What Really Makes The Capital Grille Steaks So Delicious?

Starting as a standalone restaurant in Providence, Rhode Island in 1990, The Capital Grille has since turned into a chain of upscale steakhouses spread across more than 70 U.S. locations. An acquisition by Darden Restaurants in 2007 (which also owns Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse) helped expand the restaurant and keep it at the top of steakhouse chains in America. But what makes The Capital Grille special enough to garner so much praise and relatively little criticism? It's the steaks of course, which are sourced, prepared, and cooked to perfection, paired with top-notch sides and wines, and delivered to guests on a platter much like a piece of art.

The Capital Grille certainly qualifies as a fine dining establishment, with award-winning wines, tender and juicy steak filets, and a sophisticated atmosphere to match. It attracts a certain crowd and keeps them rooted to their spots throughout the meal by providing an incredible dining experience.

We spoke to chef Michael LaDuke, Vice President and Corporate Executive Chef at The Capital Grille to get his expert insight on how the steakhouse chain delivers high-quality steaks while maintaining consistent quality. Here's what he had to say.

There's a reason so many of us rush to steakhouses to get our meat fix: it's all too easy to ruin an expensive steak cut at home. That's a big part of why steak restaurants don't play around with the quality of beef, sparing no expense with the meat's grades. So, it makes sense that The Capital Grille sources only USDA-grade Prime and Certified Angus beef for their steaks, according to LaDuke. The USDA recommends Prime beef for steaks, particularly due to its origin from young and well-fed beef cattle, which produces plenty of marbling and is best cooked dry-aged, broiled, and grilled.  

Addressing how The Capital Grille keeps its meat's piquant taste intact across all locations, LaDuke says, "We spend countless hours ensuring that only the highest quality beef gets to our restaurants so that everyone starts with great steaks. Each restaurant has an in-house butcher who is dedicated to the craft of aging and carving steaks to ensure unparalleled flavor and tenderness." 

Since the formula is the same for all of the restaurant's locations, it's no surprise the final product rarely fluctuates in quality. According to LaDuke, "the Executive Chef Partner focuses on delivering a consistent, exceptional dining experience for our guests, through training and inspiring the team to create expertly prepared dishes each and every night." 

Steak enthusiasts will know how unique each cut is, with flavors that depend on the part of the animal they were taken from, marbling, the ratio of muscle to tissue, the animal's age, and how it was fed. Whether it's  fatty ribeye, beefy sirloin, or tender filet, chefs at The Capital Grille cook and pair each steak in ways that will enhance the overall taste and mouthfeel. Chef LaDuke sheds light on how the restaurant makes its steak cuts distinct: "We select the preparation of each steak based on the flavor and tenderness of the cut being used to capitalize on the natural flavors. Take our Porcini Rubbed Bone-In Ribeye, for example, where we add big flavors to a well-marbled ribeye to balance out and accentuate the bold, natural flavors."

Another way you can experience the diverse flavors of each steak is by ordering them cooked a certain way. Fans of a tender cut should order steak au poivre, a French technique in which chefs coat filet mignon in peppercorns and sear it on high heat, creating a tender interior with a crunchy outer crust. Or simply ask servers to prepare your steak how the chef likes it, which is bound to have you smacking your lips with the result!

Just like each cut of beef is prepared uniquely at The Capital Grille, each is also cooked and seared at a particular temperature to lock in the meat juices and seal the outer crust. Custom flame broilers in the steakhouse generate 1200-1800 degrees of heat, allowing the meat to become charred and gain tasting notes of sweet and savory, all thanks to the Maillard reaction that can help to give steaks a perfect finish each time. LaDuke notes that careful attention to the unique properties of each cut is key, saying, "Steak temperature is really a personal preference, but steaks that are well marbled and cooked too rare will not deliver on the full flavor benefit of the cut. My personal favorite cut is a ribeye and I prefer it cooked medium rare to medium, depending on the thickness."

After the high heat has grilled the steak properly, it's moved to a cooler part of the broiler to avoid burning. There, it will finish cooking to the guests' desired level of doneness, a process that is overseen by the restaurant's dedicated broiler cooks. This complex process of maintaining temperatures to produce the perfect steak is something chefs at The Capital Grille have spent countless hours perfecting.

Nothing screams fine dining more than a steak and wine pairing, and The Capital Grille doesn't disappoint on this front either. The chain's locations house impressive displays holding acclaimed world-class wines, with nearly 350 selections and an inventory of 8,000, all curated by an Advanced Sommelier. Some selections on the wine list are much sought after by wine enthusiasts around the world. 

You can also enjoy the flavors of these wines fused with your meal as steak sauces that include a cherry cabernet reduction, an aged sherry sauce served on lobster bisque, and a Champagne vinaigrette on salads. Since 2006, the restaurant has also garnered Wine Spectator awards for its wine list.

Fans of The Capital Grille's wines are also treated to a wine tasting every summer, known as The Generous Pour. The experience typically lasts from July to September and presents guests with up to seven world-class wines for a mere $35 (at the time of writing). If you're not sure which wines to try with your meal, The Capital Grille staff can recommend the perfect pairing to make your steak flavors stand out. The wines are sourced from illustrious wine regions in France and California's Napa Valley, among other locations, and include Old and New World selections that expose guests to a variety of flavors that complement the bold taste of their steaks.

What started as a standalone restaurant in Rhode Island is now a chain with quite a few locations scattered across the country, which is no small feat for a steakhouse chain. The Capital Grille seems to have done this with a compelling combination of excellent steaks, thoughtful customer service, and a dining atmosphere that doesn't make you want to leave. Upon entering, you'll find that each restaurant has chic, low-lit interiors with mahogany wood detailing and Art Deco-inspired chandeliers that set the mood for a sophisticated evening ahead. The architecture doesn't hide what the restaurant serves either, with dry age cabinets that put hanging meat on display, while glassed-in closets often display the location's massive wine collection. With all that, it's no surprise that guests expect an exceptional fine dining meal even before they've sat down.

However, the interior isn't everything, as you need to attract a crowd before they can slice into the steaks and be transported to carnivorous heaven. With locations like those in Washington, D.C. not far from the Capitol Building, in the Chrysler Building's Trylon Towers in NYC, the historic Equitable Building on Wall Street (which includes a converted bank vault), and in Las Vegas facing the Strip, The Capital Grille's restaurant locations attract a crowd that can appreciate a good steak and spread the word about their fine night out in the right circles.