{my savory dc} Capital Grille

Visiting bakeries and eating delicious sweet treats is one of my favorite pastimes. And the basis for that little feature called {my sweet dc} that you normally find right here on Thursdays.

Obviously, I do not subsist on sugar alone. In the past when I have written about DC restaurants I have dined at, CoCo Sala, Oyamel (and the unfortunate grasshopper tacos), and America Eats Tavern, I loved hearing back from those of you who then visited these restaurant after reading about them here.

It is a new year and I am ready to mix things up a little here on I Wanna Be A Domestic Goddess. Today launches {my savory dc} which will showcase my reviews of the restaurants I nibble away at.

A few things to keep mind:

• There will not be a regular schedule to the {my savory dc} features; it will all be dependent on how often I eat out.
• I am very lucky because sometimes restaurants invite me to menu tastings and I receive a complimentary meal. I will always disclose this in the reviews. This will also never sway my reviews of restaurants to the extent that that is possible. At menu tastings, you are always going to have some sort of preferential treatment; that is just a simple fact.
• I am not a foodie. And I actually kind of hate that word. I like grilled cheese. I have never really had Chinese food. I don't really like pasta. I love ketchup.
• If you are looking for very in-depth food reviews, I am probably not your restaurant review girl. While dining at today's featured restaurant, I texted this review of an item I was eating to a friend "Not bad. Kind of weird." And that will probably sum up my restaurant reviews skills on the whole: "Not bad. Kind of weird."

So let's kick off {my savory dc} with a trip Capital Grille in Friendship Heights, a restaurant that is basically 28 steps from my front door, that I walk past at least once a day, and that I have somehow have never been to until Monday.

On Monday, I was happy to be a guest of Capital Grille and to sample its new lunchtime Plates menu. This menu gives diners a soup or salad, a sandwich, and a side for $18. The current options:

I am a huge fan of the small plates way of dining. Smaller portions of a few foods allows for such a great combination of flavors.  For my meal, I started with the Roasted Red Pepper Soup.

We had a bit of an unforecasted snow surprise here in DC on Monday. As I sat in my cozy booth, eating this soup and watching the huge snowflake fall on the Wisconsin Place Plaze, I kind of felt like I was in a movie.  This soup was absolutely delicious. And only 70 calories, I believe.

My sandwich selection was the source of the "Not bad. Kind of weird." review mentioned earlier. I have never had a lobster roll. I have never actually had lobster. Two bites into the roll, I thought "What if I am allergic to lobster?" My hypochondria kicked in I and began checking to see if my lips were swelling and/or my airways were constricting. I have no clue if either of these are symptoms of a lobster allergy but I do know that I am probably not allergic to it. I am glad I tried this but I am not sure I would try it again. Like I said, "Not bad. Kind of weird."

The lobster roll was paired with Truffle Fries which hello, truffle plus French Fries, is that EVER going to be bad? They were amazing.

The {my savory dc} ABC's of Capital Grille

Ambiance Every time I walk past Capital Grille, classy is the first word that has always come to mind. Followed by "I wonder if Bloomingdales (Capital Grille's next door neighbor) is having a shoe sale." One step through the revolving door into the first floor bar area revealed a cozy dim bar reminiscent of supper clubs back home, complete with a mounted deer head on the wall. Up the carpeted stairs to the second floor reveals the bright and busy main dining room. It reminded me of the Ivy League faculty dining rooms as depicted in movies.

Scattered throughout the restaurant are portraits of who I assume are famous DC residents. A portrait of a renowned cardiovascular surgeon hung behind my booth. And it got me thinking about what restaurant would I have such clout with to have my portrait hung up in. And I realized it would by neighborhood Panera. The plaque by it would say "renowned 6 a.m. Hazelnut Coffee Drinker."  My portrait would have to include my bed head and puffy eyes. Because I really don't think anyone at Panera recognizes me without these things.

Budget The plates menu is $18 which for the DC is an affordable meal at a very nice restaurant.  When I visit the restaurant again, I will check out the prices of the rest of the menu. Honestly, I did not pay attention on this trip.

Clientele My fellow diners included tables of business lunchers, the retired folks that dominate my Friendship Heights neighborhood, and lots of tables of Ladies Who Lunch (I aspire to be a Lady Who Lunches). I was dining by myself because I have no friends who also have Mondays off but really did not feel awkward as a solo diner.

Deliciousness As an added bonus to meal, I was treated to this piece of Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake.

To my coworkers who find my dislike of both dark chocolate and mocha disturbing, I will concede that THIS WAS AMAZING. It was almost like pudding. I am still thinking about it.

Extras I loved that every member of the staff greeted me by name; I felt like I was at the Apple store. Again, I was their guest so maybe that played into this greeting but I hope the restaurant greets all of their diners by name; it just makes a person feel special.

The restaurant's reservation system requires them to seat people on time and not earlier. My advice is to arrive almost exactly time because there is not a lot of space to wait in a non-awkward fashion.

The menu includes calorie counts; I know some people hate this, but I appreciate it. I know that it helped me balance out my small plates choices.

Sodas are served in mini bottles. I rarely drink soda except for when I have French Fries at a restaurant but I like it most when it is served in a bottle!

Fashion Diners in the second floor dining room were dressed nicely; if you are dressed a bit more casual, you might want to dine in the first floor bar area.

Capital Grille in located at 5310 Western Avenue, Chevy Chase, Maryland in the Shops at Wisconsin Place. In shopper speak, it is next to Bloomingdales and across from Talbors and Cole Haan. There are several location in the DC area and throughout the country. Check for one close to you {here}. I was a guest of the Capital Grille for this visit and my meal was complimentary.