread throughout the table instead of to the people who ordered them. The manager is a tall black man who definitely needs work on his customer service. The table next to us had a harsh discussion with him when he arrived unexpectedly to tell them their policy is to group all checks and include gratuity since they sat together although only half had food. He refused to split their check except some drinks but would not let them choose their gratuity. He kept saying he was in charge instead of being professional. I paid for our table and after waiting for 20 minutes for our check people started to leave. I had to leave the table and find the servers station. I explained people were leaving and asked how much longer it would be for my check. Instead of her answering he stood up and said just tell them it will be five more minutes. Everything could have been more professional. It was more of an experience for fast food than fine dining regarding service. I know everyone is having staffing issues, but when the meal is expensive the expectation is a higher level of service which is not found here right now. I'd say check back...

We are jaded New Yorkers and are a bit frustrated with over-rated restaurants in NYC. Sadly, Capital Grille fits that bill. The steak is overrated, the onion soup is bland, the side dishes are mediocre, and the wine is expensive. I guess if you are visiting New York and excited to go to a New York steak house the restaurant might makes sense. But if you are a local you can do better by cooking your steak at home. We like our steak well done but juicy. Tonight the steak was well done and super dry. We started with the onion soup which was bland and under seasoned. With the steak we had mushrooms, which were okay but not a lot of flavor, Brussels sprouts, which were flavorful but overcooked, and asparagus, which had absolutely no flavor (standard for New York). The wine was excellent but expensive (also standard for New York). The waitress was engaging but too friendly, which was a bit uncomfortable. She sat at the table with us when explaining the menu which we found surprising and then again when we ordered. We found her behavior a bit too casual for our taste. Her personality probably works for tourist but was a bit overwhelming if you want a quiet meal. The restaurant is beautiful with a lot of history, which we found mesmerizing. Definitely go to the basement to see the old bank vault (but skip the meal), it might blow your mind. Go to this restaurant if you want a nice tourist experience but skip it if you are looking for a quiet...