A Capital Grille Elite Event, Round Two!

A couple of Sunday’s ago I attended an Atlanta Unilocal Elite event that was held at the new Capital Grille location, located in the Atlanta Perimeter Mall area. They’ve been open for six weeks now and have been serving our Atlanta folks real good. This location might be new but Capital Grille has been around for years and has another location here in Atlanta in Buckhead. We were definitely wined and dined in style.
The appetizers and cocktail drinks were delicious. I had the pleasure of being introduced to one of their infamous drinks, the Stoley Doley which is an alcoholic beverage that contains pineapple infused in vodka for around seven days. This drink was so good I kept them coming. The red wine was a nice addition to the appetizers and the butternut squash soup with mushrooms was incredible. They did an absolute fabulous job.
Capital Grille is the perfect place to host private dining events as they provide a variety of private dining rooms to choose from. From small private gatherings to lavish dinner parties to business meetings. Whatever your need they have the space to accommodate.
Unilocal Atlanta always does a fabulous job in choosing locations to have our little, and sometimes not so little events. This was a private event for some of the Elite Unilocalers, those who are dedicated to making Unilocal Atlanta the best it can be. And, of course it’s always a pleasure to mix and mingle with old and new friends.
Just for attending everyone was entered into a drawing that would award the winner two $ 50 gift cards to Capital Grille. Guess who that lucky winner was… Moi ;-) When I heard my name called I went running down the isle like I was on The Price Is Right, LOL!
I’ll definitely be using my reward soon!

Had such a wonderful time at the Elite event at the Capital Grille. The staff made us feel incredibly special and the food we sampled was so delicious! When I arrived, I was greeted with a sample of their pineapple infused Stoli vodka drink and I loved it. It was very flavorful and I would definitely order this when I return to the restaurant. We also had the option of either red or white wine and the servers were extremely generous.
We had the pleasure of tasting their lobster rolls, prime rib sliders, butternut squash soup, truffle french fries (some of the best fries ever), and a lobster/​crab-​cake sandwich. All of the food was great. I can’t wait to have the chance to visit this restaurant again.
We also had a chance to hear a great presentation from the chef about the dry aging process for the steaks as well as participate in a raffle for a gift certificate to the restaurant. While I am bummed that I did not win, I am definitely eager to support this great restaurant and come back for lunch or dinner. Thank you again for such a fabulous event!

When I realized I missed the Elite event at the Capital Grille a few months ago, I was somewhat pissed. I should have paid attention to my calendar a little better and not try to RSVP the day of the event.
With that being said, I was told there would be another event later on in the year, at the chains newest location, located just outside Perimeter Mall, but in the same parking lot.
I got there a little before two and the first thing I realized when I walked in, it reminded me of the Atlanta Grill at the Ritz Carlton (which used to be one of my favorite restaurants). The dark woods, the Viking wine chillers, the personalized wine/​liquor cabinets (sign me up, please! however, I am sure they would blacklist my selection of booze), and the paintings/​animal heads (sorry, no dog) through out the place. Apparently this is the 50^th location, and also the biggest. I would also like to say this could be the nicest (HOWEVER, I have never been to one before, so this is strictly an ASSumption).
Although we were free to roam the restaurant as we pleased, the majority of Unilocalers stayed in the bar area (which included two TVs as well and a nice selection of liquors). Since I got there somewhat early, I was able to get a table along the wall (more like a half booth, very intimate). The moment I sat down, a lovely server came up and offered a drink, so I started with a Stoli-​Doley (pineapple infused vodka), and then moved on to the wine.
During this time, multiple servers called us by our names and offered us food like truffled fries, tenderloin sliders, lobster rolls, crab/​lobster sliders, and prosciutto/​cheese on toasted baguette. If I missed out on anything, my apologies– long story short– I ate a lot, I ate well, and they enjoyed the fact we enjoyed it so much. Honestly, everything was executed on the same level in terms of how it was cooked, seasoned, and presented. I loved everything equally.
This event was called «A Generous Pour» for a reason. They gave us wine glasses the size of my ego, and kept asking if we wanted refills. You better believe I took advantage of it!
After the sampling of food and wine, the GM talked a little about the restaurant and educated us about it, and then told us of a dry/​wet aging demo by Chef Todd McEachern (sp?) on the patio.
It was a beautiful day outside, and the patio was huge– and it reminded me of being whisked away to a 5 star resort in the Pacific Northwest.
The demo was insightful, and even for me, I even learned a thing about meat. We also learned they have a butcher on site too (after the recession hit, having an on-​site butcher at a place was ultra premium, to give you an idea).
At the very end, they had a raffle for the Elites for a $ 100 GC to the place, unfortunately me giving the computer a virus so I could win it completely backfired– as I went home empty handed. Actually, that’s a lie– since they gave each of us a gift tote– I haven’t looked in mine yet, as I am still dreaming about the experience I had there.
Fleming’s was my choice for out of downtown fine dining, but after this experience, I am sooo coming here for my birthday this year– I was that impressed. Thank you Kathleen for making such a wonderful and intimate event, and to Charlie B. for bouncing and a thanks to Brittany for taking I am sure some awesome pics!

