Question- How can a National Chain Reach this Perfection?

The newly opened Capital Grille located in the Hyde Park area of Cincinnati- 3821 Edwards Rd- is wonderful! The restaurant itself has that old fashioned clubby feel that makes one feel relaxed upon entering. We have enjoyed the offerings of one of the chefs, Alex Wellman, many times when he was with Nordstrom's in Kenwood. Capital Grill gives him the opportunity to really shine. Terry and I were there for lunch and shared a "Plates" lunch. For $18.00 this gave a choice of soup or salad; a main dish and a side. Don't get me wrong this is a very upscale place! Not being big eaters, we chose to share.

The bread came just out of the oven; warm served with butter and sea salt sprinkled on top. I'm not a big bread person, but this was worth the calories.

We started with the cauliflower soup with crab and curry oil. What a treat; lots of crab meat with just a hint of curry with the oil and just creamy goodness.

All of their steaks are dry aged on the premises, so we opted for the dry aged sirloin with arugula salad. The steak slices were done to perfection, with that bit of crunch when properly seared. The salad had heirloom cherry tomatoes, corn and avocados at the peak of flavor and texture; not overly dressed.

 For our "side" we had the truffle fries. Need I say more as to the deliciousness of this meal?

     

 The dinner menu has a variety of dry aged beef, lamb loin and some seafood. Capital Grille also has a wonderful sounding (we have yet to try it) lobster bisque which is oddly not on the menu but I think is always available. The wine list is extensive and priced from moderate to, well, let's just say it's extensive! The wait staff is exceptional, our gal, Thoria, made the meal a lot of fun. Did I mention this is a part of the Darden restaurant company based out of Florida? They also own Seasons 52, right next door, Red Lobster, Longhorn Steak, Olive Garden and more. Unbelievable!  From beginning to end the experience was truly perfect. We will definitely be back!  

20 Brix- Milford OH

Recently the Southern Ohio Association of Realtors had an event which included a silent auction. Terry Monnie Title Co. donated a meal at 20 Brix located at 101 Main St. in downtown historic Milford for two Realtors to join Terry and myself for a luncheon. Little did we know our friends Derrick and Jessica won the auction! We were delighted.  The main way into downtown Milford was blocked due to a large van knocking down a power line. But we persevered and found our way around to the restaurant. None of us had been there for some time and were all curious about the menu.

Jessica ordered a garden salad with salmon- looked very fresh & moist.

Derrick's pizza was a generous portion and he liked it!

   My crab cake was, alas too salty, but the sauteed 

veggies were good.  

Terry's "Figgy Piggy" sandwich with Brie cheese, figs and fresh fruit.

Since this was lunch time, none of us ordered any wine, as we all had a busy afternoon ahead of us. But the wine list is extensive and we all felt worth another trip to test out the list. 20 Brix can be reached at 513 831-2749.