For the first time in several years, I went to The Capital Grille for dinner. For those unfamiliar to The Capital Grille, it is an upscale restaurant chain with locations in major cities throughout the U.S. Our local location is in the heart of Uptown Charlotte at 201 North Tryon Street. If you are concerned with parking, they have valet service, so you just have to pull up in front of the restaurant on Tryon and they will park the car for you. If you do not wish to valet, there are many parking decks within a few blocks. Make sure you make reservations (704-348-1400).

The atmosphere at The Capital Grille is as nice as any restaurant in Charlotte. It gives me the feeling of a very upscale lodge but is quite beautiful in its architecture. Everything has a dark would finish that enables you to be comfortable and relaxed.

The service was exceptional - easily a 10. The waitress was extremely knowledgable about every ingredient of every dish and how it was prepared. She kept our drinks refilled well in advance of our actually needing them and was always around if we needed to ask a question or anything.

While I normally order a Filet when visiting these types of steakhouses, the waitress steered me toward the Porcini Rubbed Delmonico steak. I was so glad she did. This steak was just phenominal. It was dry aged (as all steaks at The Capital Grille are) and had was topped off with a light drizzling of premium 8-year aged balsamic. I was not sure what they topping on top was as I ate it, but upon reviewing the menu determined it to be the balsamic. This steak was perfect in about every way. It was also very large at 22oz. The broiling process created a thin crust of porcini mushroom that blended perfectly with the other flavors. As stated before, this steak was amazing.

I had two sides with my meal - Fresh Asparagus with Hollandaise and Roasted Seasonal Mushrooms. The asparagus was exceptional, but the mushrooms were simply outstanding. They consisted of a large portion of portabella, oyster, shiitake, crimini and button mushrooms that were slowly roasted with extra virgin olive oil, rosemary, thyme and garlic butter. Like the steak, they were amazing. I am so glad that the waitress recommended them.

After eating all of this, I was quite full. Of course, I am a huge sucker for Creme Brulee and guess what? They had it. It too, was fantastic. Of course, does anyone make bad Creme Brulee? I have never found it.

All in all, The Capital Grille hit a grand slam on this visit. Everything about it was exceptionally great.

Before making your reservations to The Capital Grille, beware that the prices are not cheap. They are an upscale restaurant and charge accordingly ($$$$).

I was uptown today and decided to hit one of my old favorites - Mert’s Heart & Soul. Located at 214 S. College Street, Mert’s is in the heart of uptown. I had not been to Mert’s in at least 5 years because of my infrequent visits to uptown, and was pleased to say that it was just as I remembered it.   Mert’s maintains an extremely clean and jazzy atmosphere with what is perhaps the best low country cooking that Charlotte has to offer.  

The menu is fairly short compared to many restaurants who try to kill you with choices.  Mert’s has a handful of entrees and prepares them just right.    The menu has also not changed much over the years - nor should it have changed.  Any of the entrees from the “Daily Fixin’s” is a winner - blackened pork chops, southern fried chicken, fried catfish or whiting, or barbecue beef ribs.  Today, I had the famous salmon cakes.  These are simply some of the best you will ever get.  Instead of canned salmon like many places uses for their salmon cakes, Mert’s poaches fresh salmon, blends it with Cajun Trinity, adds spices, and serves them to you with their own remoulade sauce.  The end result is quite amazing. 

With any of the main entrees, Mert’s allows you to select from two side items.  Don’t count on getting any canned veggies here.  Mert’s has fresh veggies delivered to them daily and prepares them just right.  Today I had the green beans along with okra and tomatoes.  The green beens were excellent.  They were juicy and tender and had been cooked with bacon - just like grandma used to do.  You could definately tell the difference between these and the kind you get from a can.  The okra and tomatoes included a dash of spice.  They were great too; although, I could have used a bit more okra and a little less tomatoes - but perhaps that is just me. 

My wife had the fried chicken which came out as perfect as always.  Mert’s blends their own seasoning and fries the chicken to perfection.   Obviously, I am not the only person who is a fan of the chicken at Mert’s.  According to their website, they served 73,920 pieces of fried chicken in 2006.  For her side, she had the “award winning” macaroni & cheese.    It too is some of the best I have had. 

Also, many of my readers know that one of my peeves for restaurants in Charlotte (anywhere in the South actually) is bad sweet tea.  Therefore, I must mention that  Mert’s tea is blended perfectly.  Not too sweet (if there is such a thing) but sweet enough. 

Another great thing about Mert’s is that the employees are all so friendly.  They all seem like they love working there and love pleasing the customers. 

Whether you are visiting uptown for business or pleasure, Mert’s is the one place you need to stop if you truly want a taste of Charlotte.