The Capital Grille

The Capital Grille nails the steakhouse aesthetic — dark wood, leather, branded cocktail napkins, professional bar staff. The dirty martini was properly chilled and well-made. No complaints there. The appetizers were decent. Shrimp scampi in a cast-iron Staub skillet with cherry tomatoes and charred lemon was the highlight. Cesar salad bites bites looked beautiful but tasted just okay. Then the steak arrived, and the evening fell apart. The bone-in NY strip had passable color on the outside, but the meat was tough and chewy throughout — the kind of resistance that points to insufficient aging or an inconsistent cut. Seasoning was virtually absent. No aggressive salt-and-pepper crust, no depth. The beef flavor was muted and flat, not the rich, mineral punch you expect from prime beef at this price point. Service was professional and the ambiance is legitimately great. But in Texas, where independently owned steakhouses deliver transcendent beef for the same money, The Capital Grille is coasting on brand name alone.