The Capital Grille, Las Vegas

I don’t know if it was the incredible view, the impeccable service or the melt-in-your-mouth delicious food that made me think The Capital Grille was going to be our best restaurant experience in all of Las Vegas. But whichever one it was, I was correct. Perched on the third floor of the Fashion Show Mall on Las Vegas Boulevard in a beautifully designed, modern yet comfortable space with glass walls that provide an incredible view, The Capital Grille should be on everyone’s list of restaurants they must visit when they are in Vegas. Given directions to have our taxi drop us off at the northwest corner of the mall, we took just a few steps and entered a fancy, brass elevator which whisked us up to the third floor and directly into the quiet elegance of what felt like a small and private club. Beautiful, dark mahogany paneling, plush leather and impressive art deco chandeliers added to the private club feel as we were greeted and ushered to a table right by the fantastic view of the incomparable Vegas. Before we were even handed our menus, our delightful server, Jan, set the tone of the evening with his friendly, knowledgeable manner and his seemingly honest delight in welcoming us to this place. The Capital Grille has been awarded the “Achievement of Excellence Award” by the American Culinary Federation and it took us no time at all to determine why. The impressive menu of dry aged steaks and wonderful seafood, along with an extensive wine list, had our group in earnest conversation about the best thing to order. Crab cakes are one of my favorite things so it was impossible for me to pass up an appetizer described as “Lobster and Crab Cakes” (Lumps of succulent lobster and crab with hints of dry mustard and red pepper are perfectly paired with fresh, sweet corn relish.) I am rather a connoisseur of crab cakes and will turn up my nose if they are made with too much filling. No problem here. These delicious, crispy cakes were packed with chunks of tender lobster and crab and I could have made a meal of them. But the best was still to come. Jan had informed us that the side dishes at The Capital Grille are served family-style in large dishes and I absolutely adored this. We were able to order several side dishes for our table of four and sample several things – all of which were completely delicious. We ordered the Lobster Macaroni and Cheese, Vidalia Onion Rings, Fresh Asparagus with Hollandaise, and Sam’s Mashed Potatoes. Each item was more delicious than the last but I have to say that I regret the most not being able to eat an entire bowl of those mashed potatoes. Whatever the chef puts in them melds together into possibly the most wonderful mashed potatoes I have ever eaten in my life. We were all tempted by the scrumptious-sounding seafood on the menu, which is flown in fresh daily, but the steaks appealed to us just a little more and we each ended up ordering one of the dry-aged choices. My husband and I travel a great deal and we have been to some pretty wonderful restaurants all over the world and eaten steak but the steaks at The Capital Grille are very possibly the best we have ever tasted. Tender, juicy and flavorful, they were perfectly cooked, perfectly seasoned and perfectly delicious. The incomparable Jan was horrified when we told him we did not think we would have time for dessert because we were trying to make a show time at one of the Vegas resorts. He insisted we absolutely must try some of their offerings and quickly whipped up several choices on a platter for our group to sample. Classic Crème Brulee, Chocolate Hazelnut Cake, Coconut Cream Pie and Cheesecake – I’m not even going to try to decide which was best because they were all fabulous. Our evening at The Capital Grille was the perfect dining experience. A wonderful atmosphere, delightful and friendly service, and absolutely delicious food. Whenever you are in Vegas, I recommend you make a reservation and pay them a visit. I guarantee you won’t be sorry. Jan Ross runs Wanderlust Wonder. If you would like to be a guest blogger on A Luxury Travel Blog in order to raise your profile, please contact us.