Capital Grille, Boston, MA

Disclaimer: My parents owned a restaurant for 18 years; I grew up in the restaurant business and I’m a business major with a marketing concentration. I am definitely someone who critiques almost everything that is happening when I go out to dinner (Or anywhere else for that matter!) it’s in my blood. I notice and can’t stand the bad stuff, but also notice and greatly appreciate the good stuff! Here is a review of an experience where I had the opportunity to notice and greatly appreciate the GREAT stuff!
This weekend I had the pleasure of eating at The Capital Grille in Boston, MA. I had never been to the Captial Grille, but had heard good things about it. My sister and I were taking my mom out to dinner for her birthday. My sister called a few days in advance to make our reservation. While on the phone she was asked if it was for a special occasion and my sister let them know it was my mom’s birthday.
When we arrived, the ambiance of the Capital Grille spoke for itself. It was gorgeous inside, beautiful windows, great table settings, and professional attire worn by ALL staff from the host to wait staff. When we arrived at our table there was a birthday card sitting there from the staff at the Capital Grille. The staff had all signed the card (as you could tell by the different signatures) At the bottom of the card, there was a quote that read, “Good friends, like wine, get better with age.” What a PERFECT quote combining a birthday, the friends and family you are probably dining with, and wine, which you will probably drink in celebration. Surrounding the card on the table were small pieces of birthday confetti; just enough to look classy, but still stand out. This was the first “little thing” I noticed about the restaurant that I hadn’t seen in any other restaurant. The second “little thing,” while technically “big thing” I noticed was the size and layout of the menu. The thing is massive! However, I really liked it. It made it seem important and unique. The first page is the full food menu and inside it is full of all different wines. There must’ve been hundreds! There is no way you’re going there and NOT ordering a glass of wine.
The service: Unbeatable from start to finish. Our server, Paul, was friendly, personable, funny, knowledgeable about the menu, and attentive. I assumed he must’ve worked there for 20 years. The bus staff was just as attentive as our server. At one point our server came over and was clearing our plates. After he was done clearing them and holding them in his arms my mom asked a question about desert. A busser noticed he was holding them while speaking so he came up beside our server and they transferred the dishes from his hands to the bussers hands as if it was a piece of cake. Let’s just say holding that many dishes was impressive, never mind TRANSFERRING them.
The food: Phenomenal. The three of us ordered three dishes to share. We got The “Wedge” salad, Filet Mignon, Filet Oscar, and a side of Sam’s Mashed Potatoes. Everything was cooked perfectly, presented beautifully, perfectly portioned, and very, very good. We couldn’t find one thing we didn’t like. (Which if you know the three Walsh women..that’s not easy!) Notice I used the word “find..” yes, we were LOOKING!
For desert they brought my mom over a piece of complimentary Chocolate Hazelnut Cake with a single candle. Our waiter dropped it off and said, “I won’t sing and that’s your gift” cracked up, and walked away, as my sister and I sang happy birthday to my mom. It was perfect.
My favorite “little thing” came when we got the bill. Think about that for a minute…if anything good can come from the bill...this place must be amazing!! Inside the guest check was our waiter’s business card, with HIS name on it. Brilliant. Business cards for servers. How often do you go to a restaurant and like your server and want to have them again but you can’t remember their name by the end of the meal or the next time you go back? Not at the Capital Grille. Stick that business card in your wallet. PAUL! PAUL! PAUL! And we will be asking for him again! Also, the bill….the Capital Grille is definitely pricey, but when all was said and done I thought our bill was completely reasonable based on our food and experience.
And last but not least, of course because we were so impressed and appreciated our experience, my mom stopped the manager as he was walking by right before we were about to leave. She told him about our great dinner, service, and told him how great of an idea we thought the business cards were. He SAT down at our table with us, immediately gave us his card and had a conversation with us about the philosophy of the Capital Grille, how happy it made him that we appreciated the little things, and also asked us to check out their Facebook page. (Notice they allow YELP reviews on there! That's definitly having confidence they got more good reviews then bad!) Yes, he brought social media into the conversation…I was IN LOVE! Ha-Ha. He basically “sealed the deal.” I told him I would have to write a Facebook “status” about how great our experience was. As I chuckled, he said, “Please do.” And he’s right. So I did. And I took it a step further and wrote this blog. Great customer service, great food, great atmosphere, and “the little things” are so rare these days that when they happen they should be TALKED about, they should be VIRAL! Maybe if everyone made it a point to talk about the good stuff as much as the bad stuff more good stuff would happen! In closing, congrats Capital Grille…you do it RIGHT! I will be back soon!