The Capitol Grille

So after raving reviews from some very trust worth friends, I decided we must try The Capitol Grille (TCG) located at the lovely Conrad Hotel downtown for our Valentine's Celebration. I love the Conrad and the whole atmosphere it radiates but when I walked into TCG, I felt like I was stepping back in time. Take a look at the review below and let me know what you thought of your last visit to TCG! 


Atmosphere (***) I am not really one for the "good ole" boy feel of wood paneling and dead animals on the wall. Hints why TCG only got three stars. While I love the dark lighting and the bar was really beautiful, the rest of the place was seriously way over the top. We had a series of like 7 paintings of horses above our booth and then there was a giant moose head looking at me the whole dinner! 


Service (***) Ok, the bus person/water person was on top of his game. My water never went dry and that earned the service category two of the three stars. Yeah that tells you the server was not the greatest. Keep in mind I have been to many restaurants with excellent service and I worked in fine dinning so I know what it looks like and what it should be. I'm not sure if it is because we are young, but the only thing the server talked about was all the celebrities he has ever waited on. I love my celebrity gossip, but not here. He really didn't explain the menu and didn't take time to ask us anything about what we were looking for. I had to ask for recommendations 


Food (***) Here is the run down, on the good, the bad, and the ugly! 


The Good: Calamari (picture below)  was out of this world! Best calamari I have ever eaten and there wasn't even a sauce that helped it along! It was spicy and flavorful. The calamari was perfectly crunchy and not at all rubbery. Go to TCG bar and get a drink and the calamari...like now! The lobster bisque is another must have. The chunks of lobster had the best flavor and were very large and fresh. And of course the lobster mac & cheese (also pictured below) was AMAZING! 

Calamari 

Lobster Mac & Cheese

The bad: The ceasar salad was the same salad you could get at Panera Bread at 1/3 of the price. The fish entree, which my fiance got and was of course the special, was just ok. It was striped bass on a corn risotto. The risotto was mush and didn't have much flavor and the fish was pretty good although extremely large! 


The ugly: So this is where it all comes down to my most confusing moment of the night. I was told by a person who used to work at TCG that the Delmonico steak with the porcini rub and balsamic was the best thing on the menu. The server said "it will be the best steak you have ever had". BUT when it came out, my fiances direct quote was "you just got a bicycle seat for a meal!" It was way too big and the server never indicated that perhaps a petite person would be overwhelmed with this amount of meat. The steak wasn't that great, it was overcooked and was dry. The picture below was taken AFTER I was done with it! I have had better at less exclusive places, sorry to say. 

Dessert (?) I know right, gasp! I really wasn't enticed by anything on the dessert menu. We got Steak & Shake shakes instead! :) 


Overall (***)  PET PEEVE, I made reservations over three weeks in advance and noted that we were celebrating something, yet we were sat right, smack dab in front of the kitchen door. I asked for another booth, just down two from where we were supposed to sit, but that booth was reserved for "another party." If you could see my face, you would see sad face. I really wanted to like TCG but I must be honest and say it was mediocre and there are plenty of other steakhouses in Indy to enjoy. 

The Capitol Grille

40 W. Washington St

Indianapolis, IN 46204

317- 423-8790

www.thecapitolgrille.com 

Which Wich? Superior Sandwiches

Now that I have about 30 restaurants to write about (not really, but it feels that way), I figured I need to get going on the posts! For those of you who don't venture to Carmel very often, your missing out on a great lunch spot. Which Wich? is what you get when Subway and Quizno's have a baby. Check out the review below to find out Which Wich? you should pick! 

Atmosphere (****) Which Wich? has a fun and upbeat atmosphere and you know it as soon as you walk in. There's a long counter with red sharpie markers where you mark on your brown paper bag exactly what kind of wich you want and what you want on it (say that 10 times fast). Once you have your bag marked, you hand it over to the cashier and grab a drink and chips and wait for the toasted goodness that you are about to devour! 


