Holiday Extravagance at Capella's Grill Room
20 Nov
Last week I was invited to check out the Christmas and New Years Eve menus at The Grill Room, located in Georgetown’s posh Capella hotel. Hosted by Marco Bustamante, the general manager of Capella, a group of us were welcomed into the luxurious dining room to sample an array of decadent dishes to celebrate the upcoming holidays.
And things got indulgent right off the bat as we kicked the evening off with a glass of champagne and oysters topped with caviar. Spreading the warm bone barrow over the crunchy, housemade bread was a real treat, too.
The baby beet salad featured luscious amounts of firefly goat cheese, hazelnut, and arugula, and was accompanied with verjus vinaigrette. Meanwhile the Little Gem Lettuce with blue cheese and bacon lardons was an upscale (and much better) take on the classic wedge salad.
Moving onto the main courses, the Salmon Wellington with chicken mousse and wilted spinach was a slight departure from the more traditional beef preparation, while the Carnaroli Risotto featured rich flavors of roasted pumpkin and complemented the seared scallops.
The headliner of the evening, however, was the Heritage Turkey. Glistening from hours in the oven, the warm, moist slices of freshly carved turkey were accompanied with chestnut stuffing and apple-rye chutney.
And then there were the amazing sides, most notably the Brussels sprouts with Asian pear, aged soy, and wild flower honey – just a wonderful preparation. I also enjoyed the applewood smoked mashed potatoes with crème fraiche and chives. The smokiness really enhanced the flavor of this otherwise staple side. Finishing off the trio of sides was the creamed kale with grated nutmeg – an always reliable green dusted with a hint of holiday spice.
My favorite course of the evening went to the kitchen’s holiday rendition of Basked Alaska. Gorgeously presented, the flourless chocolate cake was topped with freshly torched flavors of cinnamon, cappuccino, and vanilla. Each bite left me clamoring for more and was one of the best desserts I’ve had in quite some time.
If you’re looking to go out to dinner for this Christmas or New Year’s Eve, be sure to keep The Grill Room at Capella in mind when making your holiday reservations.
The Grill Room at Capella is located on 1050 31st Street NW in Georgetown.
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