
I like going to places' opening nights. Briefly, though. I’ll see who shows up, catch the buzz, try the passed app’s, and leave the crowd after an hour or so. The Chamber of Commerce was there with gleaming name tags, and others scoped out the new kid on the block. Huh? People wearing name tags in Naples, and not the usual hungry horde of realtors? That’s rare! With local celebrities at the ribbon cutting and later mingling inside, it felt like being in a small town.
Commissioner Frank Halas, Lisa Wilson, Peter Lopez

The Capital Grille feels like a turn of the century men’s club, with red mahogany wood paneling, burnished brass rails, and tasteful beveled and etched glass accents. In that era, guys smoked stogies, talked of film starlets, and lost count of their cards and drinks, with no one keeping score. Not today. The 12 point deer heads still watch from above, however there's wireless A/V business luncheon’s talks, and the ladies can outnumber the gents. A couple of early 40’s flirting beauties’ smiling faces showed they were pierced by Dr. Beau Tochs’ seductive charms. Welcome to Naples, 2008.
The Grille has an intimate scale and warmth, yet holds over 200. The long bar area seats 32; conversation is easy. I mentioned to Lisa Wilson, Capital’s friendly marketing maven, that I've cooked for charities. We were early enough to be seated in the choice “catbird seat”, a 4-top with a panoramic view of the gleaming open kitchen. Yes!

The Calm before Showtime


Sommelier and Manager Philip Holcombe and I reviewed the stars of the 370 wines in the glass walled wine cellar. I chose the Oregon 2006 Penner-Ash Pinot Noir, for pairing with seafood and steak. Most wine categories on the wine list started at $30, pretty easy on the wallet for four glasses, and quality was evident at every level. Knowing the retail prices on some of these- the Stags Leap, Cakebread, 2005 Caymus Cab and even the Lynch-Bages 2004 Bordeaux for $210; the mark up is conservative for Naples, and to your benefit. Somehow we passed up the Lafite-Rothschild Premier Grand Cru, Pauillac, ’89. A favorite drink is the Stoli Doli, with Stolichnaya vodka and fresh squeezed pineapple juice.Other drinks include the Appletini, and the Bohemian, with Absolut Peach, champagne, fresh berries and Bottlegreen Berry cordial.
Our server, John Svoboda, looked familiar. Yep, he’s been at other high end spots in Naples. He knows the Capital Grille's dishes well, and made spot on suggestions. Over 800 experienced servers applied for 30 openings. That’s odds as tough as for vet or med school. He started us with the heaping portion of crispy Pan-fried calamari

My Porcini rubbed Delmonico Steak with 12 year aged Balsamic (42) was bursting with bold taste.

The Dover Sole special (33), stuffed with Alaskan king crab, is served on a corn kernel broth, with a bottleneck clam quartet.

My eyes can be bigger than my appetite, when ordering. Pamela lovingly calls me "El Gordito", when I take a break from dining. It means “Adonis”, in some language. For sides, the Au Gratin potatoes (10) thinly sliced,

The Lobster Mac n’Cheese (14) is a must try, luscious with tender chunks of lobster and a quartet of melted cheeses, (said by Chiara Assi to be grana padano, havarti, mascarpone, and topped with white cheddar),

The Parmesan Truffle Fries ((9) are almost erotic- hot crunchy-crisply fried and tender inside; the truffle oil adds a level of subtle richness.

Proprietor/Managing Partner Peter Lopez came by the tables, and we talked about cookery, kids, camping and travels. A fun, well rounded, down-to-earth guy. Maybe his young sons will share some cooking tips!
We paired the crisply sweet Inniskillin Riesling with our desserts. A tawny port or jerez would also do fine. The Chocolate Hazelnut Cake (9) was this chocoholic’s favorite.

The Cheesecake with Berries (8) is a delight, not too rich, not too fluffy.

Another table had the Dark Chocolate Mint Ice Cream Sandwich dessert with sauce- we’ll try that next time.

The Capital Grille is in their groove..They’ve raised the bar for Naples steakhouses. Have lunch or dinner there, with a nice wine. Life in Naples can be very, very good.
The Capital Grille, 9005 Mercato Dr., Naples, 239-254-0640
2 comments:
Divine in every way...your photos are beautiful!
Thank you.
I was there last week. Food and service are tops!
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