A Memorable Evening At The Capital Grille

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The Capital Grille is well known for their high quality food, wine, and wonderful service. For my husband’s upcoming birthday I wanted to take him somewhere very special and when our friends raved about The Capital Grille it was set that we would go there. We checked out their menu online and I called to make reservations. They asked if it was a special occasion and I said yes, my husband’s birthday. It must be common that people go for a special occasion and now we understand exactly why. They told me for birthdays they offer a complimentary flourless chocolate espresso cake, perfect!

The menu looked great to me, but I wanted to make sure there were gluten free and dairy free options, it’s hard to tell when it comes to sauces and preparation methods aren’t always explicit about ingredients. I filled out a contact form on their website with my concerns and they sent me an e-mail from the head chef the very next day. They explained how they would keep everything separate to avoid contamination as much as possible. They gave me a list of gluten free foods by appetizer, salad, entrée, and dessert selection. I was so pleased by their response and was confident we could dine there worry free.

Below is what they wrote:

“

Dear Mrs. Higgins:
Thank you for taking the time to contact us and for your interest in The Capital Grille.  Please notify the Chef or a manager upon arrival of your food allergies and we will use new tongs and pans to prepare your food and take extra steps to keep your food away from items with gluten.  While we do have flour, dairy, soy, and corn in our kitchens, and as such, cannot guarantee an absolutely allergen free experience, the items listed below are made from recipes that do not include gluten.
APPETIZERS
– Wagyu Carpaccio
– Prosciutto Wrapped Mozzarella ordered without croutons
– Oysters on the half shell
– Shrimp Cocktail
– Cold Shellfish Platter
SALADS
– Caesar Salad ordered without croutons
– Garden Salad ordered without dressing
– The Wedge Salad
– Spinach Salad
SIDES
-Roasted Crimini, Portabella, Shiitake, Oyster Mushrooms
-Baked Potatos are typically available upon request
-Fresh Asparagus with Hollandaise
-Sams Mashed Potatoes
ENTREES
– Any steak ordered without sauce
– Lamb Chops without Cherry Mostarda
– Fresh Lobster
– Fresh Seared Salmon fillet ordered without citrus glaze
– Fresh Swordfish with lemon shallot relish
– Sesame Seared Tuna ordered
– Roasted Chicken
DESSERT
Crème Brulee
– Fresh Berries with Vanilla Cream
– Sorbet
– Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake
-Handcrafted Ice Cream ordered without the biscotti
We look forward to serving you. Please feel free to contact me and I would be happy to further customize a meal that suits your needs.
Sincerely,
Jim Nuetzi
Corporate Executive Chef
The Capital Grille
407-245-5199

“

We were immediately seated when we arrived and they had a birthday card and metallic confetti on the table waiting for us. A printed gluten free menu was waiting for me and we were offered a complimentary Champagne toast to start off the evening. Thank you! The server was very helpful and let us know they could accommodate all of our needs. We asked a few questions and took our time ordering a bottle of wine. An outstanding selection with several different types of wines and wines by country and regions. We selected a Mark West Pinot Noir which was an excellent choice.

Dining at The Capital Grille was an experience similar to what we remember from our vacation in Paris a few years ago. There was no rush to order, the evening was relaxing, and you never feel rushed by any means. This is how dining is really meant to be. Turning tables is not the point at this establishment, creating a memorable experience is the whole intention, and that’s exactly what they did for us.

My husband ordered a cup of the French Onion soup to start which was filled with rich caramelized onions, draped by a blanket of bubbled up broiled cheese on top and the signature piece of bread at the bottom of the cup. He was delighted! We were served bread at the table with butter, my husband enjoyed a few slices of what looked like focaccia bread with soft butter.

I ordered the Filet Oscar without the sauce Béarnaise Sauce. My husband ordered the special of the evening, Filet with Butter Poached Lobster. We also ordered half portions of the sides, Sautéed Spinach cooked with olive oil and whole roasted garlic cloves(yum!) and Au Gratin Potatoes. The server let us know we could place half orders of the sides since the portions are large and it was just the two of us. This worked well as my husband had the Au Gratin Potatoes to himself, since they are filled with cheese and topped with bread crumbs. He said they were the best he ever had! I remember eating Betty Crocker au gratin potatoes from the box when I was younger, these looked absolutely delicious – no comparison.

The filets were cooked perfectly, medium rare, they were lightly seasoned with salt and pepper, nothing more was needed. A good quality piece of meat needs nothing more than a little S+P, quite amazing! The crab meat on top, tender and moist chunks, quite excellent!

We just had to save room for dessert so a take home box for dinner was needed. Dessert arrived with a lit candle and the server took our picture, another complimentary offering! We also each had a single shot espresso that went perfectly with the flourless chocolate espresso cake. The cake was moist with a rich chocolate espresso flavor, not overpowering by any means, the flavors were just right.

The evening was wonderful, we could not have wanted for anything more. My only request is to go back for my birthday in September!

The Capital Grille

Boca Raton Town Center Mall

6000 Glades Road

Boca Raton, FL 33431

561.368.1077

National Women’s Week: May 13-19, “It’s Your Time” To Prioritize Your Health Now!

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National Women’s Week is May 13-19 and now is the time to begin prioritizing your health ladies! “It’s Your Time” is this year’s theme and women are encouraged to consider their health by eating better, exercising more, reducing stress, and getting checkups and preventative screenings so we can all feel great and be our best.

