We arrived with reservations and a request to be seated in a reasonably quiet section of the restaurant. Upon arrival the valet parked our car, and we were seated right on time by the hostess at a table located in the middle of the restaurant.
Of course being Thanksgiving the restaurant was very busy, we were provided menus and waited for our server. As we browsed the menu water and bread was provided in a timely fashion.
Our server arrived to the table, provided the wine menu and the specials of the dinner menu to include those chef specials. At this point it seemed to take a bit longer than expected for a return visit with the wine I ordered.
We ordered our starters and entrees, due to the lettuce recall we were not able to order Caesar salads, instead we ordered the butternut squash bisque and french onion soups, which were phenomenal. The bright curried apples were a wonderful touch on the butternut squash bisque.
The 10 oz filet mignon was an excellent choice as always, prepared medium rare, seared on the outside with a side of bearnaise made this a wonderful and filling entree. I prefer the au gratin potatoes due to the excellent flavor of those fresh cheese covered potato slices topped with a nice crunch, they also stay warmer considerably longer than the mash potatoes. They also prepare a vegetarian option which is a wonderful pasta dish filled with vegetables. All of the entrees were very good and extremely filling.
During the main course we did not receive a return visit to fill empty wine glasses or check on the taste of the entrees, my wine ran empty mid meal, once our server arrived I was almost done with my entree.
We ordered the pumpkin cheesecake and creme brulee "to go", the cheesecake was very large, light and not overpowering with pumpkin spice and complemented with caramel and cream. The creme brulee, always a favorite, is very light, creamy and perfectly balance to go with the fruit it is served with.
We did utilize the valet service and upon having our car returned discovered the radio station had been changed to electronic dance music, this I found to be very unprofessional and have to wonder if our car was taken for a joy ride? I recommend parking your own vehicle to avoid this concern.
I do thoroughly enjoy the capital grill, the servers are always extremely professional and personable. I did come to the conclusion there are some areas of improvement for the restaurant to work on not only to satisfy the price point but to set this establishment above other steakhouses located in Raleigh.