Capital Grille to open Oct. 17 at Mall at University Town Center

The Capital Grille under construction at The Mall at University Town Center.
FILE PHOTO 2014

Folks wanting a fine steak dinner at the new Capital Grille will have to wait one extra day.

The Capital Grille at the Mall at University Town Center will open Oct. 17, one day after the new mall opens.

The Capital Grille will be open seven days a week, serving lunch Monday through Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and dinner Monday through Thursday, 4 to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 4 to 11 p.m. and Sunday, 4 to 9 p.m. The lounge is open daily. Reservations are recommended, but not required. Call 941-256-3647 or visit www.thecapitalgrille.com to make a reservation.

The Capital Grille, owned by Orlando's Darden Restaurants, is known for its dry aged, hand-carved steaks in an upscale environment.

The Capital Grille Sarasota seats about 276 people in the main dining room and three private dining rooms. The Sarasota location will also have a lounge area that extends to an outdoor patio area.

“Sarasota’s thriving business community, coupled with University Town Center’s retail focus, has provided an ideal location to introduce The Capital Grille to the area,” said Timothy Fanning, managing partner of The Capital Grille Sarasota. “We embrace the opportunity to provide guests with our unique dining experience and eagerly await the restaurant’s opening.”

The restaurant's dinner menu includes;

• Dry Aged Porterhouse Steak
• Bone-In Kona Crusted Dry Aged Sirloin with Shallot Butter
• Pan-Fried Calamari with Hot Cherry Peppers
• Lobster and Crab Cakes
• Seared Citrus Glazed Salmon
• Lobster Mac ‘N’ Cheese
• Parmesan Truffle Fries
• Classic Crème Brûlée

For those who don't want to plop down some hefty coin, The Capital Grille offers a lunch menu that features a Kona Crusted Wagyu Burger with Shallot Mayo, and the ‘Plates’ lunch menu, which allows diners a choice of soup or salad and an entrée for $18. The Plates menu offers seasonal selections with a fine dining twist.

The restaurant's wine list features more than 350 selections picked by master sommelier George Miliotes, who is on Twitter @TheWineExpert. Miliotes is only one of 219 master sommeliers around the world. His wine list includes affordable bottles under $30 as well as vintage and limited production wines. The Capital Grille also offers a private wine locker membership, too, where members get an inscribed brushed silver name plate on their locker.

The Capital Grille can also host special events with customized menus by executive chef Matthew Lewis.

So far, BRIO Tuscan Grille, Cheesecake Factory, Seasons 52 and Sophie's inside the Mall at UTC are scheduled to open Oct. 16. Burger and Beer Joint expects to open by Black Friday, leaving Kona Grill the only full-service restaurant not to have an announced opening date. Based on the certificate of occupancy on file, it ought to be open during the grand opening weekend.