I’ve been marinating on what place or experience should merit my 600^th review just about as long as Capital Grille infuses their Stoli vodka with fresh pineapple (that would be seven days, in case you’re wondering), and this Elite Event is truly worthy of such distinction. It’s hard to not have a good time when you’re greeted with a dry-​aged tenderloin slider (incredibly tender with fantastic flavor and a perfect medium rare), which is then quickly followed up with a lobster roll (with the most buttery delicious bun), a demitasse of butternut squash soup, a cone of truffled frech fries, a fancy-​schmancy grilled cheese sandwich, and another tenderloin slider. In between this parade of delicacies interspersed with good wine and that amazing pineapple vodka, we did take a brief intermission to learn more about Capital Grille’s dry aging process from the chef. My plus-​one and I enjoyed learning from Capital Grille’s cute beef expert that our earlier expressed preference for ribeye or Delmonico steaks is in fact based on some culinary theory rather than just our taste buds. Though we weren’t the lucky raffle winners of the lunch for four prize, we walked off with beautifully wrapped boxes of chocolate truffles.
From start to finish (which would be about thirty minutes ago when I ate my truffles), this was a fantastic event that reminded me again how grateful I am that I stumbled across this great website and community when I googled «cheap hair salon Washington DC» while an intern on the Hill. Thanks Unilocal for another great Elite Event, and here’s to 600 more reviews (and hopefully fewer cheap hair cuts)!

Great low-​key event for a sleepy Sunday afternoon!
You’ve got to love an event where they pour you a nice big glass of wine practically as soon as you walk in the door. I was a little bummed at the selection of Chardonnay since it’s not my favorite, but it was a decent representation of the good things that can be done with the varietal.
My +1 had a little too much fun the night before, so she appreciated the house-​bottled water and the low lighting as we bellied up to the bar. I noticed small glasses of what appeared to be a bubbly beverage. Turns out it was the Stoli Doley, Stoli vodka that’s had Dole pineapple soaking in it for a week, giving it a slight sweetness. This cocktail packs a punch, since it’s pretty much just flavored vodka.
The food was great, too. The dry aged tenderloin sandwiches were flavorful and tender, despite being nice and rare on the inside. The lobster and crab cake burger and lobster rolls were good, but I’d probably stick with the beef when coming here. The butternut squash soup with mushrooms was velvety and delicious. The truffle parmesan fries were on the thick side and were exactly what I think hand cut fries should be. These would be perfect for soaking up some au jus!
Speaking of au jus, I learned quite a bit during the dry aged steak «demonstration» which was more of a lecture/​presentation. The head chef talked about how they age their meat for 28 days, keeping 1500lbs of meat in their locker at any given time. As the 50^th Capital Grille in the nation, they’ve finally figured out the safety aspects of cutting the beef, keeping a guy in the cooler all day (would be a nice job to have in the heat of August…) to make the porterhouses, ribeyes, and bone-​in strip steaks. He also showed us the Kona rub and the porcini mushroom rub, with a shout out to YDFM for being the source of their porcini mushroom powder.
I don’t frequent steakhouses, but the Capital Grille has convinced me to stop by the next time I’m in the mood for a nice piece of meat.
Thanks Kathleen and Capital Grille for a great event!