The Capital Grille

So this is a mixed bag review. :) Gluten Free: We'll start with the gluten free (GF) aspect - my wife requires it to keep from being ill. We had Cedric I as our server. He paid attention to detail and ran to the back if we had a specific question about something. If you don't have a food allergy, this is not something you expect, but when you do need it, it's great to have someone like Cedric. Food: We started with apps - crab cocktail (HUGE pieces of crab!) that was GF. Very good. I had the smoked bacon app - not sure I would get it again (seemed very fatty, but I'm sure that's the way it's supposed to be). For dinner we had the Seabass (awesomely thick fish) that was GF and oh so tasty! My wife could actually eat their Au Gratin - something she hasn't had access to in decades!!! It also was delish. My filet mignon, supposed to be medium well, came out quite red, but was still very good and cooked, just not as much as expected. We were brought a great GF dessert too. Price: For two of us, no drinks, no paid desserts, our meal came to about $100/pp before tip. Expected in this truly nice establishment. Reservations: Recommended, but VERY easy to do on-line. Down side: During the entire first part of our meal we were subjected to a VERY LOUD screaming young child - we heard later they were teething. That said, "you couldn't hear yourself think", let alone carry on a conversation - it was constant and again, VERY LOUD. My wife and I have had several children and recognize it was not the child's fault. But the parents should have called it a night - this is a very nice restaurant where people are paying a ton of money to have a nice time. I think partly this might be related to the fact that this restaurant is adjacent to a mall. Not sure this happened, but we envisioned that the family was shopping, or went to the movies, then needed something to eat and didn't realize this was supposed to be a high end establishment. At least I hope it was something like that. We thought that if this great place were on it's own lot, or in a restaurant dedicated area, things may have been different. That said, we are not blaming the restaurant on any of this - the food, atmosphere, and service will still have us returning at another time. It's truly great. Sorry for the long post.

Had our 29th wedding anniversary dinner at The Capital Grille in Tampa tonight. It was FANTASTIC! Everything was perfect! The staff, especially Nick was wonderful, pleasant and professional. Every bite of food was delicious followed up with yummy (gluten free for me) dessert. Pleasantly surprised as I normally have limited choices In restaurants. Highly recommend this restaurant! This was our second visit here… we will be back.