by Chris Becicka
photography by V.Craig Sands
Just what the Plaza needs, I thought, when I had heard that yet another steak house was moving in. Though I'd bitterly bemoaned the loss of The Bristol and reversed my emotions concerning the departure of Jules, I still wasn't anticipating more beef for this cowtown when The Capital Grille opened last March. I also wasn't crazy about yet another "chain" opening up on the Plaza—this group has 15 restaurants across the country.
Turns out though, we do need another steak house—in part because this one is more than just great steak. And, they've imparted local flavor, too—they have the proper name on the strip steak and they have "famous" Kansas Citians on the walls amidst the moose and deer heads and hunting scenes.
So, to the food. First, I have to tell you I really am not a devotee of steak when I eat out--its best preparation is simple, the proper rareness is an imperative, and I can't grab, with any grace, the bone and hunker down like I want to. But at The Capital Grille, not only was the steak perfect, but the other stuff was truly delicious as well.
The traditional steaks are all there, dry aged for 14 days, which makes them more tender we were told. But the Delmonico—ahhh, now there's a steak. Despite the recommendation from our pleasant server that it be ordered medium well or well (oh, heresy!), this bone-in rib eye was melt-in-the-mouth-scrumptious—a term I'd normally reserve for only chocolate. Both Mr. Rotund and I preferred it to the most popular steak, the large and tender Porterhouse.
The delicious other stuff? The crabcakes were full of big pieces of crab and came on a spicy sauce that did not at all detract. The calamari was flat-out great—with spicy red bell and other peppers. The pieces were large, lightly coated, and the plate could easily have fed four. The famous Capital pea soup was the best I've ever had, other than my mom's. The other entrees, ranging from roast chicken at $17.95 to the signature veal chop (also a Porterhouse) at $28.95, were mostly seafood (swordfish, salmon, tuna, scampi, and delicate lobsters crawling from two up to five pounds).
Everything here is a la carte. A popular salad is an old-fashioned one, "The Wedge"—1/3 of a head of iceberg with blue cheese sprinkles. The spinach salad with warm bacon dressing was tasty and the Capital Grille salad was a crisp collection of various lettuces, tomatoes, Roquefort dressing and blue cheese crumbles. We skipped the one pound baked potato and the recommended mushrooms and went with the Lyonnaise potatoes, which were roasted. The restaurant makes all its desserts, and we didn't have room for any, but we ordered the chocolate cake and ...ate it all.
This is a classy restaurant, one that impresses. The pricey wine list is more than extensive with over 300 wines. They have a separate after-dinner menu with 9 desserts and huge drink list—including 36 single malt scotches, 16 ports, and 29 cognacs and brandies —and you're invited to ask your server about others. You also have to ask your server what wines by the glass they have since they're not listed anywhere other than in the bar—highly annoying because you have to ask for the price, too, if you're crass enough to care.
Horrendously full, even with our doggie (ha!) boxes stacked neatly in a bag, we tried to compensate by walking around, gazing at the infamous non-edible, cows which are a hoot even if you don't think they're art. Moved to deep philosophical insight, my portly friend opined that perhaps the best Plaza art could be determined by the palate rather than the palette.
I was speechless.