May 14 is the 10th annual National Women’s Checkup Day, click here to learn more about early detection, disease prevention, and other steps to better health. Take action today to begin improving your health so you can lead a healthy and productive life. Women spend so much time caring for others, but when we take the time to better our own health, we are better able to be there for the ones we love.

There are several local events this month, check out the one in your neighborhood:

Sign up for the free events and in the meantime, take steps to better health by eating better and exercising more. Add more fruits and vegetables to your diet to get essential nutrients that women need, including Calcium, Vitamin D, Iron, B12, Folate, and Vitamin E. Potassium, Phosphorus, and Magnesium are also key nutrients for women which help keep up energy levels, reduce stress, and lower blood pressure and cholesterol. Here are a few easy ways to add more produce to your diet:

  • add potassium rich banana or berries to your morning cereal or yogurt
  • stir fresh spinach or grated zucchini into your favorite pasta sauce
  • use spaghetti squash instead of regular pasta noodles
  • roast broccoli, cauliflower, and garlic to serve with grilled chicken or burgers
  • enjoy crunchy carrots with hummus for a satisfying afternoon snack
  • add sliced cucumber, tomato, and sprouts to sandwiches
  • substitute lettuce or steamed collard green leaves for wraps made with flour

Are ready now and believe, “It’s Your Time”, but don’t know where to start? Working with a Health Coach who can customize an eating, exercise, and life plan can give you the support you need to succeed and hold you accountable so you will reach your goals.

Where do you struggle when it comes to prioritizing yourself?

Youfit Now Open At Boca Town Center

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There’s a new gym in town and it’s called, Youfit! The concept is that everyone ‘fits in’, this is a no judgment zone and they try to make working out as approachable and fun as possible. Let’s start with walking thru the door and being warmly welcomed. We took a gym tour and learned so much, there is more than meets the eye. Their second concept besides fitness for You is, ‘Green is our color’. Green happens to be my favorite color too! What they mean is they are committed to the health of our environment just as much as they are committed to helping people get more healthy, happy, lean, and inspired. The floors are made of recycled tires, they recycle all plastic bottles from the club, they use high-powered yet efficient hand dryers that work very well instead of paper towels in the locker rooms, plus energy efficient lighting just to name a few.

The Boca location at Town Center is above Blue Martini and Pinon Grill, you park on the second floor of the parking garage and walk over to Youfit. They have a sign on the opposite side of the parking garage that faces the Terrace at Boca Town Center, we mistakenly thought the entrance was next to The Gap. There were signs to guide us to the right place as we walked up to The Gap, so even if you head the wrong direction, you will be able to find it.

The gym has a ton of cardio machines placed around the perimeter of its 17,000 sq. ft. space. Each machine has its own 15” screen for watching t.v. and includes an apple adapter so you can plug in your ipod, shuffle or other apple device. Cardio machines include treadmills, arc trainer (a cross between an elliptical and a stair climber), and stationary bikes. There is a stretch area called Youstretch which includes mats, exercise balls, bosu balls, assorted medicine balls, along with incline ab benches. The middle of the gym is filled with weight machines and they have a great color code system: purple for upper body and green for lower body. Each machine also has water bottle holder, a nice feature. Members are expected to bring a towel and must wipe off the equipment after using. There are also paper towels and cleaning spray to use for disinfecting equipment available.

If you want to use a workout machine but aren’t quite sure how to make adjustments or use it properly, you can ask any of the staff at Youfit, they are all exercise 101 certified. All staff are trained and will help you out for free. They do not have exercise classes at this gym, that’s part of how they keep the cost down. However, they do have a 30-minute Youfit Express Circuit training area that is led by a Youfit Coach 6 days a week. You can also use this training area any time on your own. There are instructions on the wall and there is a red light/green light to indicate when you are to switch from one exercise to the next. This is great if you want to have a great workout in 30 minutes but aren’t sure where to start.

The back left quadrant of the gym is the free weight area. There is a big rack of dumbbells along with weight plates, smith machines, benches, bars, dip machine, curling station, cable machine. This location does not have squat racks, there are only smith machines since the facility is above Blue Martini and Pinon Grill. They don’t want the sounds of weights dropping to entertain the diners below.

If you want to work with a personal trainer, they have Youfit Coaches on staff.

Gym hours are Monday – Thursday 5am – Midnight; Friday 5am – 10pm; Saturday – Sunday 8am – 8pm.

Phone: 561.367.2326

E-mail: Towncenter@youfithealthclubs.com

6th Annual FLIPANY FUN RUN

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The 6th Annual FLIPANY Fun Run 5k/10k took place on Saturday, January 7, 2012. FLIPANY is the Florida Introduces Physical Activity and Nutrition to Youth Inc., organization and its Mission is to, “Provide affordable physical activity and nutrition programs to low-income youth and their families in South Florida.”

FLIPANY’s 6th Annual Fun Run is an official “Let’s Move Broward” event. It was held at the North Beach Park Boardwalk, 3601 N. Ocean Dr., Hollywood. The weather was perfect for a morning run! Many happy runners crossed the finish line then enjoyed the whole wheat pancake breakfast for post race fuel. Miami 93.9 provided music and gave away prizes. Dolphin Cheerleaders were at the event for photos. There were also kids activities at the Kids Zone sponsored by Funderdome. Read more →