We capped off a great trip to Chicago this past summer with a wonderful meal at The Capital Grille. An upscale steakhouse near the Magnificent Mile, it was also conveniently located steps away from our hotel, the Hotel EMC2. Right off the top, I’d like to mention the excellent service. The atmosphere was comfortable yet elegant, and our server was friendly and knowledgeable.
We’d made reservations in advance when planning our trip (a good idea – it was quite popular!). What we didn’t know about was their special Summer Wine Event, The Generous Pour. For $50 per guest with the purchase of an entrée, we received lovely pours of seven different Californian wines. The wines were all wonderful and interesting, accompanied by a detailed keepsake brochure. The pours were truly and astonishingly generous—we love our wines, but were in no way able to finish the glasses placed before us. Getting to sample them all , and feeling treated to such good value, made us feel like very welcomed guests indeed!
We began our meal with the steakhouse staple, the Shrimp Cocktail (not pictured) followed by a traditional Caesar Salad.
The food was excellent, as were the wine pairings. Three white wines were poured to accompany the starters: The Copain Rosé (Mendocino County), the Matanzas Creek Winery Sauvignon Blanc (Sonoma County), and the Brewer-Clifton “Cellar Selection” Chardonnay (Sta. Rita Hills, Santa Barbara County).
The pinot noir based rosé was delightfully strawberry-like (I really enjoyed this one!) with the next two becoming progressively deeper and more citrusy. (The Brewer-Clifton wine was apparently crafted exclusively for The Generous Pour program). Every sip was a worthy complement to this part of the meal!
On to the entrées:
We both chose steak: for him, the 22 oz. Bone-In Ribeye, and for me the Seared Tenderloin with Butter Poached Lobster Tails. Each bite was hot and the meat succulent. The lobster tails looked gorgeous and were a lovely treat on top of a treat.
We also ordered grilled asparagus with a grilled lemon for the table.
At this stage, four red wines were poured to round out The Generous Pour pairings. Each growing in depth and intensity, they were: the Hartford Court Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley, Sonoma County) – very pleasant; the Bootleg “Prequel” Red Blend (Sonoma County) – a blend of Syrah, Petite Sirah, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon; the Edmeades Zinfandel (Mendocino County), which had a strong impression of baking spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.); and the powerful star of the show, reminiscent of Bordeaux wines, the Legacy Red Wine (Alexander Valley, Sonoma County) – very deep, rich berry and licorice-y. Truly, the trick was in taking small sips of each to make sure we got to experience and enjoy them all. (Did I mention the pours were truly generous?? I’m sure you can see it in the photos…)
We aren’t usually averse to ending our evening with a glass of port or a perhaps a glass of bourbon or scotch, but between the hearty food and the number of wines and our great enjoyment of all their flavours – we deemed it unnecessary. We did tuck into an incredibly rich and dense flourless chocolate espresso cake. I did not miss the flour in the least – this was an awesome dessert!
And, as if that wasn’t enough (it was more than enough) we were handed a beautifully packed, complimentary crème brulee package “to-go”, complete with forks and napkins. As we walked (rolled?) back to the hotel, we could in no way imagine ourselves eating it later…and we absolutely did end up eating it later! Scrumptious…
With its great food, great wine (with the huge bonus of the summer wine pairing event), fabulous hospitality and generous service, we highly recommend The Capital Grille in downtown Chicago – and look forward to visiting again soon!
For more information or to make reservations, visit www.thecapitalgrille.com