Service (*****) Each time I have gone to Which Wich? there has been a friendly face there to greet us and make sure we know how to order. The service is fast and my order has been right everytime. You couldn't ask from more from a quick lunch spot. 

Food/Drink (*****) The combination possibilities are endless at Wich? They have cold, hot, vegetarian, lite, kosher, and a million other sandwich options. I played it plain Jane and got the turkey. I think if you mess a turkey sandwich up then you can't do much else right. And it was great! I'm confident since the turkey was great and the place is always busy that pretty much everything is good there. 

Dessert (?) Finally, the dessert. Although I didn't get one (I do have to fit into a wedding dress), the malts are amazing, so I am told. So if you go and want to splurge I would recommend it! 


Overall (*****) I will go to Which Wich? any day of the week for a great lunch. While Carmel might be out of your way, for sure make the trip on a Saturday/Sunday. And there is a new location opening soon on W. 10th St. Check out their website for more info!

Which Wich?

1430 W. Carmel Dr. Ste. 140

Carmel, In 46032

317-580-9424

www.whichwich.com

Late Harvest Kitchen

The time has finally come (the only time I could find in my week) to post the first review and if I must say so, this is a pretty spectacular place to start my food blog off right! Late Harvest Kitchen just recently opened close to our house so I was pretty stoked to try a non-chain place near the Fashion Mall. It did not disappoint!  We went with another couple who we like to try new places with so the amount of food we typically get quadrupled! Here is the breakdown:

Atmosphere (***) Late Harvest is located in a strip mall, not your ideal place for a fine dinning establishment, but they picked the right location for what it is. When you walk in, the entry and waiting area are not as inviting as it could be. They need some art or something to make the space seem more welcoming. Though we didn't get a chance to sit in the bar I did peak in and its pretty cozy with a few tables and a small bar. But then...you walk back into the restaurant and BAM, it's warm (figuratively and literally), its quite and the tables and chairs are very comfortable and romantic.

Service (*****) The service was top notch. Our waiter was knowledgeable about the menu and the drink/wine list and did not steer us wrong the entire night. Anything we asked for we got in no time.

Food/Drink (*****) Pretty much everything (10 items total) we put in our mouth made us go "Mm mm" and that's all we could get out because we wanted to keep eating. But I know that a long blog is not a good blog so I will only highlight 3 items.

Appetizer: Caviar Pie (pictured below): was perfect in every way. There was 5 different kinds of caviar laid out on a wedge of cream cheese which was the perfect vehicle for getting these little morsels in your mouth. The fact that you get to try 5 different kinds is pretty amazing and they were all equally as good as the previous one. And the stuff sprinkled on the side, couldn't really tell you everything in it, but all you need to know is try it!

Entree: Pork cheeks was the best entree of the night and it wasn't even what I ordered! I had a few bites and could tell that this dish was where it's at. The meet was almost like a pork roast; the melt in your mouth type. The cheeks were laid over risotto and brussel sprouts and had a really rich and warm sauce drizzled over the top.

Drink: The Passport (pictured below) is so refreshing and different, I really recommend it. I normally can't drink an entire drink because the alcohol taste is so rough, but this was gone in two minutes. Its a complicated drink, their specialty, with basil and grapes. Defiantly get this when you go!

Dessert (*****) The toffee bread pudding (pictured below) was hands down the best bread pudding I have ever had. You must get it. The sauce and homemade whip topping make the dessert. Best of all: no nuts!

Overall (****) Interesting note: my fiance ordered the apple pie (it look amazing) and the waiter came back to say that the chef wasn't happy with the last two pies and didn't feel comfortable serving them. It brought me back to Top Chef and I heard Tom Colicchio wisper "don't serve it if you aren't proud of it" and knew right away this chef knew what he was doing and this was the type of place where only the best was put in front of you.

Late Harvest Kitchen

8605 River Crossing

Indianapolis, 46240

Mon - Sat: 5:00 pm -10:00 pm
Tel: 317-663-8063

www.lateharvestkitchen.com