After a job offer on Thursday, a celebration dinner was imminent. Both of us put our heads together to discuss restaurant options. Immediately the lobster mac 'n' cheese from the Capital Grille popped into my head and I knew exactly our destination. The only reservation available (less than 24 hours in advance) was at 9:15, which ended up being perfect. Weeks ago I booked 2 massages (as a surprise) at Rosaline's Spa so we could participate in Boston Spa Week (all services only costing $50, a screaming deal!). Throughout my massage all I could think about was the creamy lobster mac 'n' cheese and a juicy moist filet. Tim is a regular at Morton's Steak House, so going to a competitor is never even considered, thus this was my big opportunity for Filet Oscar! We arrived at 9 pm and were promptly seated. Our waiter Jeffrey Scott was wonderful from the beginning to end, going over specials and asking us if we were there to celebrate a special occasion. The wine list, not only is physically large in size, but has over 200 options, so after much discussion we settled on a 2007 bottle of Pinot Noir from Oregon called Cloudline. After a quick toast, we took our first sip to find a deliciously smooth, slightly fruity Pinot. The bread basket didn't stand a chance, as the home made bread selections and whipped butter was so necessary, as it was so late.
To start we ordered the Prosciutto Wrapped Mozzarella with Vine Ripe Tomatoes. It arrived smelling decedent! Four generous sized rolls of mozzarella wrapped in prosciutto, lighted sauteed and crispy on the edges, presented on top of a bed of vine ripe heirloom tomatoes in a light balsamic glaze, served with 2 crispy Parmesan crostinis. Words can not describe how good this was. The heirloom tomatoes paired so nicely with the prosciutto rolls, and the crostinis acted as a perfect mop for the warm balsamic glaze that layered the bottom of the plate. For our main courses I ordered the Filet Oscar (a 10 oz. Filet Mignon served with steamed asparagus spears, lump Alaskan King crabmeat, drizzled with their house made Bearnaise sauce) and Timothy ordered a Chef's Selection, the Bone-In Kona Crusted Dry Aged Sirloin with Caramelized Shallot Butter. We went with two sides, one order of their famous Lobster Mac 'n' Cheese and a half order of the vegetable of the day; roasted carrots, onions, and broccoli drizzled with a Rosemary infused olive oil. Every single bite of this meal was delicious. The lobster mac 'n' cheese had a perfect balance of crunch (Panko bread crumbs) and cream (Mascarpone, Havarti and Grana Padano), mixed with baked Campanelle pasta and fresh large lobster claws. If it wasn't rude to lick the bottom of the bowl, I think I would have considered this. Roasted veggies is our favorite thing to quickly throw together during the week, so we both agreed the Rosemary infused olive oil added a nice additional flavor profile to the dish. Although Tim's steak was a little over-cooked for his liking, mine was a nice medium rare and so moist. We are a usually chatty couple who doesn't stop talking, but dinner seemed uncharacteristically quite due to the deliciousness of our food! Though we were totally stuffed, Jeffrey snuck the dessert menu on our table, so after about 15 minutes of digesting we decided to try the double chocolate chip ice cream sandwich, stuffed with their homemade vanilla bean ice cream with a side of warm chocolate sauce. Totally unnecessary to order, but so worth the final push. Needless to say we were both so full to the point of feeling uncomfortable, but sometimes you just gotta push yourself to the limit to enjoy every last bite. I have not found another mac 'n' cheese dish that can rival The Capital Grille, however I do have my own version of seafood mac 'n' cheese that is quite yummy when cooked properly.
Below you will find Ashley's Radicchio Shrimp Mac 'n' Cheese.
Ingredients:
1 lb of medium shells pasta
1 lb. shrimp peeled and deveined (you can also use chicken)
2 small heads of radicchio, shredded
1.5 cups skim milk (whole milk if you want it to be richer)
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of flour
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 cup asiago cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan
pinch of nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Directions:
-Bring a large pot of water to a boil and lightly salt it. Add the pasta and follow directions on the back of the box to your desired tenderness.
- In a large dutch oven or sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat.
- Whisk in the flour and cook for one minute, stirring rapidly
- Whisk in the chicken broth and skim milk
- Season the mixture with nutmeg, salt, and pepper
- Let simmer, stirring occasionally for 6 to 8 minutes. You want the sauce to begin to thicken.
- In a separate pan heat the olive oil over medium heat, add chopped garlic, cook one minute.
- Slightly raise the heat, add radicchio and shrimp.
- Let cook for additional 3-5 minutes until the shrimp are pink and radicchio tender.
- Mix cream sauce and shrimp together
- Add pasta and toss
- Pre-heat the broiler to high
- Pour mixture into buttered casserole dish and sprinkle asiago cheese on top
- Place casserole dish in broiler for 2-4 minutes.
- WATCH carefully, as the cheese can burn very quickly, you want it lightly browned.
Serve immediately !
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