The Capital Grille - Buckhead - Atlanta Georgia

You can find this location of The Capital Grille at 255 E Paces Ferry Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30305 pretty much in the heart of Buckhead. Parking sucks but there is a valet service. The location is rather nondescript and without the address the restaurant would be difficult to see as it's on an upper floor (there really isn't much in the way of signage). You drive into the valet and take an elevator up.

I've had occasion to eat here twice - I've eaten more often at the Perimeter location as it's closer to my office. As with that location the Buckhead location is filled with elegant turn-of-the-century woods, fixtures and superb top-shelf service. The Capital Grille features aged beef and superior cuts for their steaks and really, that's why you want to come here.

For the last two visits I was presented with a couple of group appetizers for the table, and a fixed menu with a selection of entree, accompaniments for the table and a small dessert platter. This is a very nice upscale restaurant with cloth napkins and tablecloths, beautiful interiors and an excellent bar.

The Cocktail Shrimp presented were some of the largest I've seen recently - probably 16-20s more in keeping with what you could commonly get 20 years ago. They were perfectly cooked firm, not mushy with a great cocktail sauce.

The Steak Tartar was old-school with plenty of onion, thin slices of rye bread and a deviled egg to be fought over. A bread plate was also provided with small seeded-rolls and flat bread (more like a cracker) and all quite good.

For dinner, on the first occasion I had the 14 Oz Bone-in NY Strip - it was good but I thought it a bit tougher than I expected. The second time I had the 8 Oz Filet and it was perfectly cooked rare, delicious and fork-tender. this will be my go-to going forward.

For dessert we were given included fresh fruit, a creme brulee and a wedge of very-rich (flowerless?) chocolate cake. Noting exceptional but it all went well with the coffee provided and ended the meal flawlessly.

Service as usual was exceptional. I think this place stacks up well against any similar aged-beef steakhouse like Chops, Bones or Mortons.

-- John

(also posted to Yelp)

J. Alexander's

You can find this location of J. Alexander's at 4701 Ashford Dunwoody Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30338 in Perimeter Village, the shopping center North and across Ashford Dunwoody Rd from Perimeter Mall. This is a large shopping center that has a Walmart as the anchor, but also includes a US Post Office and several restaurants worth trying like Viceroy Indian Cuisine. I spend a lot of time over here due to its proximity to my work.

J. Alexander's occupies the old Houston's location, inheriting the sexy interior that features fabulous Louis Poulsen Artichoke Pendant Lamps, a rich dark wood interior and inviting bar. For me this location was always about drinking and having a few appetizers, something the restaurant does very well. I had eaten here a couple of times when it was Houston's and think of that chain as more of the original bourbon/wine and steak concept. J. Alexander's continues with that theme, at least at this location (the only one I've visited) and does very well by that concept, offering a selection of steaks, seafood and wines competitive with many high-end restaurants.

On this occasion I attended a short business meeting during lunch with only a few people. For the most part everyone was looking at the salads and fish options so my photos and review will focus on those items. I hope to come back and try a nice cut of prime rib with a reserve label red. We had reservations and were seated with about 5 minutes of standing in the lobby waiting for the entire party to enter. Service started very good with polite hosts attending and a couple of wait staffers to serve (I believe one was in training).

I had one of the specials, the Golden Sea Bass with Mango Papaya Salsa served with couscous and it was quite good if a little light weight - a small salad would have enhanced the experience (but again, I should have asked about a salad). I was envious of the lunch salads that others ordered, including an Ahi Tuna Salad and a Cyprus Salad from the regular menu.

Food on delivery seemed a bit rushed and the wait time from order to delivery was quite long - the only negatives to an exceptional experience. Also and perhaps this was due to the rushed delivery, the food was a bit skewed on the plates (I know that this is nitpicking but when you pay more the expectation should be higher, yes?). This was really a 3.5/5 experience but I'll round up to 4 from past visits.

--- John

(also posted to Yelp)